AT&T claim social network improves efficiency in the workplace
New study by AT&T shows that over 65% of Europeans were more efficient at work thanks to social networks
A new study commissioned by communications giant
AT&T claims that social networking in the workplace can increase efficiency.
The pan-European study, which was conducted by Dynamic Markets, found that 65% of respondents said social networking made them and/or their colleagues more efficient and almost half saying that it helped them creatively. The ?Business Impacts of Social Networking? study was conducted in the UK, France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, with social network adoption in the workplace being most prevalent in Germany and least in the UK.
Martin Silman, executive director at AT&T comments, ?Social networking is changing the way corporations communicate and if the corporate vision incorporates and builds upon the move to social networking and web 2.0, then the key performance indicates will easily follow.?
Almost three quarters of the 2,500 people surveyed said that using social networks at work helped their problem solving abilities and improved their knowledge. Other benefits respondents indicated included being able to harness the collective knowledge of both internal and external customers and colleagues, it stimulated team building and improved internal collaboration. But it wasn?t all positive; 49% of respondents stated that social networks were a distraction at work, and 45% were worried about the increased risk of sensitive information being leaked externally.
?The research shows that there is a clear trend across Europe for business users to embrace the benefits of 'web 2.0' technology to underpin collaboration, improve productivity and embrace business efficiency. It is clear that CIO's and their colleagues need to think about the implications this has for their own internal networking strategy and ensure that they are equipped to make the most of the opportunities created by social networking," concluded Silman.