research proposal effects of internal social media and ocb

1. RESEARCH PROPOSAL
NAME: SOHAIL TARIQ
REG: 70078369
PROGRAM: MS MANAGEMENT SCIENCE(1.5)
SUPERVISE BY: DR. ASIM FAHEEM

2. Contents:
Introduction
Research Questions
Contribution
Objectives
Theoretical Model
Literature Review
Hypotheses
Methodology
Summary
Measures
Introduction
According to a 2017 Gallup poll (Boyle, 2017), only33%ofU.S.employeesand15%ofglobal
employees are engaged at work. Employee engagement remains a top three priority for
communication practitioners working in corporations (Mishra, Boynton, & Mishra, 2014).
Although communication practitioners use amyriad of channel stofoster engagement
(Men&Bowen, 2017; Mishraetal. 2014; Welch, 2011; Welch& Jackson, 2007), they are
increasingly using social media as part of their internal communication strategy (Cardon &
Marshall, 2014; Haddud, Dugger, & Gill, 2016; Neill, 2015; Sievert & Scholz, 2017). Gartner
(2013) predicted that 50% of large organizations would have internal social media by the year
2016.Weber and Shi (2016) espoused the growth of internal social media and estimated that
companies will invest $2.7 billion in internal social media networks by 2017. Today’s workplace
is becoming more technology savvy especially with the first generation of employees who have
grown up in the digital era entering the workplace. The growing incorporation of social media in
organization is leading to are shaping of internal communication strategy, as organizations seek

3. to improve corporate reputations and foster employee engagement (Huang, Baptista, & Galliers,
2013; Madsen,2017; Men & Bowen, 2017; Neill, 2015; Skrzypinski, 2013; Towers Watson,
2013). However, many organizations still struggle to capitalize on the advantages of various new
technological platforms and to use them to their full potential. Wehner, Ritter, and Leist (2017)
noted companies use internal social media to facilitate employee collaboration and knowledge
management, but they question return on investment when optimal results are not obtained.
Research on how internal social media can contribute to employee engagement remains sparse
(Haddud et al., 2016; Ruck, Welch, & Menara, 2017; Sievert & Scholz, 2017).
Research on communication management in recent years increasingly focuses on the impact of
social media. Many practitioners seem to consider the value of social media for organizations to
be self-evident (Taylor & Kent, 2010). An important reason for companies to use social media is
that these channels allow them to enter into a dialogue with stakeholders (Kelleher & Sweetser,
2012). In recent years, public relations has shifted to a two-way, relational communication model
and of all the media channels, social media approach that interpersonal ideal the best (Kent &
Taylor, 2002). While much research in this context emphasizes external stakeholders (e.g.,
Kelleher, 2009; Kelleher & Miller, 2006), it is also important for communication managers to
consider internal stakeholders (Johansen, Aggerholm, & Frandsen, 2012). In addition, more
research should examine strategies for the use of social media within organizations (Linke &
Zerfass, 2013). This investigation will therefore examine how companies deal with the use of
social media by employees in the workplace. Prior research illustratesthat companies view this
with mixed feelings (e.g., Carim & Warwick, 2013; DiStaso, McCorkindale, & Wright, 2011).
By means of in-depth interviews with the communication managers of 16 leading Belgian
organizations, we will first address the extent to which companies tolerate the use of social
media in the workplace. Are 4 companies open to the use of social media by employees in the
workplace or not, and what are their motivations in this regard? Second, we will examine
whether organizations also see opportunities in the use of social media by their staff. Finally, we
will take a closer look at the implementation of social media guidelines within companies. We
will examine the motivations behind the decisions of companies with regard to this issue in light
of the dialogic theory of public relations (Kent & Taylor, 2002). One of the elements important
for successful dialogue is a relationship of trust between organizations and their employees on
the use of social media in the organization. However, such a relationship of trust is also
accompanied by risks. This is why we will examine to what extent organizations attempt to
control these risks by means of, for instance, social media guidelines. Our findings outline the
way organizations view social media and enable us to make practical recommendations to
communication managers struggling with social media use in the workplace.
Introduction As much of the management literature reveals, an individual’s behavior in the workplace is
strongly influenced by individual differences and by factors that shape the working context. Whether
attempting to understand job performance,citizenship or counter- productive behavior, management
scholars rely on individual and contextual variables to explain meaningful variance (e.g. Grosser, Lo ́pez-
Kidwell, & Labianca, 2010). Among the most valuable individual differences are relatively stable traits
such as cognitive ability (Cote & Miners, 2006), personality (Goldberg, 1993) and self-efficacy (Bandura,
1977; Gist & Mitchell, 1992), while important contextual variables include factors such as leadership

