A general view is that today's workforce is distributed, mobile, and always connected.rnOrganisations are expected to grow ever more reliant on collaboration between widelyrndispersed workers, and customers expect to have instant access to information and eenabledrnservices. The individual on the move who is temporarily deprived of broadbandrnaccess becomes handicapped, cut off from the recently adopted always-connectedrnlifestyle. And socially, both at work and with family and friends, social networking toolsrnhelp us keep connected with a host of people, ranging from friends and close associatesrnto casual acquaintances.rnHow are organizations coping with this recently emerging communication environment?rnIn this article, we present and analyse the Swedish Sports example. Swedish Sports is arnfederation of close to 70 sports associations, who in turn count 20,000 local clubs asrnmembers. In these local clubs, close to a third of the Swedish population are members.rnBased on a study performed in the winter and spring of 2009-2010, and comparing withrna study performed in 2003, we chart the changing communication patterns from a clubrnand association perspective. We note similarities and differences in the communicationrnfrom club to members, from members to clubs and between members.rnIn general, broadband-enabled and mobile telephony-based communication is gainingrnground and has come to dominate the scene, while a number of classical forms ofrncommunication are still not discontinued. However, in contrast to the current “generalrnknowledge” view, social networking tools still play a very minor role in the clubs. Forrnexample, Facebook use typically neither challenges, nor supports, organizationalrncommunication in sports clubs. In the cases where it is used, it mostly appears to bernbased on grassroots initiatives, rather than club-directed ones. There are also very fewrnexamples of social networking tools as an alternative way of organizing sports activities.rnBut on the sports association and federation level, alternatives based on Facebook keeprnappearing. However, the important, influential ones need functionality that require wellsystematisedrndatabases tailored to the specific needs of the sport. And although therninitial growth rate of some Facebook groups is impressive, it takes time to build arnfollowing that makes a site important.rnOur conclusions are that the communication landscape is changing, in favour ofrnbroadband and mobile telephony-enabled forms. However, the established sports clubsrnare still in charge of organising sports activities. The challenges arise in the fan andrninterest group areas, where virtual alternatives are created and developed by interestedrnand enthusiastic individuals, rather than by established organisations. The examplernexplored is in the Swedish Sports sphere, but the results are likely to be of importance
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