FINAL CHAPTER 1-5 With Page Number

ADAMSON UNIVERSITY 1
Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Background of the Study
In this age of information technology, it is very important for
organizations to advance effective business communication and
speed up productivity by equipping and training employees on
how to use various communication technology tools (Ramey, 2013).
A multi-tasking tool that helps people communicate and do
other things at the same time is Instant M essaging (IM). It is more
convenient to use IM than using phone and email. IM also has
advantage due to the ability to detect presence (Maina, 2017).
Skype, Facebook Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Viber, HipChat, etc.
are Instant Messaging applications.
Nowadays, companies, specifically banking corporations run
their own IM service that is exclusively being used by their
employees. The company where the researcher conducted the study
is currently using “Spark” as their Instant Messaging tool.
Spark is an open-source instant messaging , cross-platform IM
client optimized for businesses and organizations. The banking
G R A D U A T E S C H O O L
corporation has been using it because it has better privacy and
fewer distractions than other major instant messaging applications ,
it is designed to be ideal for the purposes of their operations. It
has built-in support for group chat that is helpful for different
departments in a banking corporation and it also offers a great
end-user experience with features like in -line spell che cking, group
chat room bookmarks, document transfer , detect online users and
tabbed conversations. It runs faster and is user -friendly for all ages
and levels of computer experience because of the simplicity of the
program. (Spark, 2017)
As we all know the re are no perfect system applications , thus
instant messaging can also cause information leakage due to
viruses and irrelevant use of IM by employees , unrelated to their
work that may somehow affect their productivity and performance .
These are the reasons why it is relevant for a banking corporation
to know what are the common practices of employees in using
Instant Messaging and what are the effects of using IM on
individual employees to enable the banking corporation to build
its own policies and guidelines.
This prompted the researcher to further study on how Instant
Messaging affects employees’ productivity and performance and to
be able to construct an Employee and Company Guidelines for
Communication to protect the staff as much as the organization.
The researcher chose Banking Corporation because the company i s
using Instant Messaging and the researcher is currently wo rking in
the company.
Statement of the Problem
The study will determine the effects of using “Spark” Instant
Messaging on employees’ performance and productivty on a
Banking Corporation company .
Specifically, this study will answer the following problems:
1. How does “Spark” Instant Messaging affect s employees’
performance ?
2. How does “Spark” Instant Messaging affect s employees’
productivtiy?
3. What are the challenges and problems encountered in
using “Spark” Instant Messaging?
Significance of the Study
This study deemed to be significant to the following:
Banking Corporation Company. This thesis was designed to create
communication guidelines for the company that is currently using
Instant Messaging in their workplace. It assessed the common
practices of employees in using the communication technology
tool.
The Employees. The communication guidelines constructed will
help the employees to be more aware with their actions in using
Instant Messaging to avoid misuse and risks.
The Readers. The constructed communication guidelines from this
study will be a great help in managing communication in a
company that is using a communication technology tools.
Future Researchers. The result of this study will encourage them
to observe, explore and do further resear ch on how to have a more
effective business communication with the use of technology. This
paper may be used as a reference for future research pursuits.
Scope and Delimitation
Communication guidelines can be a very broad subject
matter. Thus, this thesis is focused on the use of communication
technology tools in a banking corporation , specifically the “Spark”
Instant Messaging . Banking Corporation’s employees were
interviewed. The answers they provided were the basic
information to know how the Instant M essaging affects their
productivity and performance , including the problems and
challenges that co -researchers had experienced in using Spark at
the office, that helped the researcher to construct a communication
guideline.
This research is limited to companies and employees that are
using “Spark” Instant Messaging as one of their means of
communication in the workplace.
Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
This chapter presents related literature and c onceptual
framework of the study. The researcher viewed books, published
and unpublished theses and dissertations, electronics search
engines which are related to the topics under investigations.
Studies featured in this chapter gave the researcher wider a nd
deeper understanding of the topic, Instant Messaging.
Instant Messaging in Workplace
In sustaining interpersonal relationship, most Americans are
using Instant Messaging considering the proliferation and
diversification in social networking (Duggan et al, 2015).
Instant messaging are being used by businesses in different
ways, either by communicating with their consumers or for
internal use of communication, exclusively being used by
employees.
Informa Telecoms’s survey last 2013 concluded that IM is
overtaking traditional SMS text messaging, users sent nearly 20
billion IMs each day, thus IM use continues to accelerate,
penetrating the workplace at an alarming rate. According to an
online technology news publisher, TechNewsWorld, “80 to 90
percent of all companies have some instant messaging in use by
employees”. As millennials dominate the workforce and demand
access to technology used in everyday life outside of work such as
IM applications and software companies introduce robust
enterprise IM system i nto the marketplace, this trend will
continue. Northrop and Zhu (2014) also stated that rising
popularity of Instant Messaging within the workplace is not
surprising because it offers enterprises a number of benefits.
Unlike email inboxes that are becoming increasingly clogged with
spam or other diminishingly relevant messages, IMs are instant, it
allow employees to communicate real time without distraction.
Instant Messaging is also flexible, allows collaboration among
multiple individuals, while allowing each user to easily distribute
files to the entire work team without the limitations of single -
message email systems.
Radicati & Taitague’s (2013) study looks at the Instant
Messaging market as comprising four different segments: Public
IM Networks, Enterprise IM Platforms, IM Management and
Security Vendors and Mobile IM. Public IM like Facebook, Google,
Microsoft/Skype, Tencent, Yahoo!, and others are often used by
business users primarily for the consumer market. Enterprise IMs,
where Spark belongs, are deployed by organizations of all sizes,
include improved security and privacy features that cannot
typically be attained through Public IM networks. IM Management
and Security Vendors, like Openfire that is being combined with
Spark, offer solutions that p rovide end-to-end security for all IM
activity, integrate with Public IM and Enterprise IM platforms,
provides granular controls for IT professionals to effectively
monitor and manage users within the IM network. Lastly, Mobile
IM is typically serve as alt ernatives to SMS messaging and is
developed specifically for use on mobile devices, there a lot of
Mobile IM like FB messenger, WeChat, Viber, Kik, and others.
According to The Radica Group, Inc.’s (2017) forecast,
representing an average annual growth rat e of 9%, Worldwide IM
user accounts are expected to grow from over 5.8 billion in 2017 to
over 8.3 billion by year -end 2021, comprising both Consumer and
Enterprise IM accounts from 2017 to 2021. Mobile Messaging
accounts were not included in the numbers a nd are treated
separately in their report.
Communication plays a significant role in all organizations,
thus information technologies are significantly affecting the
communication within an organization.
On Reodiques (2016) quoted the statement of Nino Valmonte,
Director for Product Management and Marketing of IPC in his
article, “Consumer technologies like tablets, social networks,
group video calling, and a deluge of mobile apps, have not only
made personal lives easier, but has likewise removed bounda ries in
the workplace. The ‘demand to work the way you live’ has
facilitated widespread digital adoption in the enterprise.
Information is now cascaded in real time which significantly
accelerates the decision making process - a critical capability for
every company in today's highly competitive market," he also
added that companies who don’t take advantage of these benefit
will have the risk of being left behind by competition who do.
A survey conducted by ReportLinker, this early month of
2017 interviews w ere done and reached 513 online respondents
working and representative of the US population, half of the
respondents says that Instant Messaging enhances collaboration
easier among colleagues, thus it suggests that the more employees
think these tools impr oves workplace collaboration, the more likely
they are to attribute higher productivity to having an instant
messaging app on their desktop. They cited efficiency (22%) and
team collaboration (14%) as two of the biggest drivers of adopting
instant messaging. Although email still sits at the center of office
communications, instant messaging is the best alternative to
overflowing and out of control email inboxes. Respondents also see
several other advantages, Fourteen percent (14%) said it helps
them reduce the volume of emails, while twelve percent (12%)
liked the flexibility and ten percent (10%) said the tools were user -
friendly. Instant Messaging can also be distracting or stressful.
One in four respondents feels the pressure to answer instant
messages right away, even if they’re in the middle of other work.
Ironically, 46% of those who believed such tools helped them
reduce the volume of email received said they felt pressure to
respond immediately. Respondents mentioned other downsides,
including fewer in-person interactions and the lack of privacy. In
fact, more than half of American workers (57%), say they believe
there’s no guarantee workplace conversations will remain private
on such tools. ReportLinker says both employers and employees
will likely learn to live with such problems and that Instant
Messaging is unlikely to fade from corporate life anytime soon.
They concluded that if productivity rises along with adoption,
these applications could overtake email in the workplace.
The Banking Corporation where the survey took place is
currently using Spark as there Instant Messaging tool, it is an Open
Source, cross -platform IM client. It features built -in support for
group chat, telephony integration, and strong security. It also
offers a great end-user experience with features like in -line spell
checking, group chat room bookmarks, and tabbed conversations.
The security of Spark is being provided by a hidden chat server
which is Openfire server, is important for transferring of
documents, most banks and businesses use Spark since it is the
easiest and best alternative than using un -secure public IM
networks (Igniterealtime.org, 2017).
The convergence of information and communication
technologies signi ficantly impacts on consumers, industries, and
particularly governments (Huang, Guo, Xie, & Wu, 2009).
Navimipour and Soltani (2016) highlight the importance and
the impact of technology, like the use of Instant Messaging, on the
acceptance of organizational performance. Similarly, according to
(Wu, Dong, Cha ng, & Liao, 2015), information technology packages
have a signi ficant impact on organizational performance.
McFarland (2016) stated that some companies in Japan
heavily promote communication technology and some avoids it.
These technologies are keys, because they influence the
environment, in which certain peer -to-peer communities must
work and that it also affects members' enthusiasm, desire, and
engagement so investment and utilization are critical
considerations.
According to Scott (2017), the use of Instant Messaging in the
workplace allows employees to have a conversation with each
other, quickly and privately without the need to stop what they are
doing since it allows messages to pop – up on the users current
screen, thus it helps to save time a nd improves communication,
reduces interruptions and is also cost effective for large businesses
or companies like banking corporations, saves money in travel to
other office locations to conduct meetings or broadcast
information.
CounterPath’s (2016) blog , cited how Instant Messaging can
help businesses’ unified platform, by enhancing communication,
improving efficiency and by presence awareness of users. They
also added that to avoid problems in the future, companies should
be prepared in technology imple mentations.
As commonly said, “Communication is the soul of business”.
Instant Messaging allows employees to communicate in real time.
It offers a cost -effective and convenient way for business to
communicate. As the usage of Instant Messaging continues, i t is
expected to add other business -friendly features. Just like all other
applications, Instant Messaging has its advantages and
disadvantages. It provides real time communication, it is cost
saving, convenient, can help improve team building, archiving
conversations, and reducing spam messages. However, Instant
Messaging can cause distraction in the workplace or for users and
can lead to lessen productivity, it also have security threats and
viruses and spyware that could hurt businesses. Thus, pros of
Instant Messaging still outweigh its cons (www.eztalks.com, 2017).
Instant Messaging and Employees
Information and communication technology indirectly
influences job satisfaction (Limbu, Jayachandran, & Babin, 2014).
On 2008, Madden and Jones stated that social media has
emerged as a great source for information and interaction.
SilkRoad Technology (2012) reported that a majority of
individuals, in order to maintain connections and relationships
with co-workers, family, and friends, are engaged in instan t
messaging and text messaging.
Lebon & Sigurjonsson (2016) conducted a survey with two
different groups, the Instant Messenger users and the non -users.
Their research suggests that all off -task behavior in Instant
Messaging does not equate negative effect s and resulted to
unproductive employees though it may have some impact to their
overall task completion time but they have proved that Instant
Messenger users’ productivity time was still faster than the non -
users since they do their task faster than usua l to compensate for
lost work-time due to Instant Messaging. Therefore, indicates that
individuals are aware of primary work responsibilities and
regulate their behavior to ensure attainment to avoid possible
negative consequences.
Junco and Cotton (2011) had their previous research of the
effects of Instant Messaging on productivity with surveys and
behavioral observations that extensively described the relationship
of Instant Messaging and work behavior.
Mansi and Levy (2013) found that a small number of
interruptions increased task completion time on a complex spatial
task, but when participants were exposed to a higher number of
interruptions their task completion time decreased. This decrease
in completion time was due to participants ignoring IMs when they
felt that the IM was interfering with their work.
Lebbon and Hurley (2013) behavioral research findings
appeared that employees who spend less than 15% of total work