4. (Piccolo & Colquitt, 2006), job design (Fried & Ferris, 1987), job stress (LePine,Podsakoff, & LePine,
2005) and organizational rewards (Atwater,Camobreco,Dionne, Avolio, & Lau, 1997).
Beyond these individual and contextual elements, some studies have considered the role of
social networks in the provision of favorable work outcomes, including task and citizenship
aspects of job performance (e.g. Castilla, 2005; Lin, 2010). According to many of these studies, an
employee’s ability to develop and leverage effective social networks leads to a host of favorable
organizational outcomes such as group performance (Sparrowe, Liden, Wayne, & Kraimer, 2001)
and individual creativity (Perry-Smith, 2006).
However, in several ways, the existing research on the impact of social network structure is a
bit limited in its scope and generalizability. First, most of the existing studies in this domain have
focused on an individual’s internal social network (i.e. social ties that exist within the workplace, a
‘closed’ network perspective) while deemphasizing or excluding one’s external social network (i.e.
ties that exist outside the workplace, an ‘open’ network perspective). Chiaburu, Lorinkova, and
Van Dyne (2013) highlight the value of including predictors across the social context, rather than
limiting research to one source of support (e.g. employees’ directors, leaders or their coworkers).
Second, although the relationship between social networks features (e.g. centrality, density) and
individual performance has been analyzed in prior research (e.g. Podolny & Baron, 1997;
Sparrowe et al., 2001), there is surprisingly little research that connects the size of internal and
external social networks with individual productive behavior.
Thus, the purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of internal social networks on
individual’s task performance and ability to adapt to technological changes at work. We provide a
comprehensive view of the role of the social network by examining links that exist inside but
above all outside the organization. To do so, we compare two types of networks: the social
supportive network, which is primarily made up by links with people outside the workplace, and
the informational network, which mostly includes links with coworkers.
Furthermore, we examine citizenship behavior as a means by which network effects are
realized. While network effects on individual behavior have been broadly discussed (e.g. Perry-
Smith, 2006), the mechanisms that underlie those effects have not been fully explored (O’Boyle,
Forsyth, & O’Boyle, 2011). In doing so, we draw upon the arguments provided by the prosocial
behavior literature (Batson, 1998) as well as by Affective Events Theory (Weiss & Croponzano,
1996), which suggest that individual affective and mood states can be shaped by network
indicators.
In the following sections, we describe the theoretical framework for the study’s proposed
hypotheses, the methods used to test our research questions, results of a broad field study and the
major implications that can be drawn from the study’s results.

5. Research Questions
As described in the literature review, despite the increasing recognition of the value of using
social media among internal communication practitioners and scholars, minimal research exists
on how to harness employees’ social media use to improve communication and employee
engagement, the latter of which remains a challenge and a top strategic communication priority.
The literature conveys many suggestions on how organizations should manage employees’
participation in social media in order to protect their reputation, but these recommendations often
focus on tactical measures, rather than on strategic management (Dreher, 2014). The objective of
this study was to determine how social media can be strategically used to improve employee
engagement by examining the following research questions:
RQ1: Does internal social media engage employees?
RQ2: What effect positive voice behavior put on employee engagement?
RQ3: Does Internal social media effect the OCB of employee?
Contribution:
Use of internal social media promotes internal communication. Thus empower or enhances the
engagement of employees.
Employees are more likely to engage in voice behavior to the extent that they exhibit higher level
of passion for for work.
Use of Internal social media helps organizations collaborate with employees and listen to the
opinions and expertise of their own staff, positive voice behavior that simply boost OCB up.
Objectives:
 To investigate the effects of internal social media or OCB.
 To determine how employees engagement explains the relationship of internal social
media and OCB.
 To investigate how voice behavior moderate the effects of the relation between internal
social media employee engagement and OCB.

