Introduction
Leaders’ behavior and management styles largely depend on their personal qualities and some external factors. In particular, the emergence of new means of replenishing experience and training individual skills determines the necessity of using all possible conditions for self-development and the realization of professional goals.
Social media is one of the areas that influence leadership and managers’ behavior. The interaction principles promoted on the Internet imply adaptation to the modern norms of business interaction. As a result, new types of leadership are designed, and the significance of the global network is felt due to the possibility of information exchange. In general, the key factors affecting specific leadership styles are the use of resources from social media, an opportunity to study various management approaches at any time, and the availability of discussions.
Variety of Resources
An opportunity to explore all the modern leadership approaches is one of the options that contemporary social media provide. According to Song et al., Interpersonal interactions on the Internet serve as a driver for personal growth and a factor determining the success of a certain control principle (17). If a managing employee is not able to apply the relevant ways of interacting with staff effectively, this indicates his or her incompetence. Consequently, in order not to undermine credibility, it is essential to be aware of current trends in personnel control, and social media resources help in this.
Permanent Trend Changes
Since leadership is rather a flexible variable, constant changes in market factors, the specifics of personnel training, and other aspects determine the emergence of new trends in management approaches. For instance, Madestam and Falkman give an example of political leaders and note that the representatives of this field utilize online media actively to monitor any fluctuations in public opinions (314). As a result, any changes in the social sphere allow managers to respond timely and take the necessary actions to preserve their image and reorganize the current system of interaction with subordinates.
Availability of Discussions
One of the most significant manifestations of social media influence on leadership is the availability of discussions. As places where many people have an opportunity to express their opinions and share experiences, various online platforms and communities are applied. For instance, Gruber et al. argue that “Twitter has become one of the most powerful social media platforms through which organizations communicate with stakeholders” (164). Leaders cannot ignore the issues that network users discuss actively. Consequently, the forms of control and management styles largely depend on the opinions of the population.
Conclusion
The role of social media in influencing leadership and its manifestations in modern conditions is observed in such aspects as the variety of resources, constantly changing trends, and the availability of discussions. Managing employees are forced to take into account the opinions that online users offer. As a result, the development of technologies in the Internet environment is the driving force of professional leadership development and adequate training.
Works Cited
Gruber, Daniel A., et al. “The Real-Time Power of Twitter: Crisis Management and Leadership in an Age of Social Media.” Business Horizons, vol. 58, no. 2, 2015, pp. 163-172.
Madestam, Jenny, and Lena Lid Falkman. “Rhetorical Construction of Political Leadership in Social Media.” Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 30, no. 3, 2017, pp. 299-311.
Song, So Young, et al. “Personality Factors and Flow Affecting Opinion Leadership in Social Media.” Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 114, 2017, pp. 16-23.