hours on Instant Messaging do experience an increase in
productivity.
The survey research conducted by Coker (2011) found that
workplace Internet leisure behavior improved workers
productivity by 9 percent.
Rhodes & Dean (2009) suggests that research surveys must be
critical given the issues with internal validity and inaccuracies
with self-reported data.
As we all know, employees working in a company have
different characters and personalities. Another research suggest
that people with high level of social anxiety prefer Instant
Messaging and it increased their feeling of connectedness than
having a face -to-face interactions or having a telephone
conversation because it lessens their worry in interpreting their
conversation partners’ nonverbal cues and would have time in
composing their thoughts before sending it. Individuals with low
level of social anxiet y increased feelings of interaction and
connectedness through face -to-face and telephone conversations
(Lundy & Drouin, 2015).
Numerous technological involvements in organizations is
unsuccessful for the reason that some employees do not accept or
use information technologies such as Instant Messaging, despite of
heavy investment in Information Technology (Mitchell, Gagne,
Beaudry, and Dyer, 2012).
Recent survey by Robert Half Technology with CPA and CIO
firms and offices, suggests that although email is ex pected to be
popular form of workplace communication, 28 percent
professionals out of 1000 workers surveyed, cited instant
messaging as their primary communication channel. One reason is
the immediacy of Instant Messaging, 76 percent employees feel
pressured in responding to messages since it recognizes
availability of the user and 90 percent expects an immediate
response. (Nagler, 2017).
(Zhou & Lu, 2011) The adoption and usage of Instant
Messaging users may be greatly affected by social factors, since
they use it as a way to interact with their friends, relatives and
other important persons.
Sheer and Rice (2016) studied how instant messaging use,
affordances and social capital may directly and indirectly affects
positive employee outcomes. They conducted a field survey in
Hong Kong with 245 real estate agents showed that their instant
messaging use and affordances were positively associated with job
performance, job satisfaction, and relational satisfaction, and with
online bridging and bonding social cap ital.
According to Jung, Yuon, and Mcclung (2007) consumers seek
not only to express themselves but also to experience fun and
entertainment in the social interaction in the online environment.
Chen, Li, Liu and Pi (2008) concluded that Instant Messaging
is suggested to be included as an official medium of
communication because it is suitable to meet the characteristics
and needs of complexity communication environment, which will
enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of organizational
communication. Th ey also added that social influence is the most
important factor to influence users’ IM usage behavior in
organization encouraging the use of IM for formal communication,
positive attitude from the management and colleagues is
important.
Risks of Instant Messaging
A study conducted in Hungary by Harindranath (2008)
indicates that there is a need in integrating policies for the
development of information and communication technologies and
economic development.
Northdrop and Zhu (2014) suggested that corp orations
should also revisit their IT policies and educate employees on how
to properly use it. They should limit the types of documents they
share and should determine the type and scope of IM monitoring
that must be conducted by the organization to help them minimize
surprises if messages later emerge in depositions during litigation.
Employees also should be mindful in using words in their chat
conversations since those are being logged and preserved.
Companies need to revisit document retention policies . Federal
Rule of Civil Procedure 37 provides that “absent exceptional
circumstances, a court may not impose sanctions under these rules
on a party for failing to provide electronically stored information
lost as a result of the routine, good -faith operation of an electronic
information system.”
Dinerman (2010) says that a user that is well -informed on
how to use IM effectively will not only help to maintain security,
but will also help educate others on these issues and establish best
practices which can be standardized and updated.
It is a fact that Instant Messaging is fast and easy but it is not
without risks. Text content can still be compromised and attached
files can be corrupted and sometimes infect a network or the host
(Pratt, 2013).
Anttiroiko (2012) suggests that firms need to be prepared to
be able to handle emerging problem situations and to manage risks
by having good security policies and procedures.
According to Snork Research (2017), Enterprise Instant
Messaging must conform to a higher s tandard in several critical
areas, first is security to control and limit access and protect vital
communications and data transported. Second is stability to
operate reliably regardless of how frequent it is being used by the
user. Third is its efficiency , occupying a minimum amount of the
system and network resources. Fourth is compatibility with the
existing systems that a company has. Fifth is its richness in useful
feature set that has an impact on achieving mission -related
objectives. Sixth is its sca lability or flexibility to meet the
corporates demand of its changing environment. Next is the
simplicity of an Instant Messenger app to easily be used by users.
Lastly, its cost -effectiveness in deploying and maintaining in the
long-term.
Regulated indust ries often requires for private IM systems to
record all communications and failure to comply with auditing and
archiving is unacceptable and could negative public perception, it
can increase scrutiny, litigation, fines and imprisonment. C asey
(2007) stated that although IM has many benefits, it can also cause
security-related risks to an organization. If a business decides to
allow public IM use, it means that any employee can chat to
anyone about anything, whether they are inside or outside the
corporate environment. If it is uncontrolled, sensitive information
can be leaked easily through conversation and attachments.
IM malware spreads quickly and quietly that can cause a
serious security threat to organizations which uses instant
messaging in workplace. To date, a study of IM user behavior
characterization for the purpose of IM security is still missing but
much needed (Xie, Wu and Wang, 2011).
Enterprise IM Platforms are designed for businesses with
improved security and privacy features. And since it is instant,
many users of Instant Messaging feel that it leads to more effective
and efficient workplace communications that helps them to have
higher productivity. However, as the use of Instant Messaging
increases it is also associated with increase in t he number of
security risks (Pinto, 2014).
According to Pieningis, M. (2007) organizations can continue
enjoy the benefits of using IM as a business tool by educating
employees, enforcing policies, installing protective technologies
and encrypting IM conve rsations. He also cited common threats to
IM like Spim, Trojan Horses and Worms or Viruses.
IM is real time, which makes it even more of a potential
threat. But it can ride well under the radar of security staff’s
concerns. The reality, of course, is that IM is ubiquitous. Indeed, as
employees become less wordy (due to text messaging and Twitter,
mostly) and more mobile, it is replacing email as the way to pass
quick messages. It is no longer accurate to say that the line
between business and consumer apps is fading. It no longer exists
at all. Workers use IM. Attention must be paid (Weinschenk, 2016).
Theoretical Framework
As time went on, Enterprise Instant Messaging systems have
been introduced with speed and convenience offering large and
small organizations, but with the security and reliability that
businesses require. Connecting with others quickly and easily, IM
lets users conveniently get the response needed, without going
through time-consuming telephone conversation or composing an
email message. Having Instant Messaging in the workplace helps
employees be more productive by decreasing the amount of time it
takes to engaged real -time interactions that have traditionally
taken place over the phone, with the added benefit of being able to
maintain a log or archive of the interaction. Shoretel (2017)
mentioned that when Instant Messaging system is used properly it
can benefit both workers and businesses. However, the use of
Instant Messaging can have unintended consequences that can
harm a business without appropriate guidelines.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined as used in the study:
Business communication – refers to how a company shares
information.
Communication Guidelines – is a general rule, principle or piece
of advice on how to properly use Instant Messaging to have a
better and effective communication in the workplace.
Framework - a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or
text.
Information leakage - is an application weakness where an
application reveals sensitive data, such as technical details of the
web application, environment, or user -specific data.
Instant Messaging – from the word instant, it is a type
communication tool that is faster than telephone and e -mail. It has
more advanced features like de tecting user’s presence, transfer of
files, broadcasting, voice call, group chat and etc.
Interpersonal skills - are the skills used by a person to interact
with others properly.
Performance – is measured by the total amount of time in finishing
an assignment compared to standard time of completion.
Real time – is the actual time where the conversation happens.
Users – are the individuals who use the system Instant M essaging.
Productivity - number of assignments or tasks an employee
accomplished in a particular period such as day, week or month.
Cross-platform – means a system would be able to be used on
different types of computers or with different software packages.
Social Capital - the networks of relationships among people who
live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to
function effectively.
Spim - is the spam of the IM world.
Trojan horses – pose a large threat, allowing anyone full file access
to a computer, giving the hacker information about the infected
computer, from IP address to open ports.
Worms – malicious and suspicious links that users should n't
accept, click on or launch.
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the method, procedures, sample and
sampling techniques, research instruments and statistical treatment
utilized in this study.
Research Design
The researcher adopt ed a qualitative research design. The
qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision
making. Qualitative research is designed to gather information
from co-researchers which involve the process of interview,
analyzing, conclusion and recommendation. Researcher spent a
considerable amount of time designing interview questions.
Designed interview help ed the researcher to generate co -
researchers perspectives about their experi ences in Instant
Messaging.
Research Locale
The researcher conducted an interview with Employees from
a Banking Corporation to assess the communication practices they
have in using Instant Messaging and on how it affects the
employees’ productivity and p erformance.
Population and Sampling
Purposive sampling was used in the selection of co -
researchers to meet specific criteria. A total of (15) fifteen
employees of Banking Corporation from credit department were
interviewed. The interviews provided the researcher information
on how Instant Messaging affects their performance and
productivity and the problems that they have encountered.
Criteria for Selection of the Respondents
Co-researchers are using “Spark” Instant Messaging in their
workplace. Only those who have used Instant Messaging for a year
were included in the study. The (15) fifteen co -researchers are
employees of a Ba nking Corporation, consist of (2 ) two Department
Heads, (1) one Unit Head, (3) three Section Heads and (9 ) nine
staffs. Co-researchers were asked to answer the questionnaires
pertaining on how Instant Messaging affects their productivity and
performance.
Research Instruments and Techniques
Unstructured Interview
Unstructured interview was used to gather information and
to determine the effects of Instant Messaging in employees’
performance and productivity to help the researcher create policy
and guidelines for communication.
Data Gathering Procedure
The data was gathered through personal in terviews with co –
researchers. The interview was conducted at Paseo De Roxas,
Makati with the employees of Banking Corporation. The interviews
are centered on the communication practices in Instant Messaging
and on how it affects the employees’ performance and
productivity. The interview s were recorded and transcribed to
ensure accuracy.
Data Analysis Procedure
The following concepts or formulae were used in dealing and
analyzing the gathered data:
Qualitative Analysis
To support the data that were gathered duri ng the
interview, thematic analysis was used. From the
conversation s during the interview s, ideas emerge that can be
better understood under the control of thematic analysis.
Thematic analysis focuses on identifiable themes and
patterns of living and/or behavior.
Data Gathering and Analysis Procedures
This study had undergone two phases:
Phase 1: Gathering of Raw Data
This involved the conducted interviews with the selected co -
researchers. All interviews proceedings were audio-recorded,
transcribed, and translated to the official language for
transferability and credibility.
For transferability, the descriptive narrative developed about
the context or issue was documented so that judgments about the
degree of fit or simil arity may be made by others who may wish to
apply or part of the findings elsewhere.
As a portion of the validity procedures, member checking
was employed. The transcribed data was given back to the co -
researchers to solicit their reactions toward the res earcher’s
reconstruction of what she has been told or has understood.
Phase 2: Analysis of Raw Data
The transcribed and translated data were subjected to coding
and analysis whereby initial codes were established to identi fy the
key concepts. This result ed to the development of categories and
sub-categories and consequently identification of the major themes.
Process of Data Analysis
Since the nature of the data is qualitative, the following
procedures were adopted:
1. Data Reduction
This procedure made the researcher manipulate, integrate,
transform and highlight the transcribed and translated
data by doing a summary, coding, and/or categorizing.
This involves a careful reading of the recorded material to
be able to identify the main themes of the studied process.
2. Data Organization
This made the researcher process the data by assembling
information around certain themes, and points,
categorizing information in more specific themes, and
presenting the results in some form.
3. Interpretation
The researcher made decisions and draw conclusions
related to the research question. Researcher had identified
patterns and regularities, and discovering trends and
explanations.
CHAPTER 4
RESULT, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
In this chapter the findings of the study were presented to
figure out common themes found in the experiences of 15 banking
employees in using “Spark” instant messaging . Based from
transcribed and gathered data, the results were carefully
summarized and interpreted to deliver valid data supported by
related literatures.
I. Employees’ Insights on Spark
These are various insights of co -researchers in using
Spark at the office as one of the communication tools.
Table 1: Employees’ Insight on Spark
Insight Keyword Co-researcher