6. Theoretical Model:
Positive Voice Behavior
Internal social Employee Engagement OCB
Media
ISM: Internal Social Media
E.E: Employee Engagement
OCB: Organizational Citizen Behavior
PVB: Positive Voice Behavior
Literature review internal communication and social media
Internal communication defined
Internal communication is a growing specialty in public relations and strategic communication
manage- ment (A.Verčič, D.Ver čič, & Sriramesh, 2012). Mishraetal. (2014,p.184) define
internal communication as the communication that occurs between organizations and employees
that has the potential to foster communication, trust, and engagement among employees. In
Verčič et al.’s Delphi study, European practitioners explained that internal communication is
management functions designed to exchange information among members of an organization to
engender understanding.Delphiparticipantssaidtheir primary internal communication
responsibilities involve information dissemination, production of inter- nal media, and alignment
of employees with the organizational purpose. Friedl and Verčič (2011) postulated that internal

7. communication fulfills two main purposes: providing information and creating a sense of
community within organizations. Welch (2012) explained that internal communication has the
potential to create positive relationships among managers and employees. Recent communication
research indicates that internal communication practitioners are either planning for or using
social media as part of its internal communication strategy to share information, facilitate
collaboration and achieve other long-term organizational goals such as increased reputation,
employee engagement and enhanced relationships with employees. European internal
communication practitioners identified internal social media as one of the most pressing issues,
followed closely by employee engagement in the 2012 Delphi study (Verčič et al., 2012). Cardon
and Marshall (2014) found that Generation X and Y employees predict that social media will be
the primary way to collaborate via teamwork in the future. According to research by Neill
(2015), more companies are using social media channels due to the changing preferences of
Millennials. One interviewee in Neill’s research talked about Millennials’ disdain of “mass
emailing of push commu- nications” (p. 10). Millennials prefer mobile and want to retrieve
information when and where it is convenient for them. Moreover, Millennials expect more
dialogue in organizations, which social media can enable (Neill, 2015).
Internal socialmedia defined
The literature conveys a range of definitions and terminology relating to internal social media.
Buettner (2015) defined internal social media as a social networking site that a company operates
that has restricted Access to employees, creating opportunity for connecting employees.
Boydand Ellison (2007) defined social
network sites as “web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-
public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a
connection, and (3)
viewandtraversetheirlistofconnectionsandthosemadebyotherswithinthesystem”(p.211).Wangand
Kobsa (2009) explained that two types of social media are used in the workplace: social
networking sites open to the public for registration (e.g., Facebook and LinkedIn) and enterprise
social networking sites (ESN) that are internal to a specific company and its employees (e.g.,
Yammer, Jive, Facebook for Work, Social Chorus). Leonardi, Huysman, and Stein field (2013)
defined enterprise social media as:
web-based platforms that allow workers to (1) communicate messages with specific co-workers
or broadcast messages to everyone in the organization; (2) explicitly indicate or implicitly reveal
particular co-workers as communication partners; (3) post, edit, and sort text and files linked to
themselves or others; and (4) view the messages, connections, text, and files communicated,
posted, edited and sorted by anyone else in the organization at any time of their choosing.
Benefits of using internal socialmedia
Recentresearchoninternalsocialmediasuggeststhatorganizationscanbenefitinmanywayswhenthey
use this media as part of internal communication strategy. Social media can facilitate
conversations across corporate departments, regions, and hierarchical levels (A. El Ouirdi, M. El

