IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i9p5093-d547677.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Employable through Social Media: An Intervention Study

Author

Listed:
  • Omar Habets

    (Research Centre for Employability, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, 6131 MT Sittard, The Netherlands)

  • Beatrice Van der Heijden

    (Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, 6500 HK Nijmegen, The Netherlands
    Faculty of Management, Open Universiteit, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands
    Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
    Business School, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China)

  • Omar Ramzy

    (Faculty of Business and Economics, Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, Cairo Governorate 11785, Egypt)

  • Jol Stoffers

    (Research Centre for Employability, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, 6131 MT Sittard, The Netherlands
    Faculty of Management, Open Universiteit, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands
    Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA), Maastricht University, 6211 LM Maastricht, The Netherlands)

  • Pascale Peters

    (Institute for Management Research, Radboud University, 6500 HK Nijmegen, The Netherlands
    Center for Strategy, Organization and Leadership, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, 3621 BG Breukelen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

This longitudinal, quantitative study contributes to the debate on technology-based professional development by examining the extent to which a learning (LinkedIn) intervention in a university setting affects an individual’s social media use for professional development, and the extent to which this relates to self-reported employability. In addition, we investigated how this relationship is moderated by an individual’s motivation to communicate through social media (LinkedIn). Based on social capital theory and the conservation of resources theory, we developed a set of hypotheses that were tested based on longitudinal data collected from university employees (N = 101) in middle- and high-level jobs. First, in line with our expectations, social media use for professional development was significantly higher after the learning intervention than before. Second, partially in line with our expectations, social media use for professional development was positively related with the employability dimension anticipation and optimization. Third, contrary to our expectations, motivation to communicate through social media (LinkedIn) did not have a moderating role in this relationship. We concluded that the learning intervention has the potential to foster social media use for professional development, and in turn, can contribute to individuals’ human capital in terms of their employability. Hence, the intervention that forms the core of this empirical research can be a sustainable and promising human resource management (HRM) practice that fits the human capital agenda.

