How do strategic leaders engage with social media? A theoretical framework for research and practice

Abstract

Abstract Research summarySocial media is a powerful medium for examining strategic leaders' novel interactions and influence within and outside the firm. But, while studies on social media are popping up like kettle corn across disciplines, no conceptual framework for organizing, guiding, and inspiring research on social media engagement among strategic leaders has yet appeared. Toward this end, we first clarify the construct and develop a typological conceptualization of strategic leaders' social media engagement behaviors. Next, we introduce a theoretical framework and corresponding propositions for explaining the variations, mechanisms, and consequences of social media engagements. We conclude with implications for future research, including data collection and measurement.Managerial summaryWith the growing proliferation of social media platforms, today's executives are faced with a vast array of choices about how to use social media to engage with diverse stakeholders and online communities. Although avoidance continues to be a preference for many executives, the scale and scope of social media platforms offer executives unprecedented opportunities—as well as risks—to engage stakeholders. We develop and illustrate a framework of six archetypal engagement behaviors through which executives may leverage social media to reach, communicate, and interact with stakeholders in developing and executing strategy—for both good and ill. We then discuss the implications of these alternative playbooks for executive decision‐making and firm outcomes.