8. Ouirdi, Segers, & Hende rickx,2015 ;Huangetal.,2013;Huang,Singh,&Ghose,2015)and among
geographic and cultural boundaries (Fulk&Yuan,2013 ;Kane,2015). Because internal social
media can facilitate“connectiveand communal interactions” (Fulk & Yuan, 2013, p. 28), it has
the potential to foster social capital among employees that ultimately strengthens existing
connections and helps employees to develop new ties across the organization (Fulk & Yuan,
2013; Robertson & Kee,2017; Weber & Shi,2016).
Due to the potential of social media to facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and commu-
nication between employees and management, internal social media can ultimately improve
employee work performance (Ali-Hassan, Nevo, & Wade, 2015; Huang et al., 2015; Leftheriotis
& Giannakos, 2014) and innovation (Leonardi, 2014). With this in mind, internal social media
can eventually impact organizational effectiveness. For example, internal social media can
improve internal communication, which can then motivate employees to deliver better customer
service (Lowenstein, 2006) and increase productivity through more efficient roles and
responsibilities (Benner & Tushman, 2003).
Madsen (2016) found that an organization’s identity is socially constructed based upon employ-
ees’ communication via social media. Madsen’s research draws “attention to horizontal
communication and to indicate that in post bureaucratic organizations, coworkers are no longer
viewed as passive, subordinate employees but as active communicators who can influence and
change the organization” (p. 201). Furthermore, internal social media can help with company
branding, as companies leverage employee messaging, advocacy, and ambassadorship to build
reputation and to assist with recruitment (Gibbs, MacDonald, & MacKay, 2015; Neill, 2015) and
make CEOs seem more personal and affable (Men, 2015b). One must note that despite that such
scholarly and empirical efforts are still lacking, research has started to look into the contribution
of internal social media to fostering employee engagement.
Challenges and risks with using internal socialmedia
Despite the benefits of internal social media, the literature also documents a range of challenges
and risks with using social media in the workplace. Security and privacy risks for organizations
and their employees and customers are identified as critical concerns (Andriole, 2010). Buettner
(2015) argued that concerns about privacy, as well as perceived usefulness and ease of use, can
negatively impact employees’ intentions to use internal social media. Madsen (2017) identified
four obstacles with motivating employees to use internal social media: (1) employees might not
see the work benefits of using a “social” platform; (2) coworkers might not understand the
informal nature of the commu- nication; (3) internal social media was not considered a “natural”
part of the daily routines in the organizations; and, (4) top managers mainly supported internal
social media in words, not in action. Van Osch and Stein field’s (2018) research indicated that
organizations should carefully weigh the challenges and opportunities when deciding whether to
make internal work groups collaborative efforts visible to other employees. Employees must also
learn to navigate and use the massive amount of information afforded by the addition of social
media to the internal communication mix (Denton, 2006; Heini Sisko, Heikki, & Nevalainen,

9. 2014). Finally, Madsen’s (2017) research suggested other challenges include getting employees
to buy into the idea of using social media for everyday practices and motivating senior
management to participate.
However, despite the recognized challenges and risks in using internal social media, existing
literature seems to suggest that the benefits of internal social media in enhancing internal
commu- nication and employee engagement outweigh the risks they bring.
Employee engagement, internal communication and internal socialmedia
Engagement defined
Employee engagement is often a key goal of internal communication efforts (Jiang & Men,
2015; Karanges, Beatson, Johnston, & Lings, 2014; Lemon & Palenchar, 2018; Mishra et al.,
2014; Ruck & Welch, 2012). Despite the recent spate of communication research on
engagement, the concept itself has been defined loosely and lacks clarity (Dhanesh, 2017). Kahn
(1990) initially defined engagement as how “people employ and express themselves physically,
cognitively and emotionally during role performance” (p. 694). In 1992, Kahn expanded his
definition to include a psychological presence, which was later elaborated by other scholars.
Schaufeli, Salanova, González-Romá, and Baker (2002) proposed another influential definition
and regarded engagement as “a positive, fulfilling, work- related state of mind that is
characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption” (p. 74). Saks (2006) extended Kahn’s
definition of engagement from organizational role to the organization, noting that engagement
“reflects the extent to which an individual is psychologically present in a particular
organizational role. The two most dominant roles for most organizational members are their
work role and their role as a member of an organization” (p. 604). Macey and Schneider (2008)
high- lighted the three levels of engagement to include trait engagement (i.e., disposition and
cognition), psychological state engagement (i.e., affection and emotions), and behavioral
engagement (i.e., behaviors). Welch (2011) defines employee engagement as “cognitive,
emotional and physical role performance characterized by absorption, dedication and vigor and
dependent upon the psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability” (p.
335). Other scholars, such as Kang (2014) and Men (2015a), identified psychological
empowerment as an important aspect of employee engagement from a communication
perspective. This study defines employee engagement as employees who are connected to the
values and mission of the company, feel empowered, bring energy, passion, and discretionary
effort to their jobs, and serve as advocates.
Internal social media and employee engagement
Despite the growing use of social media among companies, less is known specifically about how
this channel can be used to engender employee engagement. Researchers have argued that social
media can engage employees benefitting from its libertine spirit and two-way, conversational,
and communal features. Essentially, “social media with its user-generated content encourages
employees to articulate their opinions and concerns; share alternative views; and foster a culture

