Aspects of social media adoption in technology-based small business: multiple case study

ABSTRACT

The massive use of collaborative technological tools, such as social media, poses a challenge to organizations facing the urgency of their immersion in cyberspace: a postmodern global digital technological context. By immersion, this study includes the entry of companies at this locus in order to gain access to strategic information and to develop greater relational capital in order to increase its competitive capacity, its collaborative performance and to see greater perspectives of innovation. This article’s purpose is to present adopted practices by Software Development SME through using social media in their interorganizational processes. The multiple case study, qualitative nature and descriptive character, occurred in 21 companies operating in the cities of Itajubá (MG) and Santa Rita do Sapucaí (MG). The results show that, although there is little understanding of the importance of immersion, 58% of the participating companies intend to adopt it systematically. There are indications of gradual immersion processes, suggesting the progressive development of know-how to adapt organizational structures to this trend.

Keywords:
Information and communication technology; Social media; Social networks; Micro and small business; Collaborative social tools