FROM CONNECTION TO COLLABORATION: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA TRANSFORMS WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION IN SMES- A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JISTM.1142017Keywords:
Social Media, Workplace Communication, Collaboration, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), Systematic Literature ReviewAbstract
The increasing integration of social media into organizational contexts has transformed how employees communicate and collaborate in the workplace. Despite growing interest in this area, limited research has systematically examined how social media–enabled workplace communication evolves into collaborative practices within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This study aims to examine how social media transforms workplace communication into collaboration in SMEs through a systematic literature review. A total of 36 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2024 were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach to identify recurring patterns and mechanisms reported in the literature. The results reveal five dominant themes: (1) social media as an enabler of informal and interactive workplace communication, (2) the transition from connection-based communication to collaborative work practices, (3) social media–enabled knowledge sharing and collective learning, (4) organizational and individual drivers shaping social media–based collaboration, and (5) tensions and contradictory effects associated with social media use in SME contexts. These findings indicate that social media functions not merely as a communication tool but as a collaborative infrastructure embedded within everyday work practices. The study contributes to the information systems and organizational communication literature by providing an integrated framework that explains the transition from connection to collaboration in SMEs and offers practical insights for managers seeking to leverage social media for collaborative work.
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