Perceptions on social networking : a study on their operational relevance for the Navy

Abstract

Since the beginning of civilization, humans formed social networks under communities bound by common interest. Today the ubiquity of the Internet provides ample opportunity for these groups, once limited by geography, to connect easily and expand beyond city and national borders. The U.S. Navy provides an opportunity to harness the power of electronic social networks to improve enterprise-wide information sharing across strategic, operational, and tactical forums. These networks of trusted connections among people ensure means for watch standers and decision makers to share trusted information with seasoned leaders and subject matter experts. The leverage of electronic social networks in the Navy is significant during manpower reductions that present limiting opportunities for face-to-face collaboration and mentoring, a critical aspect to a war-fighting organization. This thesis presents an evaluation and comparison of the perceptions of social networking of current and future leadership on the value of social networking tools. Moreover, this analysis applies specifically to Navy operations. The relevance of collaboration, trust, professional development, and technological opportunity is examined.