Co n ve nie n ce: Ea s ie r “ Sp a rk p rov id es u s th e C1 , C3 , C4 , C5 , C8 ,
a nd Fa s te r fl ex i b il ity and C9 , C1 1 , C1 2 , C1 4 ,
Co m m un ica t io n conv e ni e nc e.. C1 5
Thr o u gh S pa r k ..ex ch ang i ng of
m e ss ag es i s fa st er a n d
m or e ef fi ci e nt. ”
“ It i s co nv en i ent fo r u s
si nc e it al lo ws re al - t im e
com m un icat io n,.. ”
“ It is an ea sy and
sim p l e way to
com m un icat e, .. ”
“ Sp a rk is ea si l y
acc es s i bl e to al l
em p l oy ee s in th e
com p a ny . ”
“ it l e ss e n s th e tim e o f
g oi ng to th ei r r esp ec tiv e
d e sk s,”
“ Wi th Sp ar k ,
com m un icat i ng w it h
col le ag u e s is e as i er ,”
“ It i s v e ry c onv e ni e n t
and ea sy fo r u s t o
com m un icat e e sp ec ial l y
wh e n it com e s to b ra nc h
com m un icat io n, ”
“ th u s, i nf or m at io n ca n
b e r el ay ed f a ste r th a n
oth e r co m m u n icat io n
tool s. ”
“ .. it’ s n ot t im e
con s um i ng and
fo rm a lity i s n ot r eal l y
ne ce s sa ry . ”
“ In Sp ar k, y o u ca n g e t
fa ste r r e su lt s/ rep l y
si nc e”
S pa rk c o m pa red to “ .. com p a r ed to oth e r C1 , C4 , C5 , C6 C7 ,

ot he r c o m m u nica t io n com m un icat io n too l s , C8 , C9 , C1 0 , C1 1 ,
to o ls ( e - ma i l , Sp a rk s e em s to p r ov id e C1 3 , C1 4 , C1 5
tel ep h o ne, ph y si ca l le s s fo rm al m a n ne r o f
in tera ct i o n) com m un icat i ng w it h
oth e r s.. ”
“ Com p a red to oth e r

com m un icat io n too l s, i t
is co n sid e r ed as a
m od e r n way of
com m un icat i ng .. ”
“ H ow ev er, u si ng oth e r
tool s su ch as th e p h o n e ,
em a il a nd p h y s ica l
int e ract io n a re more
ef f ectiv e ”
E- MA IL:
“ .. and u nl ik e em ai l, y o u
d on ’t h av e to be
fo rm a l..”
“ ..h e lp s me
com m un icat e ef fic i ent l y
with oth e rs th a n
s end ing fo rm al m e s sag e s
in em ai l bac k and
fo rth .”
“ W ith em ai l it m ay tak e
lon g e r tim e to g et a
r esp on s e d ep end ing .. ”
“ D if fe r e nt f rom e - m ai l ,
it l et u s s end or t ra n sf e r
fil e s, b ro ad ca st m e s sag e s
to al l.. ”
TEL EP HO NE :
“ U nl ik e h av i n g
tel ep h o n e co nv e r sat io n s ,
Sp a rk of f er s th e op t io n
to d oc um e n t
conv e r sati on s ”
“ un li ke p h o ne s, st il l
ne ed to ca ll and
som et im es t e nd to fo rg e t
wh at t o a sk. ”
“ U nl ik e h av ing a p h o n e
cal l wh e r ei n th e
com p a n y g et s ad d i tio na l
cos .. ”
“ ..I d o n’t h av e to cal l

h e r/ h im o n th e p h o n e
and .. ”
PERS O NA L
I NT ERA C T IO N:
“ Fo r p eop le wh o a r e n o t
com f ort a bl e in
ex p re s si ng th e i r s elv e s
in p e r so n l ik e m e w il l
fi nd it v e ry u s ef ul. ”
“ .. it l es s e ns th e t im e o f
g oi ng to th ei r r esp ec tiv e
d e sk s,.. ”
“ .. u nl ik e v e rb al th e r e
m ay b e m i si nt erp r etat io n
on th e w ay it wa s
h ea rd . ”
“ m or e co nv en i ent th a n
h av i ng a p h y s ica l
conv e r sati on b ec au s e
y ou h av e t o att ri b ut e
m or e t im e a nd ef fo rt.. ”
“ O n th e oth e r h and , i t
d oe s not com p le te l y
r em ov e p h y s ica l
conv e r sati on s f rom th e
wo rkp l ac e. ”
“ h ow ev e r, p h y s ica l
int e ract io n m ak es p e op l e
in fe r m e s sag e s.. ”
“ Th oug h p h y s ica l
int e ract io n i s th e b e s t
m ea n s of co m m u n icat io n
am ong oth e rs b ut. . ”
Table 1 presents the insights of co -researchers on using Spark
as one of their communication tools in the office. Results
shows different insights and experiences of the co -
researchers as follows: Convenience: Easier and Faster
Communication through Spark and Comparison of Spark
from other ways of communication used by the company as
follows: Email, Telephone, and Personal Interaction.
 Convenience: Easier and Faster Communication Through
Spark
Co-researchers’ insight of using Spark as one of their
communication tools at the office shows that they find it
very convenient and is suitable for the type of their
operation especially when they need to communicate with
other colleagues from different departments who cannot
be easily reached physically. Most of th em find it easy to
use because Spark is a user -friendly application for all age
and provides them faster communication in the office.
Some of the co-researchers find Spark convenient as it is
easier and a faster way of communicating with other
people they need to talk to who are working in the
company whether they are from branches, other
departments or in the same office to ask for clarifications
and assistance. They get quicker response and answers
about their questions and inquiries without the need for
them to leave their desks. Northrop and Zhu (2014)
stated that rising popularity of Instant Messaging within
the workplace is not surprising because it offers
enterprises a number of benefits.
Co-researcher 1: Spark provides us the flexibility and

convenience in sending short or
urgent messages..
Exchanging of messages is faster

and more efficient.
Co-researcher 3: It is convenient for us since it

allows real-time communication,
wherein users or we can instantly
receive messages and reply to it
without any delay and would pop
up on our screen.
Co-researcher 4: I find Spark a very helpful

communication tool for us
employees. It is an easy and simple
way to communicate, especially if
the conversation is short and
informal.
Co-researcher 5: Spark is easily accessible to all

employees in the company, it
delivers message instantly. It has
features which provides for an
effective delivery of messages such
as “invite to conference” which I
find very helpful.
Co-researcher 8: Spark is very helpful for me in

communicating with my colleagues,
it lessens the time of going to their
respective desks,..
Co-researcher 9: With Spark, communicating with

colleagues is easier, for example I
need to ask someone, I don’t have to
call her/him on the phone and the
fact that sometimes telephone lines
are busy, I can just chat her/him in
Spark, so it’s really convenient to
use.
Co-researcher 11: It is very convenient and easy for us

to communicate especially when it
comes to branch communication,..
Co-researcher 12: I think it is one alternative that can

streamline communication processes
in a company. Instant messaging is,
ideally, intended to provide real
time conversation between users,
thus, information can be relayed
faster than other communication
tools.
Co-researcher 14: In Spark, you can get faster

results/reply since it is more
documented..
Co-researcher 15: As I know, Spark is one of the

