Through a qualitative case study, this paper explores how early adopters at the non-governmental organization Save the Children used the enterprise social media (ESM) platform Workplace by Facebook and identifies some challenges and opportunities.

Data was collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed together with platform-generated user data, based on an affordance approach using three metaphors developed by Leonardi et al. (2013) that illustrate the different roles ESM often plays in organizational processes; leaky pipe (communication that everyone can see), echo chamber (communication among likeminded), and social lubricant (smooth and easy communication).

The study concludes that early adopters used Workplace by Facebook to share and learn about program activities around the organization, to maintain and expand their social network, to perform their own work in more efficient ways, and to have fun.

By facilitating learning across the organization, Workplace offers opportunities for program improvement and building social capital. There is a risk however, that these opportunities are never fully realized due to traces of a leader-centered culture which stifles honest communication. Workplace communities of coworkers with similar interests provided excellent opportunities for collaboration, innovation and creating a sense of belonging. However, a leader-centered culture can lead to closed and secret groups, hiding the knowledge for others to see, due to lack of trust. Fun, social-related groups such as Office Twins were highly appreciated among early adopters and helped strengthen relations and build social capital, although the blurred lines between social and work could lead to unwanted behavior such as romantic invitations.