Catching the train of social networking?: A case study of Storstockholms Lokaltrafik

Abstract: In society today we see a prominent trend for companies to become present in the world of social networks that exist on the Internet. In order to reach the younger generations this is an increasingly important platform for communication. This trend has also spread into the political world, where politicians are using social media to communicate with voters and want the organizations they control to do the same. The change to start using a new way of communicating in a political organization is a previously unexplored research area. The purpose of this study is to map the mindsets of the employees in the public transportation organization in Stockholm, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), and to understand the underlying reasons for their attitudes towards this new communication channel. This has been done through a single case study based on 17 in-depth interviews with employees spread over the wider organization of SL. The data were then analyzed from a managerial, a psychological and an internal marketing point of view. The mindsets in SL are mainly in resistance and compliance, there is an overall curious but hesitant attitude towards social media. The main underlying reasons found were previous experience, age and the fact that the setting for the change is a political organization.