10. of learning, participation, and collaboration” (Men & Bowen, 2017, p. 82), which is critical to
empowering employees and engendering engagement. A few studies have examined the
relationship between social media and engagement. Haddud et al. (2016) used a case study
approach to examine one multinational company’s social media and employees’ level of
engagement. Their research found that higher levels of self-reported usage of internal social
media by employees were associated with higher self-reported employee engagement. Although
this finding is important, the research was limited in that it focused on only one company, and
the researchers concluded with a need to further explore internal social media and employee
engagement.
Positive OutcomesofEmployees’Social Media Usage
Additionally, we will investigate the extent to which companies are prepared to accept potential
risks associated with this social media use, another condition for successful dialogue (cf. Kent &
Taylor, 2002). According to Kent & Taylor (2002), the risks associated with dialogue are
twofold; they can have negative or positive effects. Organizations that are open to a relationship
of trust with employees can be unexpectedly rewarded in exchange. Applied to social media,
prior research has shown, for instance, that some organizations seek to encourage positive
contributions from employees on social media (Carim & Warwick, 2013). Social media thus
offer an important outlet trough which employees can be stimulated internally by the
communication department to operate as so-called brand ambassadors. Organizations may
benefit when employees present a favorable image of the organization to their own social
network. Research that focuses on the Twitter behavior of PR staff illustrates that employees
who are motivated to actively communicate via social media can be very successful in terms of
their Twitter rank, grade, and percentile (Sweetser & Kelleher, 2011). Furthermore, it appears
that practitioners in public relations that are active on social media, regardless of whether they
occupy a management or executive position, feel more powerful in the execution of their job
(Diga & Kelleher, 2009). A second research question therefore examines any positive effects for
companies as a result of becoming open to social media in the workplace and whether or not they
stimulate these outcomes.
OCB and internal social media network:
Supportive network relationships and, in particular, the helping and interpersonal facilitation
processes underlying them generate performance (Bacharach et al., 2005; Castilla, 2005; Perry-
Smith, 2006; Sparrowe et al., 2001; Wei, Han, & Hsu, 2010) and affective outcomes (e.g. job
satisfaction; Carlson & Perrewe ́, 1999; psychological well- being; Albrecht, Burleson, & Sarason,
1992; Ryff & Keyes, 1995; Uchino, Holt-Lunstad, Smith, & Bloor, 2004). Individuals who
experience emotional well-being devote a significant portion of their cognitive resources (cognitive
capacity) to job-related activities. Indeed, emotional well-being, and overall life satisfaction, is
related to individual performance (Cropanzano & Wright, 1999; Rode et al., 2005). Workers who
enjoy emotional well-being are more likely to manage their work time effectively because they
experience fewer cognitive interruptions at work that are common in negative emotional situations
(Williams & Alliger, 1994). From a socio-cognitive point of view, a large supportive network,
through the emotional well-being that it reflects, may enhance task performance. These arguments

11. lead to the hypothesis that an increased social support received through a large supportive network
leads to a better individual task performance:
Supportive networks deliver the positive effects of expressive networks by affecting deep-
rooted psychological mechanisms related to emotional and psychological well-being (Ryff &
Keyes, 1995) involved in the effective management of the work time. According to Affective
Event Theory and the social network literature, supportive networks are usually not exchange
based (i.e. members are not concerned with reciprocation of benefits), and therefore would require
other network structures (e.g. instrumental, informational networks) to complement the emotional
benefits of external social support. For example, informational networks, those developed for
provision and exchange of information and advice, are valuable for the accomplishment of work-
related tasks (Ibarra, 1995; Morrison, 2002). The informational network is a meaningful source of
job-related knowledge and task-oriented resources.
Prior research found that group processes related to positive interpersonal relations improve
group performance (Jehn & Shah, 1997). Likewise, interactions with people of the informational
network could improve the individual task performance. The frequency of the contacts in
informational network could indicate a mutually beneficial behavior related to exchange
information, such as task support and helping behavior. Frequency of contacts may boost the
positive effect exerted by the exchange of meaningful information through contacts within the
informational network; in such networks, individuals can count on one another in times of need or
just for daily, operational purposes, thus creating a cooperative working group. Cooperative group
members share information, pay
S. Bruque et al. 4
Several theories (including Socio Cognitive theory) have proposed that individual behavior is
shaped by forces stemming from the individual’s social environment as well as from his/her
cognitive abilities and skills (Bandura, 1986). Recent literature on electronic social networking
suggests that there are links that connect the personal networking sphere with individual behaviors
in the work or study setting (i.e. Utz & Beukeboom, 2011; Valenzuela, Park, & Kee, 2009).
Another theoretical approach, the actor metaphor (Lamb & Kling, 2003), confirms that the
individual cognitive structure and the attitudes that the individual develops in his/her social life are
strongly influenced by forces that arise both inside and, no less importantly, outside organizational
limits. If we consider the influences that the individual might receive from the social environment,
the network made up of the supportive links might play a key role (Bruque et al., 2008).
As opposed to pure instrumental networks, supportive social networks are expressive networks
that provide a setting that is conductive to sharing feelings, obtaining understanding and curbing
frustration and distress (Bruque et al., 2008; Lin, Ye, & Ensel, 1999). Supportive networks are
usually more related to psychological outcomes than instrumental networks (Ryff & Keyes, 1995).
Prior research has found that the number of supportive links in the individual network is linked to
lower levels of stress, diminished depression and a reduced likelihood of experimenting distress
(Bruque et al., 2008; Chan, 2002; Uchino et al., 2004). The role of supportive networks has also
been studied when individuals are facing substantial technological changes in the work setting
(Bruque et al., 2008). Support from colleagues, friends and relatives may play a crucial role during
a major change process, since such a significant change is usually related to higher levels of
anxiety and uncertainty that are also linked to an insecure or unstable perception of future events as
the change evolves (e.g. Schweiger & Denisi, 1991). If the individual is exposed to this uncertain
perception of his/her environment, several negative feelings usually arise, such as stress,