effective electronic communication
tools being used by the Bank.
 Spark vs Other Communication Tools
Some of the co -researchers compared Spark from other
communication tools such as e -mail, telephone being used in
the company and from personal interaction. They find Spark
as more convenient to use compared to e -mail and having a
telephone conversations as it gives them the ability to
multitask and communicate real -time with other people in
working in the company with lesser time. Compared to e-
mailing, Spark saves them time in composing a message since
it is not necessary to be formal a nd that it may take longer
time for someone to reply in e -mail because one can leave it
seen or just mark it received without having the time to read
the message, through Spark exchange of messages are instant.
And also unlike e -mail, Spark has the ability to show if the
message has been seen or not and the sender also have the
option to buzz recipient’s inbox when the message is urgent
or important. Co -researchers also mentioned how Spark is
very convenient because it saves them time to personally go
to colleagues work desk or area in order to communicate,
especially when the person they need to talk to is from a
different floor, offices and buildings, Spark also is very
helpful for some who are not comfortable in expressing their
selves while communicating in person. Although, it is given
how Spark is very convenient for most of them, one of the co -
researchers said that it cannot completely remove the
personal interactions between them and at the office and that
communicating in person is still the best way . Thus, Spark is
only an aid for them to communicate instantly. Northrop and
Zhu (2014) stated that email inboxes that are becoming
increasingly clogged with spam or other diminishingly
relevant messages that causes delay in exchanging messages ,
unlike instant messaging apps like Spark, it’s instant, it
allows employees to communicate real time without
distraction s. Another research suggest that people with high
level of social anxiety prefer Instant Messaging and it
increased their feeling of connectedness than having a face -
to-face interactions or having a telephone conversation
because it lessens their worry in interpreting their
conversation partners’ nonverbal cues and would have time
in composing their thoughts before sending it. Individuals
with low level of social anxiety increased feelings of
interaction and connectedness through face -to-face and
telephone conversations (Lundy & Drouin, 2015).
Co-researcher 1: ..and unlike email, you don’t have

to be formal in communicating and
exchanging messages w ith your
colleagues.
For me Spark is helpful, instead of
sending lengthy emails to a
colleague asking for assistance, I

can just send him/her a quick
message.
Co-researcher 4: It is an easy and simple way to

communicate, especially if the
conversation is short and informal.
However, using other tools such as
the phone, email and physical
interaction are more effective in
getting your message through,
especially when communicating
with a boss. Instant messaging is
helpful if you need a short, direct,
and fast answer to a question.
Co-researcher 5: Compared to other communication

tools, it is considered as a modern
way of communicating to other
people in the office since nowadays
most people rely too much on
computers. For people who are not
comfortable in expressing their
selves in person like me will find it
very useful.
Co-researcher 6: On the other hand, it does not

completely remove physical
conversations from the workplace.
It acts as a good supplemental tool.
Co-researcher 7: It can be useful among friends and

co-corkers. It gives me the ability to
talk to multiple people online at the
same time.
However, it can cause inability to

gauge emotional wellbeing.
Co-researcher 8: Spark is very helpful for me in

communicating with my colleagues,
it lessens the time of going to their

respective desks,..
Co-researcher 9: ..for example I need to ask

someone, I don’t have to call
her/him on the phone and the fact
that sometimes telephone lines are
busy, I can just chat her/him in
Spark, so it’s really convenient to
use.
Co-researcher 10: I agree with what she said, it is

relevant like what she have said
that when the other person is busy,
we just chat them and wait for
replies. Sometimes we only chat for
clarifications so it’s okay and it’s
not time consuming and formality
is not really necessary.
Co-researcher 11: ..we can follow -up questions easily

unlike phones, still need to call and
sometimes tend to forget what to
ask.
Co-researcher 13: For me Spark offers another avenue

to communicate with colleague
compared to other communication
tools, Spark seems to provide less
formal manner of communicating
with others than having to compose
an email. Unlike having telephone
conversations, Spark off ers the
option to document conversations
by choosing the option to save
history messages exchanged. Also,
using Spark allows immediate
documentation of conversations,
however, physical interaction
makes people infer messages
conveyed via non -verbal cues like
facial expression, body movement,
tone of voice and etc.
Co-researcher 14: With email it may take longer time

to get a response depending on the
network and you need to be more
formal since its official. It’s more
convenient than having a physical
conversation because you have to
attribute more time and effort
especially when the person’s place
who you need to talk to is not
physically accessible or is far.
Co-researcher 15: Unlike having a phone call wherein

the company gets additional cost
for long distance calls, urgent
matters may not be relayed
immediately when the line of other
party is busy and sometimes
inaccessible.
Though physical interaction is the

best means of communication
among others but not possible for
long distance communication.
II. Spark: Usefulness and Distractiveness
These are various reasons why Spark is useful to their
operations and distractive at times according to co -
researchers in using Spark at the office.
Table 2: Spark: Usefulness and Distractiveness
Theme Keyword Co-researcher

U sef ul ne s s of S p a rk “ Fo r me Sp ar k is C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 , C5 ,
us e fu l,.. . ” C6 , C7 , C1 1 , C1 2 , C1 3 ,
C1 4 , C1 5
“ U s ef ul i n a way th a t
y ou c an i n sta ntly . . ”
“ Sp a rk is u s ef u l wh e n I
r ead p r ev io u s
conv e r sati on s. .”
“ It i s u se f ul if I h av e a
q ue st io n a bo ut wo rk. .”
“ Sp a rk ca n h e lp m e i n
fi ni sh i ng m y t a sk.. I
fi nd Sp a rk us e fu l
si nc e..”
“I find I n sta n t
M e ss ag i ng m o r e us e fu l
th an d i str act ing . .”
“ It h elp s me
com m un icat e
ef fi ci en tly ..”
“ It is v e ry us e fu l
b eca u se ..”
“ As fo r d e liv e ra bl e s i n
ou r un it, u si ng I n sta n t
M e ss ag i ng al lo ws u s t o
g ath e r p e rt in e n t
in fo rm at io n...”
“ If m a nag ed p r op e r ly ,
Sp a rk ca n be a u se fu l ”
“ It is us e fu l fo r me
b eca u se ”
“ It i s u s ef ul i n som e
way ”
S pa rk be i ng “ and d is tr activ e if .. ” C2 , C3 , C4 , C5 , C6 ,
Di s tra c ti ve “ I ca n s ay th at i s C9 , C1 1 , C1 2 , C1 3 ,
d ist ra ctiv e wh en. . ” C1 4 , C1 5
“ O n th e oth e r h a nd , i t
b ecom e s d i st rac tiv e
wh e n.. .. b ecom e s
d ist ra ctiv e si nc e. .”
“ I fi nd it d i st rac tiv e
wh e n I ’m .. ”
“ It can be d i st ra cti n g
wh e n..”
“ But it c an d i st ra ct u s
fr om w o rki ng wh e n.. . ”
“ It m ay al so be
d ist ra ctiv e som et im e s..”
“ It w ou ld b e d i st rac tiv e
if..”
“ Th i s c an be d i st ra cti n g
if u se r i s..”
“ It ca n b e d i st rac tiv e
onl y fo r p eop l e u si ng i t
fo r.. ”
“ b ut Sp a rk b ecom e s
d ist ra ctiv e wh en. . ”
”
De pe nd s on t he “ us e fu l ne s s or C1
d ist ra ctiv e n es s of a too l
U ti liz a t io n r el ie s o n h o w it i s b ei n g
uti li zed ”
Table 2 presents the view of co -researchers to Spark’s
usefulness in their daily operations and how it becomes
distractive at times. They find Spark as useful since it allows
them to communicate instantly when they have clarifications
and inquiries, it saves them time while waiting for replies
and at the same time doing their tasks and distractive when
used in non-work related matters.
 Usefulness of Spark
Most of the co -researchers discussed about how useful
Spark is. It helps them communicate faster and easier with
their colleagues, lesser time in composing a message
because they don’t need to have it formal . Spark is useful
because co-researchers can instantly communicate with
their colleagues when they have inquiries, questions,
clarifications and when they need assistance including
those from other departments and units who work in
different offices. It helps them to easily do and finish their
tasks, this includes transferring of necessary files and
documents. Spark also saves history of conversati ons that
gives them proper documentation of what they have
talked about and they can easily trace it back in case they
have forgotten some important details. Instant Messaging
is suggested to be included as an official medium of
communication because it is suitable to meet the
characteristics and needs of complexity communication
environment, which will enhance the effectiveness and
efficiency of organizational communication (Chen, Li, Liu
and Pi ,2008).
Co-researcher 1: For me Spark is useful, instead of

sending lengthy emails to a colleague
asking for assistance, I can just send
him/her a quick message. Exchanging
of messages is faster and more
efficient.
Co-researcher 2: Useful in a way that you can instantly

let the other party know about your
queries and..
Co-researcher 3: Spark is useful when I read previous

conversations that contain
information relevant to finishing my
task.
Co-researcher 4: It is useful if I have a question about

work that needs to be answered
immediately by a colleague and vi ce
versa. It is a fast and effective way to
communicate with other employees of
the company, especially if it is about
work.
For instance, if I need to clarify

something from a colleague, I don’t
need to construct a formal email, call
through the phone or stand up to go
to their area in order to ask a
question. I can easily ask my question
through Spark, and while waiting for
an answer, I can also do other tasks.
Co-researcher 5: Spark is useful in finishing my task

when I consult my work to my
colleagues. For instance, when I need
help in proof reading a report I wrote,
I can send the part of the report
where I need help through Spark. I
can also ask questions about my task
to my colleagues or boss by using
Spark. My team can also share ideas
with each other through a conference
in Spark. I find Spark useful since it
can make me productive and help me
in writing my report.
Co-researcher 6: I find Instant Messaging more useful

than distracting, as it allows a quicker
form of communication betwee n me
and my colleagues, without the need
to leave our computers, since each of
us are stationed farther than arm’s
reach.
Co-researcher 7: It helps me communicate efficiently

with others than sending formal
messages in email back and forth. It
can be useful among friends and co -
corkers. It gives me the ability to talk
to multiple people online at the same
time.
Co-researcher 11: It is very useful because you can also
use it in sending and sharing

important documents for the task.
Co-researcher 12: As for deliverables in our unit, using

