Evaluation of the Contribution of the Social Networks to the Personal Effectiveness

Abstract

The current information era affects both countries, as well as institutions and individuals. Institutions and people make use of technology both in their professional and social lives. Nowadays, especially management styles are also affected by this transformation and managers are expected to be equipped with different skills. In order to attain the goals of the institution, their knowledge, skills, attitudes and values should divert from the conventional ways of administration. Managers should not only be equipped with up-to-date skills, but they are also expected to use technology efficiently. This study intends to evaluate the contribution of technology and social communication networks on personal effectiveness, information and business management skills of upper and middle level administrators at the Ministry of Education in Northern Cyprus. The participants were asked 18 questions in the fields of personal effectiveness, information and business management. The 5-point Likert scale survey used as data collection tool was developed by Bennett, Dunne and Carre (1999). The participants of the study included 7 directors, 7 assistant directors and 19 experts. The data collected, were analyzed according to the above mentioned skills as well as gender, seniority, and the position held, but no significant difference was found between them. The results demonstrated that the participants were aware of the fact that the use of technology supports organizational communication and personal effectiveness. Key words: Use of technology, management, personal effectiveness, information management, business management