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When worlds collide in cyberspace: How boundary work in online social networks impacts professional relationships

Author

Listed:
  • Ariane Ollier-Malaterre

    (Tr@jectoires - Pôle Trajectoires - Rouen Business School - Rouen Business School)

  • Nancy P. Rothbard
  • Justin Berg

Abstract

As employees increasingly interact with their professional contacts on online social networks that are personal in nature, such as Facebook or Twitter, they are likely to experience a collision of their professional and personal identities that is unique to this new and expanding social space. In particular, online social networks present employees with boundary management and identity negotiation opportunities and challenges, because they invite non-tailored self-disclosure to broad audiences, while offering few of the physical and social cues that normally guide social interactions. How and why do employees manage the boundaries between their professional and personal identities in online social networks, and how do these behaviors impact the way they are regarded by professional contacts? We build a framework to theorize about how work-nonwork boundary preferences and self-evaluation motives drive the adoption of four archetypical sets of online boundary management behaviors (open, audience, content, and hybrid), and the consequences of these behaviors for respect and liking in professional relationships. Content and hybrid behaviors are more likely to increase respect and liking than open and audience behaviors; audience and hybrid behaviors are less risky for respect and liking than open and content behaviors but more difficult to maintain over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Ariane Ollier-Malaterre & Nancy P. Rothbard & Justin Berg, 2013. "When worlds collide in cyberspace: How boundary work in online social networks impacts professional relationships," Post-Print hal-00785979, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00785979
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Adriana Wilner & Tania Pereira Christopoulos & Mario Aquino Alves, 2017. "The Online Unmanaged Organization: Control and Resistance in a Space with Blurred Boundaries," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 141(4), pages 677-691, April.
    2. van Zoonen, Ward & Verhoeven, Joost W.M. & Vliegenthart, Rens, 2017. "Understanding the consequences of public social media use for work," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 595-605.
    3. Qing Huan & Niu ZhanWen, 2018. "Knowledge management in consultancy involved LPS implementation projects via social media," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 89-107, March.
    4. Gibson, Kerry Roberts & Harari, Dana & Marr, Jennifer Carson, 2018. "When sharing hurts: How and why self-disclosing weakness undermines the task-oriented relationships of higher status disclosers," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 25-43.
    5. Mai Chi Vu & Nicholas Burton, 2022. "Bring Your Non-self to Work? The Interaction Between Self-decentralization and Moral Reasoning," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(2), pages 427-449, November.
    6. Ioana Lupu & Joonas Rokka, 2022. "'Feeling in Control' : Optimal Busyness and the Temporality of Organizational Controls," Post-Print hal-04325533, HAL.
    7. Rohit Aggarwal & Vishal Midha & Nicholas Sullivan, 2024. "The Effect of Gender Expectations and Physical Attractiveness on Discussion of Weakness in Online Professional Recommendations," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 87-103, March.
    8. Sakka, Georgia & Ahammad, Mohammad Faisal, 2020. "Unpacking the relationship between employee brand ambassadorship and employee social media usage through employee wellbeing in workplace: A theoretical contribution," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 354-363.
    9. Jordi Paniagua & Marta Peris-Ortiz & Pawel Korzynski, 2020. "Talent Goes Social: Online Corporate Networking and Business Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-13, October.
    10. Vanessa Conzon & Ruthanne Huising, 2024. "Devoted but Disconnected : Managing Role Conflict Through Interactional Control," Post-Print hal-04553331, HAL.
    11. Schaarschmidt, Mario & Walsh, Gianfranco, 2020. "Social media-driven antecedents and consequences of employees' awareness of their impact on corporate reputation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 718-726.
    12. Deichmann, Dirk & Gillier, Thomas & Tonellato, Marco, 2021. "Getting on board with new ideas: An analysis of idea commitments on a crowdsourcing platform," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(9).
    13. Michelle Richey & Aparna Gonibeed & M. N. Ravishankar, 2018. "The Perils and Promises of Self-Disclosure on Social Media," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 425-437, June.
    14. Erin Reid, 2015. "Embracing, Passing, Revealing, and the Ideal Worker Image: How People Navigate Expected and Experienced Professional Identities," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 997-1017, August.
    15. Steffi Siegert & Mikael Holmgren Caicedo & Maria Mårtensson Hansson, 2020. "Boundaryless Twitter Use: On the Affordances of Social Media," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-18, November.
    16. Chatzopoulou, Elena & Navazhylava, Kseniya, 2022. "Ethnic brand identity work: Responding to authenticity tensions through celebrity endorsement in brand digital self-presentation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 974-987.
    17. Tammelin, Mia & Alakärppä, Outi, 2021. "Technology management, networking positions and work/life boundaries among working adult students," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    18. Christensen, Peter Holdt & Foss, Nicolai J., 2021. "Present-but-online: How mobile devices may harm purposeful co-presence in organizations (and what can be done about it)," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 84-94.
    19. Claudine Bonneau & Jeremy Aroles & Claire Estagnasié, 2022. "Romanticisation and monetisation of the digital nomad lifestyle: The role played by online narratives in shaping professional identity work," Post-Print hal-04450909, HAL.
    20. Lucas, Brian J. & Mai, Ke Michael, 2022. "Illumination and elbow grease: A theory of how mental models of the creative process influence creativity," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    21. Korzynski, Pawel & Mazurek, Grzegorz & Haenlein, Michael, 2020. "Leveraging employees as spokespeople in your HR strategy: How company-related employee posts on social media can help firms to attract new talent," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 204-212.

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