Instant Messaging allows us to gather
pertinent information from the
requesting unit. Clarifications are
usually communicated through IM.
Co-researcher 13: If managed properly, Spark can be a

useful tool in finishing tasks.
Co-researcher 14: It is useful for me because I get quick

results/response, especially with me
and my manager when they’re trying
to attain a certain document we can
communicate faster.
Co-researcher 15: It is useful in some way..
 Spark being Distractive
Almost same number of co-researchers stated that
Spark can also be distractive when used extremely for
nonwork-related matters while they are working with
their tasks. As receiving messages on Spark also enables
the application to pop -up or blink on their screen, it
causes the co -researchers to lose their focus on wha t they
are currently doing, unless work -related matters. Chit
chatting on Spark for personal matters may somehow
cause them delay in finishing their tasks or assignments.
One co-researcher said that they feel obliged to reply on
messages they received sinc e it would be disrespectful if
they leave the message seen or ignored. Related to
ReportLinker (2017) survey, one in four respondents feels
the pressure to answer instant messages right away, even
if they’re in the middle of other work.
Co-researcher 2: ..and distractive if it is being used for

leisure.
Co-researcher 3: I can say that is distractive when the

conversations between the employees
are no longer work -related
Co-researcher 4: On the other hand, it becomes

distractive when it is not used for
work but for personal matter,
especially if the one receiving
messages is busy. For example, if you
have a lot to do and nearing the
deadline for a report, instant
messages becomes distractive since it
may delay what you are doing,
especially if the messa ges are not
related to your work.
Co-researcher 5: I find it distractive when I’m busy

and when the message is not work -
related.
Co-researcher 6: It can be distracting when the

application blinks to signify a new,
unread message while working a task.
It can break focus, and detail train of
thought.
Co-researcher 9: But it can distract us from working

when someone is chatting not work
related messages, the fact that we
cannot just ignore their messages

because it would be disrespectful so
you still need to attend and reply to
them.
Co-researcher 11: It may also be distractive sometimes

especially if it’s not work related
anymore.
Co-researcher 12: It would be distractive if the platform

is used in non -work related matters.
Co-researcher 13: This can be distracting if user is

unable to manage time in completing
assignments as well as if Spark is
often used for unofficial matters.
Co-researcher 14: It can be distractive only for people

using it for other tasks or other non -
work related.
Co-researcher 15: ..but Spark becomes distractive when

users utilize it in non -work related
conversations.
 Depends on the Utilization
One of the co -researchers said that the usefulness and
distractive of Spark depends on how it is being used by
employees. Proper utilization of Spark is a big factor on
how it can be useful or not to the user. Co -researchers are
clearly aware of this as they have mentioned how it is
useful for them or when it becomes distractive to them
when they are doing their work . The study of Chang and
Ian (2014) also observed that the remarks, attitudes, and
behaviors of employees’ supervisors and colleagues
regarding instant messaging usage were the most
important predictive variables for IM interruptions at
work. Therefore, from the perspective of social influence,
information that frequently appears in the social
environment becomes the cognitive signals for the proper
attitude of an organization’s employees. When supervisors
and colleagues show positive attitudes regarding the use
of IM, IM interruptions become a component of the
common construct of social significance.
Co-researcher 1: For me usefulness or distractiveness

of a tool relies on how it is being
utilized. I use Spark mainly for office -
related communications only.
III. Multitasking Through Spark
These are various reasons why Spark helps employees’
to multitask at work.
Table 3: Multitasking Through Spark
Reasons Keyword Co-researcher

Re la y me ssa ge s w hi le “ .. ca n ea si ly re p ly a nd C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 , C5 ,
do in g ta sk s wh i le wa iti ng I ca n d o C6 , C1 1 , C1 2 , C1 5
m y ta sk.. “
“ .. ea s ily com m u nic at e ..

..wh i l e f in i sh i ng m y
tas ks. . ”
“ .. s in ce I ca n s end f il e s
to oth e r e m p loy e e s wh il e
d oi ng ta sk s fo r th e
d ay .. ”
“ .. ca n d o oth e r t a sk
wh i le wa iti ng .. ”
“ .. s e nd f il e o r p ict u re
wh i le wo rk i ng .. ”
“ .. i nst ant m es sag i ng

its e lf h as h e lp ed m e.. ”
“ .. y ou ca n si le nt ly us e
in sta nt m e s sag ing to a s k
oth e r s.. . . w ith o ut
int e r rup t i ng th e ca ll
y ou ’r e h av i ng .. ”
“ it h elp s m e m ult ita sk

wh e n c la ri fy i ng th i ng s ”
“ .. al low s u s er s to
q uic kly fi ni sh sp ec if i c
tas ks a s s uch ca n foc u s
on an oth e r.. ”
“ with d if f er e n t
p e rs on n el at sam e t im e ”
Fea t ur es “ m ult ita sk th r oug h it s C1 , C4 , C5 , C1 1 , C1 3 ,
Bro ad ca st f eat ur e ” C1 4
“ m e ss ag e to d if f er e nt
p eop le th r oug h th e
Bro ad c a st ”
“ con f er e nc e f e atu r e
wh ich al lo ws u s.. .. h a s
a co nv er sat io n
h ist ory .. ”
“ wh e n b road ca sti ng
ne w s a nd a n no un c em e nt
I ca n u s e Sp a rk ”
“ Bro ad ca st f ea tu r e is
us e fu l.. ”
“ Sp a rk by s e nd i ng f il e s
rig h t aw ay .. ”
Table 3 presents some reasons why the use of Spark to
communicate with other colleagues gives co -researchers the
ability to multitask. One is that they can relay messages
while doing their tasks and the other is the use of some
features of Spark.
 Relay messages while doing tasks
Spark allows the co -researchers to multitask as it
gives the ability to talk to multiple people at the same
time. Most of the co-researchers have mentioned how it
has helped them to communicate instantly without having
to leave their respective work desks when they need
assistance from other colleagues. They get quick response
on Spark like files, documents and other necessary
information they need from their workmates and while
waiting they can instantly shift from Spark to other system
applications where they are doing their tasks or work.
Since co -researchers are from a big banking corporation,
employees’ collective work is necessary in their daily
operation, therefore there are instances when they need to
work with other colleagues who are from oth er
departments and offices, instant messaging has helped
them communicate faster and work efficiently together.
According to Scott (2017), the use of Instant Messaging in
the workplace allows employees to have a conversation
with each other, quickly and pr ivately without the need to
stop what they are doing since it allows messages to pop –
up on the users current screen, thus it helps to save time
and improves communication .
Co-researcher 1: so they can easily reply and while

waiting I can do my task at the same
time
Co-researcher 2: I can easily communicate with my
senior whenever I have questions
that are needed while finishing my
tasks.
Co-researcher 3: Instant messaging helps me in

multitasking since I can send files to
other employees while doing tasks
for the day. It also allows us to relay
messages to most of their contacts.
Co-researcher 4: It is very helpful in multitasking

since you can do other task while
waiting for a reply.
Co-researcher 5: .. and I can also send file or picture

while working.
Co-researcher 6: The instant messaging itself has

helped me with my total
performance since I can multitask,
talking to other workmates for
inquiries while I do my tasks.
Co-researcher 7: Multitasking can certainly require

skill and practice, being on a several
chat groups is certainly disruptive
than taking multiple calls. For
example, if you are on call with a
client and need information, you can
silently use instant messaging to ask
others about information you need
without interrupting the call you’re
having.
Co-researcher 11: Yes, it helps me multitask when

clarifying things about work and
sharing files.
Co-researcher 12: For this one, I think IM allows users

to quickly finish specific tasks as
such can focus on another thereby
increasing productivity.
Co-researcher 15: IM helps me coordinate different

concerns with different personnel at
same time from different units o f the
Bank simultaneously.
 Features
Spark is a way more advanced communication tool that
was developed to provide companies and employees a
more convenient environment in communicating and
collaborating to improve their daily operations. Few of co-
researchers mentioned some useful features of Spark that
enables them to multitask such as, broadcast feature where
they can send a single message to many or to selected
contacts on their Spark , including those who are working
far from their office and the ability to send and receive
files instantly when they need it. They can conduct
conference through Spark without the need for them to
leave their working area and leave what they are working
on. Scott (2017) also cited that instant messaging reduces
interruptions and is also cost effective for large businesses
or companies like banking corporations, saves money in
travel to other office locations to conduct meetings or
broadcast information. Instant Messaging is also flexible,
allows collaboration among multiple individuals, while
allowing each user to easily distribute files to the entire
work team without the limitations of single -message email
systems (Northrop and Zhu, 2014).
Co-researcher 1: It helps me multitask through its

Broadcast feature where in I can send
messages or ask assistance to the
whole team and..
Co-researcher 4: We can also send a message to

different people through the
Broadcast message feature of Spark.
This is very helpful if we have
clarifications of the construction of
sentences of about the layout of our
reports.
Co-researcher 5: As I’ve said earlier, Spark has an

invite to conference feature which
allows us to communicate with each
other at once..
It also has a conversation history

which can be useful when tracing
back conversations.
Co-researcher 11: Also, when broadcasting news and

announcement I can use Spark
without the need of calling and
emailing them one by one.
Co-researcher 13: Broadcast feature is useful in

sending out announcements within
the Unit.
Co-researcher 14: Between my head and I, we are able

to coordinate through Spark by
sending files right away, for example
the necessary documents are not
available in the DMS(Document
Management System) or in email
sometimes I receive it late or with
error but in Spark its instant, you’ll
receive it right away.
IV. Effects of Spark on Employees Performance
These are various effects of “Spark” instant messaging
on employees’ performance.
Table 4: Effects of Spark on Employees Performance
Effects Keyword Co-researcher

Im pr ov es Pe rf o r ma n ce “ .. l es s t im e i s co ns um ed C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 , C5 ,
in com p let i ng a t as k.. ” C6 , C7 , C8 , C1 0 , C9 ,
C1 2 , C1 3
“ It af fe ct s m y
p e rfo rm an ce p o sit iv e ly
wh e n.. ”
“ It h e lp s m e f in i sh m y
tas ks fa st e r be ca u se. . ”
“ It i s h elp fu l i n m y
p e rfo rm an ce if .. ”
“ Sp a rk ca n h e lp m e
fi ni sh m y ta sk
ef fi ci en tly .. ”
“ It h e lp s m e im p rov e m y
p e rfo rm an ce s in ce .. ”
“ In t e rm s of th e
p e rfo rm an ce, In st ant
M e ss ag i ng i s on e of th e
tool s th at I u sed i n
fi ni sh i ng t as k s. ”
“ Y es it af fe ct s m y
p e rfo rm an ce
p os itiv ely ,.. ”
“ Y es it af fe ct s o u r
p e rfo rm an ce a s it h e lp s
m e.. ”
“ I ag r e e with h e r, th at’ s
th e m ai n ef fe ct o f Sp a rk
in ou r p e rf or m a nc e, i t
h elp s u s.. ”
“ Th u s, I M ca n d ec re as e
th e t im e d e liv e ra b le s ca n
b e f i ni sh ed . ”
“ .. th e u s e o f Sp a rk
all ow s im m ed ia te
fe ed ba ck.. ”
“ If i t’ s p u re work
r elat ed , I c an f i ni s h
wo rk o n ti m e and if i t’ s
not I ca n sti ll fi ni sh i t
on t im e… ”
D oe s no t a f f ect “ N ot re al ly be ca us e. . ” C1 1 , C1 5
Perf or ma nc e
De pe nd s “ W el l it d ep e nd s , th e C1 4
in sta nt m e ss ag i n g
m ak es .. ”
Table 4 presents the different effects of Spark on co -
researchers performance as follows: improves performance,
does not affect performance and depends on how they
prioritize messages and tasks.
 Improves Performance
As Spark enables employees to multitask and communicate
instantly, it has helped them collaborate and do their work
easier and faster . Some of the co -researchers stated that
Spark helps them improve their performance since it gives
them lesser amount of time in finishing one task as they get
quicker response fr om colleagues with their concerns,
clarifications and inquiries through Spark while doing their
task at the same time. Spark reduces the time for calling
someone and waiting for the phone to be picked up, it lessens
the time they allocate in composing e -mails when they need
clarifications. It enables them to send and receive instantly
the files they needed without the need to refresh the
application many times before it appears on their screen and
they can do their tasks at the same time, thus it has resulted
to an improved performance. Lawrence (2016) cited a recent
study by researchers at Suny New Paltz and the City Coll ege
for New York investigated workers in a laboratory. They
tested the effect of using IM on productivity, quality of work,
and time on-task. The results showed no difference in
performance between employees that used IM and those that
did not. Even more s urprising, workers that used IM were
shown to complete tasks faster than those that did not.
Co-researcher 1: Since exchanging messages through

