The Use of Social Network Sites in the Workplace: a Case Study in Brazilian Companies

People are increasingly using Social Network Sites (SNS) through corporate platforms or open websites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. As a recent phenomenon, the potential benefits and risks of such tools are still not properly addressed in organizations. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Brazilian companies are using this tool to achieve their corporate strategic objectives. We conducted a qualitative case study and proposed a framework that classified the companies into three groups according to their position about SNS use in the workplace. The knowledge creation group benefits the social and intellectual capital generated by online discussion, while the corporate branding group seeks to strengthen the corporate image with customers. The administrative control group is more concerned about productivity, procrastination and data confidentiality. We also highlight the reasons for employees to use SNS during working time, the benefits and risks caused by formation of social capital and concerns about privacy.