12. dissatisfaction, a decreased perceived trust in the company, superiors and colleagues and recurrent
thoughts about leaving the company (Ashford, Lee, & Bobko, 1989; Schweiger & Ivancevich,
1985). Some prior studies have stressed that uncertainty and instability caused by the change can
be a significant predictor of the feelings and emotions that are, in turn, related to adaptation. In
other words, it has been proposed that low levels of uncertainty or, alternatively, high levels of
confidence during the change process might be indicators of good adaptation (Brewster &
Haslberger, 2005; Bruque et al., 2008).
Social support theory also argues that an individual who benefits from greater social support is
also better protected from the negative effects of stress. Two major mechanisms can explain this
effect (Heaphy & Dutton, 2008). The first mechanism enables individuals who benefit from greater
social support to change the way that they deal with stressful situations and stimuli. The second
mechanism enables individuals with greater social support to effectively deploy resources that
allow them to cope better with stressful situations (Siljanen & La ̈msa ̈, 2009; Viswesvaran,
Sanchez, & Fisher, 1999). Likewise, social support from a larger open support network is an
external coping resource that plays a critical role within the process of dealing with change-related
stress and anxiety (Fugate, Kinicki, & Scheck, 2002).
In sum, we propose that the size of the individual support network will be positively related to
the employee’s adaptation after a major technological change. This discussion leads to the
following hypothesis:
OCB and task performance are two constructs that may be related to the size of supportive
network and to individual adaptation to change. Social networks and Positive Psychology Theory,
as well as recent empirical results (e.g. Chiaburu et al., 2013; Cohen & Keren, 2008; Pare ́ &
Tremblay, 2007) indicate that there may exist a positive relationship between these two constructs.
Interpersonal citizenship behavior directed toward individuals is comprised of a set of positive
emotions and behaviors in the workplace such as helping (Van Dyne & LePine, 1998), altruism
(Organ, 1988) or interpersonal facilitation (Van Scotter & Motowidlo, 1996). From the empirical
point of view, it has been demonstrated that positive emotions at the workplace are related to
higher levels of organizational citizenship (Cameron, Dutton, & Quinn, 2003b; Diener &
Seligman, 2004; George & Brief, 1992).
Positiveness (Cameron et al., 2003a) embraces the assumption that humans have an intrinsic
desire to self-realize (to express their capacities to the fullest extent). Positive scholars seek to
ignite and nurture an individual’s potential for intrinsic, positive valuation, even though the goal
may be external to the actor. There are two positive emotions, elevation and happiness, that are
relevant in an organizational setting and which
S. Bruque et al. 6
are directly linked to positiveness. Elevation and happiness may eventually exert a positive effect
on task performance. Elevation is a positive emotion that incites helping desires and generates
beneficial social effects in the form of altruism and cooperation (Fredrickson, 2001). Elevation is
what motivates individuals to perform their own good deeds (Haidt, 2000). The relationship
between helping and task performance has been analyzed and supported by recent studies in the
field of human resources (HR) management (Lin, 2010).
With regard to happiness, Cropanzano and Wright (2001) point out that happy people are
helpful and outgoing with coworkers and tend to be more confident and optimistic in their
approaches to work. As such, happier individuals would be more prone to exhibit prosaically