spark is way faster than composing
email, less time is consumed in
completing a task.
Co-researcher 2: It affects my performance positively

when my queries are answered
promptly. Also, when my senior
needs me to revise something

he/she can tell it thru the app
without having to walk to my place.
Co-researcher 3: It helps me finish my tasks faster

because it has a feature that allows
employees to send files instantly
and once I have access to these files,
I will be able to accomplish my
tasks.
Co-researcher 4: It is helpful in my performance if I

can get useful information from my
colleagues that can make my wo rk
easier and faster. We sometimes
send information such as news and
articles that we think may help in
finishing our tasks through Spark.
This cuts the time needed to search
for the information I need.
Co-researcher 5: Spark can help me finish my task

efficiently with an ample amount of
time since it assists me in preparing
my report. It can help me complete
my task on time as it provides me
with the clarification I need from my
colleagues or boss. Therefore,
whenever a problem or confusion
arises from my task, it can help me
as I communicate with my
colleagues and boss to solve the
dilemma.
Co-researcher 6: The instant messaging itself has

helped me with my total
performance since I can multitask,
talking to other workmates for
inquiries while I do my tasks.
Co-researcher 7: In terms of the performance, Instant

Messaging is one of the tools that I
used in finishing tasks. It is easier to
communicate between other
employees and it reduces time spent
on the phone or emails.
Co-researcher 8: Yes it affects my performance

positively, with the nature of our
work where we need to
communicate with each other and
especially with our section heads,
unit head, department head and
others who are in the different
departments whose workplace is far
in our area, it enables us to
communicate faster with them. We
can update each other when we’re
done or whatever progress we have
in our tasks. But we still e -mail and
call them sometimes when they’re
not online in Spark.
Co-researcher 10: Yes it affects our performance as it

helps me, for example, we are the
one who verifies the makers work
and sometimes there are corrections
so we just chat them in Spark what
they need to correct, less hassle in
walking and going to their working
area.
Co-researcher 9: I agree with her, that’s the main

effect of Spark in our performance,
it helps us to minimize time in
doing and finishing our task in
terms of communicating with
workmates.
Co-researcher 12: Our unit basically prepares reports

upon requests made by our internal
clients. One important factor in our
processes is the accuracy and

completeness of data from the
requesting unit. Thus, IM can
decrease the time deliverables can
be finished. Apart from using
phone, utilizing IM is the fastest
way to communicate with the
requesting unit.
Co-researcher 13: If Spark is properly working, the use

of Spark allows immediate feedback
for simple question and answer
responses. For example, confirming
if the year indicated in report
should be 2017 or 2018.
 Does not affect Performance
Spark has been on trend communication tool in the
company, in which majority of the employees has been
using it day by day in communicating within the
workplace but still not all of them fully depend on it. It is
said that Spark is useful for them in doing their work but
for some it does not necessarily mean that it has affected
the time they consume to finish one task. Two of the co-
researchers said that Spark does not really affect their
performance because they can still finish one task on time
while using it and for the reason that they do not fully
rely on it in finishing their tasks.
Co-researcher 11: If it’s pure work related, I can finish

work on time and if it’s not, I can
still finish my work on time but I
have no time to double check it.
Co-researcher 15: Not really because completion of my

tasks does not rely on IM.
 Depends
Co-researchers have different observations with regards
on how Spark affected their performance. Most of them
said it has improved their performance and some of them
said their performance remains the same for they can still
finish one task on time and they do not full rely on it.
However, effects of Spark on employees’ per formance are
different for each individual. One of the co -researchers
said that the effects of Spark on their performance still
depend on the users. Employees’ have different
perspectives as to how instant messaging can affect their
performance, depending on how they use it. It is up to the
employees on how they prioritize things that matters
while using Spark. Lebon & Sigurjonsson (2016) conducted
survey indicates that individuals are aware of primary
work responsibilities and regulate their behavior to en sure
attainment to avoid possible negative consequences.
Co-researcher 14: Well it depends, the instant

messaging makes you prioritize
things or gives you the ability or
perspectives what to prioritize
depending on the urgency.
V. Effects of Spark on Employees Productivity
These are various effects of Spark on employees’
productivity.
Table 5: Effects of Spark on Employees Productivity

In crea se d Pr od uc ti vi t y “ It af fe ct s m y C1 , C2 , C3 , C5 , C6 ,
p rod uct iv ity i n a C7 , C8 , C9 , C1 0
p os itiv e way ” C1 1 , C1 2
“ with Sp a rk I ca n j u s t
ask m y a na ly st.. “
“ ..th e more ta s ks I
accom p li sh . ”
“ Sp a rk a ff ect s my
p rod uct iv ity p os it iv e ly ”
“ Th e r e i s no sig ni fi ca n t
d et rim e nta l ef fe ct of
us i ng in st ant m e ss ag i n g
on m y p r od u ctiv ity .. ”
“ so it i nc r ea s e s my
p rod uct iv ity as w el l”
“ .. th e n I ca n f in i sh m o r e
tas ks wi th i n th e d ay . . ”
“ we ca n d o m o r e th i ng s
and f i ni sh m o r e ta sk s
and a ss ig nm ent s i n a
d ay ”
“ Mo r e ta sk s ar e fi ni sh e d
in a d ay . ”
“ ..p rod uct iv i ty is

b ett er ..”
D oe s no t a f f ect “ In sta nt M e ss ag i n g C4 , C1 3 , C1 4 , C1 5
Pr od uct iv i ty d oe s not r e al ly a ff ect m y
p rod uct iv ity ”
“ It h as no ef f ect on
m y .. ”
“ .. it sh o u ld not af fe c t
m y p rod uct iv i ty .. ”
Table 5 presents the different effects of Spark on co -
researchers productivity as follows: increase productivity
and does not affect productivity.
 Increased Productivity
Since Spark has improved some of the employees’ time
of completion , it is also observed that it has helped them
increase the amount of tasks they can finish in a day . Some of
co-researchers who work with reports of clients have
mentioned that they can finish at least two reports a day with
the help of Spark in getting information from colleagues but
they are only required to finish one report a day. Instant
messaging helped them save time in completing one task and
as a result they have more time to do and finish more tasks .
Another co -researcher mentioned that they have increased
their productivity, including her team, through instant
messaging, that there’s an instance that they had finished
setting up 30 accounts in one day and still had the time to do
urgent accounts that arrived later that day. Majority of co -
researchers find Spark as helpful in increasing their
productivity when used mainly for work -related matters.
Similar to a survey conducted by ReportLinker (2017), it
suggests that the more employees think this tool improves
workplace collaboration, the more likely they are to attribute
higher productivity to having an instant messaging app on
their desktop. Increase in productivity is gained by
eliminating time wasted switching between various
communication methods such as sending and waiting for a
response to an email, calling someone and leaving a voice
mail when there is no response, walking down the office to
see if someone is available only to find that they are in a
meeting, and so on (Hedlund, 2011).
Co-researcher 1: It affects my productivity in a

positive way when I use it for
work-related matter only.
Co-researcher 2: Almost half of my tasks are

affected by instant messaging,
checking the files I need in SEC,
which at times is broken, with
Spark I can just ask my analyst
who it is assigned because he/she
has a hard copy.
For example we are required to

finish one or two industry analysis
a day with the help of Spark , I can
start or maybe finish another in
advance.
Co-researcher 3: The more immediate the responses

are, the more tasks I accomplish.
However, it affects me negatively
when the conversations are not
related to work.
In our part, we analyze industry,

when there’s a new entity, it takes
a day for me to finish it because
it’s long, but with Spark I can
finish it faster then I can move
forward and do other tasks like
Co-researcher 5: Spark affects my productivity

positively as it contributes to my
efficiency in preparing a report. As
I acquire information from my
colleagues or boss instantly, I

could immediately incorporate it
in my report. The real -time feature
of Spark mostly increased
productivity, I can do more.
Like, for example, I am only

required to finish one report
today, I can finish two reports
because I can work faster with the
use of Spark, I can instantly get
information needed.
Co-researcher 6: There is no significant detrimental

effect of using instant messaging
on my productivity but only a
small amount of time is spent to
conduct the digital conversation
and tasks can be worked on while
waiting for a reply or while having
a conversation. So, there is no
negative effect on my end, my
productivity is still the same or
sometimes it incre ases.
Co-researcher 7: For productivity, it minimizes time

needed to finish one task so it
increases my productivity as well
because of the immediate response
using instant messaging.
Co-researcher 8: Same with how it affects my

performance, if I finish one task
within a small amount of time,
then I can finish more tasks within
the day, as long as there’s no
pending on other department or
the major system we are using is
not affected with network failure.
Co-researcher 9 & 9:It affects our productivity same

Co-researcher 10: as it affects our performance, since
we can finish tasks earlier and
faster, we can do more things and
finish more tasks and assignments
in a day.
10: As long as there is no pending

in other departments that is
involved in processing of
transactions and the network is
working and not affecting the main
system we use in production.
9: Yes, for example, we have 30

accounts to verify in a day, we can
finish those accounts faster, plus if
we’re done verifying those
accounts, if there are rush or
urgent accounts that will come, we
can do it right away, because it is
easy for us to tell our makers or
those who do the set -up on the
system to correct their mistake if
any, they can correct it then.
10: Same with the makers, when

they’re done with their tasks, they
can do other things and especially
when branches have urgent
accounts.
Co-researcher 11: I can easily communicate with the

person involve and ask certain
questions that is needed to the
work, in that way, the productivit y
of work is easy and is sure that the
information are correct. More tasks
are finished in a day.
Co-researcher 12: Since tasks become relatively

easier and faster to finish in using
IM, productivity is better.
 Does not affect Productivity
Though majority of co -researchers observed Spark as
helpful in increasing their productivity, same with
performance, there are still some co -researchers who claimed
that their productivity are not affected of using Spark
because they prefer other ways of communicating with other
colleagues and that they do not fully rely on Spark in
finishing their tasks. Junco and Cotton (2011) had their
previous research of the effects of Instant Messaging on
productivity with surveys and behavioral observations that
extensively described the relationship of Instant Messaging
and work behavior.
Co-researcher 4: Instant Messaging does not really

affect my productivity or the
number of certain
assignments/tasks I finish.
Co-researcher 13: It has no effect on my productivity

since I am not primarily reliant on
Spark to accomplish tasks.
Co-researcher 14: For me it should not affect my

productivity it should only be an
aid therefore the productivity
should still be 100% o r the same, it
should not be negatively affected
by instant messaging.
Co-researcher 15: Same with my answer with regards

to performance, it does not really
affect my productivity since I do
not rely on using Spark to finish
my work.
VI. Effects of Spark on Employees’ Interpersonal Skill
These are various effects of Spark on employees’
interpersonal skills.
Table 6: Effects of Spark on Employees’ Interpersonal Skill

