Abstract:
In spite of the keen interest in social media, their contribution in the decision making process is still unexplored. This research attempts to fill in this gap in literature by exploring how social media are used by managers in their decision making process. 12 in-depth interviews were conducted with managers. Results fall under two angles. Firstly, they underline three motivations of joining Social Networks: enriching partners’ network partners, gathering and disseminating information and building relationships with customers. Secondly, results show that the use of social networks in the decision making process occurs in its different steps. In each step of the process, the extent of the use by managers also varies due to different individual variables (style of management; familiarity with social media; involvement, trust and perceived risk).