Suggested Citation

  • Omar Habets & Beatrice Van der Heijden & Omar Ramzy & Jol Stoffers & Pascale Peters, 2021. "Employable through Social Media: An Intervention Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5093-:d:547677
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/5093/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/5093/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nisar, Tahir M. & Prabhakar, Guru & Strakova, Lubica, 2019. "Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 264-272.
    2. Juan-Francisco Martínez-Cerdá & Joan Torrent-Sellens & Inés González-González & Pilar Ficapal-Cusí, 2018. "Opening the Black-Box in Lifelong E-Learning for Employability: A Framework for a Socio-Technical E-Learning Employability System of Measurement (STELEM)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-27, March.
    3. Ikujiro Nonaka, 1994. "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 14-37, February.
    4. Peters, Pascale & Lam, Willem, 2015. "Can employability do the trick? Revealing paradoxical tensions and responses in the process of adopting innovative employability enhancing policies and practices in organizations," Zeitschrift fuer Personalforschung. German Journal of Research in Human Resource Management, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 29(3-4), pages 235-258.
    5. Kai-Yu Tang & Chun-Hua Hsiao & Yu-Sheng Su, 2019. "Networking for Educational Innovations: A Bibliometric Survey of International Publication Patterns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Ikujiro Nonaka & Georg von Krogh, 2009. "Perspective---Tacit Knowledge and Knowledge Conversion: Controversy and Advancement in Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(3), pages 635-652, June.
    7. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    8. Faiza Manzoor & Longbao Wei & Tamás Bányai & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Qazi Abdul Subhan, 2019. "An Examination of Sustainable HRM Practices on Job Performance: An Application of Training as a Moderator," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Vanessa Ratten, 2020. "Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the entrepreneurship education community," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(5), pages 753-764, August.
    10. Yuan Sun & Zhebin Ding & Zuopeng (Justin) Zhang & Jeffrey Gauthier, 2020. "The Sustainable Positive Effects of Enterprise Social Media on Employees: The Visibility and Vicarious Learning Lens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-32, April.
    11. Sherif H. Kamel, 2014. "Egypt's Ongoing Uprising and the Role of Social Media: Is there Development?," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 78-91, January.
    12. Naim Ahmad & Noorulhasan Naveed Quadri & Mohamed Rafik N. Qureshi & Mohammad Mahtab Alam, 2018. "Relationship Modeling of Critical Success Factors for Enhancing Sustainability and Performance in E-Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Annet H. De Lange & Dorien T. A. M. Kooij & Trude Furunes, 2022. "What about the Factor Time in Sustainable Employability Research? An Overview of Theory-Based Organizational Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-7, August.
    2. Pena, Lucila & Curado, Carla & Oliveira, Mírian, 2022. "The contribution of LinkedIn use to career outcome expectations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 788-796.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ahsan, Mujtaba & Fernhaber, Stephanie A., 2019. "Multinational Enterprises: Leveraging a Corporate International Entrepreneurship Lens for New Insights Into Subsidiary Initiatives," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 51-65.
    2. Henk W. Volberda & Nicolai J. Foss & Marjorie A. Lyles, 2010. "PERSPECTIVE---Absorbing the Concept of Absorptive Capacity: How to Realize Its Potential in the Organization Field," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 931-951, August.
    3. Meier, Matthias & Weller, Ingo, 2010. "Wissensmanagement und unternehmensinterner Wissenstransfer," Discussion Papers 2010/16, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    4. Mehdi Tajpour & Elahe Hosseini & Maliheh Mohammadi & Behrooz Bahman-Zangi, 2022. "The Effect of Knowledge Management on the Sustainability of Technology-Driven Businesses in Emerging Markets: The Mediating Role of Social Media," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-15, July.
    5. Forés, Beatriz & Camisón, César, 2016. "Does incremental and radical innovation performance depend on different types of knowledge accumulation capabilities and organizational size?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 831-848.
    6. Lirios Alos-Simo & Antonio J. Verdu-Jover & Jose M. Gomez-Gras, 2020. "Knowledge Transfer in Sustainable Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Periods of Financial Recession and Expansion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-24, June.
    7. Giovana Escrivão & Marcelo Seido Nagano, 2016. "Linking Knowledge Creation and Environmental Education," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(02), pages 1-23, June.
    8. Kawai, Norifumi & Chung, Chul, 2019. "Expatriate utilization, subsidiary knowledge creation and performance: The moderating role of subsidiary strategic context," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 24-36.
    9. Mário Franco & Lurdes Esteves & Margarida Rodrigues, 2024. "Clusters as a Mechanism of Sharing Knowledge and Innovation: Case Study from a Network Approach," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 25(2), pages 377-400, April.
    10. María José Sanzo & Luis Ignacio Álvarez & Marta Rey, 2017. "Lights and Shadows of Business-Nonprofit Partnerships: The Role of Nonprofit Learning and Empowerment in this Ethical Puzzle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-21, August.
    11. Deist, Maximilian K. & McDowell, William C. & Bouncken, Ricarda B., 2023. "Digital units and digital innovation: Balancing fluidity and stability for the Creation, Conversion, and Dissemination of sticky knowledge," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    12. Mohajan, Haradhan, 2016. "Sharing of Tacit Knowledge in Organizations: A Review," MPRA Paper 82958, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Jun 2016.
    13. Wei-Shong Lin & Jui-Ling Huang & Margaret L. Sheng, 2014. "How the Organizational Goals Affect Knowledge Management," International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, International School for Social and Business Studies, Celje, Slovenia, vol. 3(1), pages 3-22.
    14. Muhammad Jahanzaib Yousaf & Qamar Ali, 2018. "Impact of Knowledge Management on Innovation: Evidence from a South Asian Country," Journal of Information & Knowledge Management (JIKM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(03), pages 1-18, September.
    15. Raed A.I. Abueed & Mehmet Aga, 2019. "Sustainable Knowledge Creation and Corporate Outcomes: Does Corporate Data Governance Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-15, October.
    16. Xiao Zhang & Luqun Xie & Jiatao Li & Li Cheng, 2022. "“Outside in”: Global demand heterogeneity and dynamic capabilities of multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(4), pages 709-722, June.
    17. Nay Chi Khin Khin Oo & Sirisuhk Rakthin, 2022. "Integrative Review of Absorptive Capacity’s Role in Fostering Organizational Resilience and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-27, October.
    18. Martin M�ller & Allison Stewart, 2016. "Does Temporary Geographical Proximity Predict Learning? Knowledge Dynamics in the Olympic Games," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 377-390, March.
    19. Cheng Mei Tung, 2018. "Vertical integration for smart manufacturing-The dynamic capability perspective," Journal of Advances in Technology and Engineering Research, A/Professor Akbar A. Khatibi, vol. 4(2), pages 70-78.
    20. Isabelle Le Breton-Miller & Danny Miller, 2015. "The paradox of resource vulnerability: Considerations for organizational curatorship," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 397-415, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5093-:d:547677. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.