Im pr ov es i nt erpe rs o na l “ …h e lp s m e i m p r ov e m y C1 , C2 , C3 , C4 , C5 ,
sk i ll s int e rp er so na l C1 1 , C1 2 , C1 5
r elat io n sh ip . . ”
“ .. im p rov e s m y p e r so na l
r elat io n s b eca u se .. ”
“ .. h e lp s m e g ai n f r ie nd s
si nc e.. ”
“ .. p os it iv e ly af f ect s m y
r elat io n sh ip w ith m y
col le ag u e s.. ”
“ Sp a rk im p rov e s my
r elat io n sh ip w ith co-
wo rk er s. . ”
“ .. with i n th e w o rk ca n
al so bu ild f ri e nd sh i p
tr ust .. ”
“ .. th u s d ev el op i n g
int e rp er so na l sk il ls .. ”
No ef f e ct s o n “ Th e r e i s no d i sc er n i bl e C6 , C8 , C9 & C1 0
In ter per s o na l S k il ls ef f ect, th oug h ea s e o f
conv e r sati on .. ”
“ .. d oe s not r eal l y
aff ect .. ”
“ .. d oe s not re al ly af fe c t
m y i nte rp e rs on al. . ”
“ fo r m e it d oe s n o t
aff ect m y re lat io n s ”
Table 6 presents the effects of using Spark in the office to
employees’ interpersonal skills as follows: improves
interpersonal skills and no effects on their interpersonal
skills.
 Improves interpersonal skills
Since instant messaging at the office let employees
collaborate and communicate faster, most of the co -
researchers observed that using Spark improves their
relationship with othe r colleagues. They use Spark to help
each other in doing their tasks and assignments with
exchanging messages, file, documents and other
information. They are more comfortable to share their
ideas and thoughts privately and because it less formal,
they it is easy for them to express their selves. It helps
them gain friends and connect more since they can add
other colleagues in their contacts who can be from other
Units and Departments and especially those who are from
other Branches. According to majority of the co-
researchers, Spark have helped them improved their
interpersonal skills as it has made them communicate,
collaborate and connect easily and faster. As they work
together, their working relationship has been better
because they were able to help t heir colleagues to attain
information they need to do their tasks. New technologies
have changed our communication patterns and, thus, our
interpersonal relationships. Although, face -to-face
communication is an efficient to initiate and maintain
relationships, but many recent findings have shown that
computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as IM, is
beneficial for interpersonal relationships (Chung & Nam,
2007).
Co-researcher 1: In Spark I send less formal

messages so the comfortability of
the recipient with me increases and

vice versa, thus it helps me improve
my interpersonal relationship.
Co-researcher 2: It improves my personal relations

because I can talk privately with
other workmates.
Co-researcher 3: It helps me gain friends since we

help each other to obtain the
information we need.
Co-researcher 4: It positively affects my relationship

with my colleagues since it is a
good way to get to know them and
communicate with them informally.
It is an easy and fast way to talk
with them whether it is about work
or something personal. Instant
Messaging is also a good way to
help each other finish our tasks.
Co-researcher 5: Spark improves my relationship

with co -workers as we share ideas
and thoughts on certain matters. It
could also im prove my
interpersonal skills as I learn how
to express myself and properly
consult others. Spark can also be
used in expressing honest opinions
for people who is too shy to express
their opinions which could increase
relationships between co -workers.
Co-researcher 11: More contacts within the work can

also build friendship trust.
Relationship built within Instant
Messaging can lead to a productive
and efficient work.
Co-researcher 12: IM is definitely another platform

wherein people can interact with
each other thus developing

interpersonal skills. Once
connected, it resembles a social
media network in which people can
converse and bond.
Co-researcher 15: IM makes communication better

and interpersonal relationship
stronger. I am able to provide
assistance/ address concerns of
Branch personnel immediately and
vice versa.
 No effects on Interpersonal Skill
It is given that all employees in a company have different
personalities and perceptions. Instant messaging may be
helpful for some of employees in improving their
interpersonal skills and not for some. A number of co -
researchers said that their interpersonal skill remains the
same or is not affected by using Spark while working at
the office. These co -researchers stated that they only use it
for work purposes and they don’t really use it that much
to improve their relationship with others. As IM is
becoming a popular medium for interpersonal
communication, Avrahami and Hudson (2006) indicate
that IM communication characteristics differ significantl y
for users.
Co-researcher 6: There is no discernible effect,

though ease of conversation has
been improved gradually with
my co-workers. Otherwise,
instant messaging has only been
used in a professional capacity in
the workplace.
Co-researcher 8: It does not really affect, because I

only talk with my colleagues who
are near me or near my working
area. We don’t really need to use
Spark that much to improve
relationship with workmates.
Co-researcher 9 & It does not really affect my

interpersonal skills, except that
Co-researcher 10: sometimes messages in Spark can
be misinterpreted.
Yes, for me it does not affect my

relations with others that much.
VII. Challenges and Problems Encountered in using Spark
These are various challenges and problems encountered
by co-researchers in using Spark at the office.
Table 7: Challenges and Problems Encountered in using Spark
Challenges and
Keyword Co-researcher
Problems
Misuse of Spark “.. we ca n’t av o id u s ing C1, C14, C15
it f or p e r so na l ch it
ch ats .. ”
“.. som e of th em u s e it
oth e r th an wo rk. . ”
“ and s u bo rd i na te s d o
not log - in to I M ”
Misinterpretation “ Pe op l e ca n C2
m is i nte rp r et..“
Errors on file “.. e rr or s d u ri ng fi le C3, C7, C8, C9,
transfers tra n sf e rs . ” C10
“.. y o u ri s k h av ing it
s ee n by an u na uth o ri z ed
p e rs on s.. ”
“.. big s iz e s o f f il e s a r e
not al low ed or al way s
h av e e r ro rs . ”
“.. big s iz e s o f f il e s, it
ap p ea r s t o h av e a n
e rr or .. ”
“.. we e nc ou nt er e r ro r s
ev ery tim e we s e nd a nd
try to r ec e iv e big si z es
of f il e s.. ”
Problems with “.. us ua lly e nc ou nt e r C4, C5, C6, C8,
network connection ne two rk p r o bl em s. ” C9, C10, C11, C12,
C13, C15
“.. f ac e s n et wo rk
p ro bl em s. . ”
“.. c au s ed by bad
int e rn et/ n etw or k
con n ect io n.. ”
“.. un a bl e to log i n..

..b ec au s e o f ne two rk
e rr or .. ”
“ I ca n not r ec eiv e
m e ss ag es. . ”
“.. ne ed t o us e Sp a rk
and th e sy st em i s
d ow n.. ”
“.. th e m ai n ch a ll e ng e i s
th e c on n ect iv ity or th e
p h y si cal n et wo rk
its e lf. ”
“.. som e p ro b le m s w ith

th e ne two rk
con n ect io n,.. ”
“ not r ec e iv ed d u r ing
s erv e r d o w ntim e ”
Table 7 presents some challenges and problems encountered
by the co -researchers while using Spark including their
misuse of Spark, misinterpretation on relayed messages and
errors on file transfers.
 Misuse of Spark
Most common issue in instant messaging at work is
when it is being used extremely for nonwork-related matter.
Misuse of Spark was mentioned by some of the co -researchers
as one of the challenges they’ve experienced in using Spark
to communicate and to help them attend their concerns that
sometimes cannot avoid using it for personal issues and chit
chats with others. Some of them don’t open and log in to
Spark because they avoid some people or getting instructions
from their colleagues. Numerous technological involvements
in organizations is unsuccessful for the reason that some
employees do not accept or use information technologies
such as Instant Messaging, despite of heavy investment in
Information Technology (Mitchell, Gagne, Beaudry, and
Dyer, 2012).
Co-researcher 1: While Spark should be mainly used

in discussing work -related topics,
we can’t avoid using it for personal
chit chats with your workmates
which if not controlled can affect
your productivity.
Co-researcher 14: Since most of my staffs are

millennials, some of them use it
other than work so there may be a
tendency not to focus on their work
at hand, they spend more time in
chatting. For those not opening the
Spark, is also a problem, the
communication is not spontaneous
because I have to call them. It’s
either they really don’t want to be
distracted while using Spark or they
are avoiding people or instructions
from me or from their section heads
and other workmates.
Co-researcher 15: Some of the challenges I have

encountered are:
…and subordinates do not log -in to

IM when they avoid taking
additional tasks from their
immediate heads.
 Misinterpretation
A huge problem with instant messaging in the
workplace is that it can easily lead to miscommunications.
One of the co-researchers has mentioned misinterpretation
as one of the problems they are facing while instant
messaging at work. Misinterpretation usually happens
with the absence of physical interaction or verbal tones.
According to Taylor (2018), while it’s easy to send short
messages zipping off into the company server, there is no
emotion behind the words said. You no longer have the
advantage of reading body language in conversations,
making eye contact, or even having the chance to smile at
someone. Instead, you simply type a few characters and
hope that the recipient understands what you are saying
and doesn’t take it the wrong way. Instant messaging is
the instant way to destroy creative collaboration on some
of its most fundamental levels.
Co-researcher 2: People can misinterpret what I say.
 Errors on file transfer
One of the problems encountered by the co -researchers
is getting errors while transferring big sizes of files. This
problem is not because of network connection but it is
indeed a restriction on the Spark application itself. Spark
only allows 100MB files to be uploaded and transferred at
once to save memory. The problem is, not all employees
know about this data l imitation. Spark developers has
been updating and improving the application to fix this
issue and to meet big companies’ needs. Cho (2016) has
addressed this issue on Spark Cisco website and
mentioned that they are now focusing to solve this issue
and apologized for any impact it has given to the
companies who are using it.
Co-researcher 3: One of the problems that I

encountered in Spark is when there
are errors during file transfers.
Co-researcher 8: And sending big sizes of files are

not allowed or always have errors.
Co-researcher 9 & And also when sending and

receiving big sizes of files, it
Co-researcher 10: appears to have an error.
Yes, we encounter errors every time

we send and try to receive big sizes
of files, so we still need to use e -
mail in order to have it sent or
received.
 Privacy
Apart from having Spark used in nonwork -related
matters, one of the co -researchers is also concerned with
privacy. Privacy in terms of having t he risk of having
someone unauthorized views a specific user’s inbox. This
is cannot be avoided especially that Spark is installed on
their desktop where they also do their work. When a
colleague tries to approach them in person there is a
tendency that they can glance on your desktop to see what
you are doing, so whe n their Spark inbox is open, their
colleague might be able to see it. Root (2018) also
mentioned on his blog under sensitive information that
when you are sending instant messages to a colleague, you
do not know if someone is looking over their shoulder or
reading the messages along with them.
Co-researcher 7: One of the problems I