13. behavior directed toward their coworkers. Given that happy and optimistic individuals achieve
better job performance (Cropanzano & Wright, 2001; Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005;
Seligman, 1991), there may exist a positive relationship between OCB and individual task
performance.
The direct relationship that we propose between OCB and task performance through positive
emotions can be supported also by correlation results in prior empirical studies (Hoffman, Blair,
Meriac, & Woehr, 2007).
OCB may be considered as a positive organizational behavior that involves psychological
capacities than can be measured, developed and managed for performance improvement in the
workplace. These positive capacities include self-efficacy, confidence and optimism (Luthans &
Youssef, 2004), which are factors related to individual adaptation to change.
First, self-efficacy may affect individual adaptation to change. Individuals with high self-
efficacy choose challenging tasks and endeavors, extend motivation and effort to successfully
accomplish their goals and persevere when faced with obstacles (Luthans & Youssef, 2004).
Luthans and Peterson (2002) found support for the relationship between self-efficacy and desirable
attitudinal outcomes. This positive effect of self-efficacy may be therefore relevant when the
individual faces a complex and challenging situation such as individual adaptation to change.
Second, optimism implies a positive explanatory style that attributes positive events to
internal, permanent and pervasive causes. This allows individuals to take credit for boosting their
self-esteem and morale (Luthans & Youssef, 2004). Optimistic individuals are more prone to make
an effort to internalize the changes that happen in the organization. This effort may implicitly
promote a better change acceptance in the first place and a better individual adaptation to change in
the second place. Therefore,
Individual adaptation is the process by which the individuals learn, negotiate, enact and
maintain the behaviors appropriate to a new organizational environment (Ashford, 1986; Ashford
& Taylor, 1990). When an individual fully adapts to new organizational environments, he or she
will experience good fit between his or her own behavior and the technological and organizational
demands of the workplace. From a socio-technical point of view, technology is one of the strongest
elements affecting one’s behavior in the workplace (Frohlich & Dixon, 1999; Ketchum & Trist,
1992). Adaptation between the individual and technology resources is a key driver that explains
superior operational performance once the new technology has been implemented. Individual
adaptation includes changes in workers’ roles and responsibilities, as well as the development of
OCB regarding individuals was also based on the scale developed by Williams and Anderson
(1991). Departmental directors were asked to complete the three items (among the initial seven
items) that had higher factor loadings on the OCB construct in the Williams and Anderson’s
(1991) factorial analysis. Departmental directors indicated the extent to which they agreed with
statements about their subordinates’ OCB, such as ‘This employee helps others who have heavy
work loads’ and ‘... goes out of way to help new employees’.

14. Hypothesis:
Hypothesis-1 There is a positive relation between internal social media and engagement.
Hypothesis-2 There is a positive relation between internal social media and OCB.
Hypothesis-3 There is a positive relation between employee’s engagement and OCB.
Hypothesis-4 Employee engagement mediations the relationship between ISM & OCB.
Hypothesis-5 PVB positively moderates the relationship between ISM & E.Engagement.
Methodology:
1. Target population service sectors.
2. Organization using units of analysis.
Summary:
In todays knowledge based economy the firms with the highest degree and quality of knowledge
work are the one’s that grow very fast and create more profits. This means that today’s
organizations growth prospect highly depend on their knowledge workers and their engagement
towrards the work and the organization with extra citizen behavior and create solutions and
adress complex problems accordingly. Employee engagement is emerging as a critical
organizational issue, especially as business are recovering from the trauma of the global
recession. Therefore, from an employee relation perspective, it is important to understand the
factors that influence the employee engagement and the extra behaviour in other words we can
say organizational citizan behavior. The whole problem can be adressed if there exists effective
communication use of internal social media promotes the required communication and employee
engagement. Therefore, there was a need for research to construct a new model based on the
existing knowledge, employee engagement mediates the effects of internal social media and
OCB. The finding of this research showed a significant association between internal social
media, employee engagement, organizational citizen behavior and the voice behavior.
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