encountered is having
barriers in communicating
to others. When you type
something during a chat,
you risk having it seen by
an unauthorized persons,
because the writing will
leave a written record.
 Problems with network connection
Another problem is that co -researchers experience
issues on network connection which they cannot use Spark
or they get delayed messages and could not transfer
needed files. Popescu and Babu (2017) mentioned on their
blog that a number of logs are available every time a
Spark application fails. A distributed Spark application
consists of a driver container and one or more executor
containers. The logs generated by these containers have
information a bout the application, as well as how the
application interacts with the rest of the Spark platform.
These logs form the key dataset that Spark users scan for
clues to understand why an application failed. They also
said that they are currently enhancing th e solution in
some key ways. One of these is to quantify the degree of
confidence in the root cause predicted by the model in a
way that users will easily understand.
Co-researcher 4: We usually encounter network

problems. There are times when
there is no connection with the day
and you would need to restart the
computer or application in order for
it to work. There are also times
when the messages are delayed.
Co-researcher 5: Spark encounters problems when the

office faces network problems which
could delay the delivery and receipt
of messages.
Co-researcher 6: The issues pertaining to instant

messaging are results of its poor
performance caused by bad
internet/network conne ction. When
it doesn’t work, performance and
work progress could be negatively
affected.
Co-researcher 8: When I’m unable to log in and

sometimes when I don’t receive
someone’s message because of
network error.
Co-researcher 9: Yeah sometimes, I cannot receive

messages and Spark double sends
my messages. Problems like when
I’m not online in Spark but in others
Spark it appears that my status in
online, sometimes it malfunctions in
regards with the status of the user
whether you’re online, offline, busy
and away.
Co-researcher 11: Problem is when I badly need to use

Spark and the system is down, I
have no choice but to call or email
the person I need to talk to.
Co-researcher 12: For me, the main challenge is the

connectivity or the physical network
itself. There are times wherein
connections are down therefore
network -based software will not
function well.
Co-researcher 13: There are some problems with the

network connection, hence unable to
use Spark.
Co-researcher 15: Some of the challenges I have

encountered are: Important
messages/instructions were not
received during server downtime
and…
VIII. Suggestions to Improve the Effects of Spark
These are various suggestions of co -researchers to
improve the effects of Spark on t he communication practices,
especially on their performance and productivity.
Table 8: Suggestions to Improve the Effects of using Spark
Suggestions Keyword Co-researcher

Proper usage “ I s ug g e st p rop er C1, C2, C4, C6, C7,
and educating ed u cat io n.. .. on h o w to C8, C9, C10, C11,
ef f ectiv e ly a nd r esp on s i bly
employees C12, C14, C15
us e th e ap p l icat io n.. ”
“.. p eop le sh ou ld us e it f or
wo rk.. ”
“.. l e s s en u si ng in st ant
m e ss ag i ng fo r p er s on al
r ea so ns .. ”
“.. a n is s u e w ith th e
us e r’ s d i scip li n e a nd s el f -
cont ro l,.. ”
“.. a nd le s s en p e r so na l
ch atti ng .. ”
“.. not wo rk r el at ed it
sh o uld b e ig n o red o r y o u
can s et p ri o rit ie s. . ”
“.. i t’ s m o r e on th e s el f -
d is cip li ne .. W e d o n’t h a v e
s em i na r s.. ”
“ L e ss e n un n ec e ss ary
conv e r sati on s and k now
h ow to p r io ri tiz e… ”
“ .. l e s se n u nn ec e s sa ry
m e ss ag es d u ri ng wo rk t o
stay foc u s… ”
“.. b e u se f ul to b u si n e ss
p roc e s se s, and th us ,
sh o uld b e ut il iz ed i n s u ch
p urp o se s. ”
“ Ma ke su r e t h at
ev ery b od y is m ax im izi ng
th ei r wo rk ing tim e..”
“ M i su s e o f I M d u ri ng
wo rki ng h ou r s m ay l ead . . ”
Improve “ L e ss e n net wo rk C5, C6, C7, C12,
network p ro bl em s. . ”
connection C13
“.. m o r e sta b l e
int e rn et/ n etw or k
con n ect io n sh o uld h elp ”
“ L e ss e n net wo rk
int e r rup t io n s to. . ”
“.. ov e ra ll n etw or k
con n ect io ns n e ed to b e
im p r ov ed .. ”
“.. wo rki ng on way s t o

im p r ov e th e u s ef u ln e s s o f
In sta nt M es s ag i ng w ith
r eg a rd s to n etw or k
con n ect io n. ”
Improve Spark’s “ To in cr ea s e th e si ze l i m it C3 and C9

file transfer of th e f il e s.. ”
“.. big g e r fil e s sh o uld b e

all ow ed . ”
Table 8 presents the suggestions of co -researchers on how to
improve Spark’s effects on their daily communication
especially to their performance and productivity at work
based on their experiences and perspectives.
 Proper usage and educating employees
Co-researchers suggest that there should be a control
and discipline in using Spark to lessen negative effects on
their performance or productivity. Sense of prioritizing tasks
depending on its urgency should be relevant and observed to
have a good communi cation practice and so that they can
focus on their specific tasks as to not affect their performance
and productivity negatively. It is appropriate to educate
employees who are using Spark as their daily means of
communication at the office with regards o n it proper usage,
how to use Spark’s other features that could help them lessen
interruptions when they are busy and make best use of it to
improve their performance and productivity at work and that
they should not remove the practice of proper etiquette while
communicating since Spark is not for formal messaging .
According to Jones (2013) , that in order to fully utilize
instant messaging in the workplace it is important to be brief,
appropriate and understandable. Brief messages are easy to
understand and can be read quickly. By creating brief
messages the conversation can flow easily between clients
and colleagues. This allows business to be settled quickly and
efficiently. It’s also important to be appropriate while instant
messaging at the workplace, e specially when messaging other
workers. Keep messages limited to business or to small talk.
Avoid any messages that may be considered unprofessional.
Dinerman (2010) also said that a user that is well -informed
on how to use IM effectively will not only hel p to maintain
security, but will also help educate others on these issues and
establish best practices which can be standardized and
updated.
Co-researcher 1: I suggest proper education and

orientation on how to effectively
and responsibly use the applica tion.
Co-researcher 2: Maybe people should use it for

work and not for other reasons.
Co-researcher 4: We should lessen using instant

messaging for personal reasons
during working hours since it may
distract a colleague if you only
send something not work-related.
We must respect that some
employees may be busier than
others. We should make sure that
we use instant messaging in a way
that is useful for our work and for
our colleagues as well.
Co-researcher 6: Its negative effects are more an

issue with the user’s discipline and
self-control, not with the
application itself.
Co-researcher 7: ..and lessen personal chatting while

doing tasks or if assigned tasks are
not yet done.
Co-researcher 8: If the message is irrelevant or not

work related it should be ignored
or you can set priorities what
message you should first need to
reply or check.
Co-researcher 9: Suggestions. Maybe it’s more on the

self-discipline because whether we
have a guideline or not, when the
user does not know what to
prioritize then it’s useless.
We don’t have seminars actually

regarding how to use Spark
effectively.
Co-researcher 10: Lessen unnecessary conversations

and know how to prioritize which
messages should be attended. And
also personal conversations should
be avoided because Spark records
conversations.
Co-researcher 11: I suggest, lessen unnecessary

messages during work to stay focus
and be productive and I highly
recommend to use Spark especially
if there’s a load of task to do during
the day to finish just in time.
Co-researcher 12: On the other hand, to lessen its

negative effects, it should be
constantly coordinated with the
employees that while IM can
actually be also used in non -work
related matters, using such
programs can equally be useful to
business processes, and thus,
should be utilized in such
purposes.
Co-researcher 14: Make sure that everybody is

maximizing their working time and
monitor the productivity of each
person so that you will know if
Spark is helpful or being
distractive.
Co-researcher 15: Misuse of IM during working hours

may lead to decreased product ivity
thus, a strict policy on acceptable
uses of IM in the office to restrain
time wastage must be in place.
 Improve network connection
Co-researchers mentioned that network connection in
the office should be improved or maintain since they had
encountered such problems, thus it affects the usefulness
of Spark when they are doing their tasks. It’s the
company’s respective IT department’s responsibility to
take action on this matter and should be aware that it is
happening. Similar to CounterPath’ s (2016) blog, they
cited how Instant Messaging can help businesses’ unified
platform, by enhancing communication, improving
efficiency and by presence awareness of users. They also
added that to avoid problems in the future, companies
should be prepared i n technology implementations.
Co-researcher 5: To improve the usefulness of Spark,

a video call could be added to serve
as platform when conducting
meetings. Lessen network problems
resulting to a stable performance of
Spark is also encourage.
Co-researcher 6: A more stable internet/network

connection should help improve its
usefulness. Its negative effects are
more an issue with the user’s
discipline and self -control, not with
the application itself.
Co-researcher 7: Lessen network interruptions to

have communications..
Co-researcher 12: To improve its usefulness, I think

the overall network connections
need to be improved.
Co-researcher 13: I think IT group of the company has

been working on ways to improve
the usefulness of Instant Messaging
with regards to network connection.
 Improve Spark’s file transfers
Improving Spark’s file transfers is one of the
suggestions that co -researcher mentioned to improve its
usefulness since they encounter errors in transferring big
sizes of files but on this matter it is beyond the company’s
ability to fix it because it is on the developer who made
the application Spark as it actually has restriction on the
amount of data or file size a user can transfer/send or
download/receive. According to Snork Research (2017),
Enterprise Instant Messaging must conform to a higher
standard in several critical areas, they have mentioned the
security to control and limit access and protect vital
communications and data transported a nd its efficiency,
occupying a minimum amount of the system and network
resources.
Co-researcher 3: To increase the size limit of the files

to be transferred.
Co-researcher 9: But with regards with the sending

big sizes of files maybe it’s because
of the connection that affects the
system, bigger files should be
allowed.
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents the summary of the results presented in
previous chapters and the suggested future directions of this
research.
The themes and reflections were synthesized into the
descriptive structure meaning of the interview with the support of
most relevant review of related literature and studies.
Summary of findings
The study aimed to present the effects of “Spark” on
employees’ productivity and performance as well as their
experiences and communication practices in using Spark at the
office.
Employees’ Insights of Spark
Spark is a very convenient communication tool for the
company because it allows employees to communicate with
colleagues instantly when they need help, clarifications and
assistance regarding with their tasks. It also allows them to send
necessary files and document s that they need for reference. Spark
gives them the ability to connect with colleagues who are from
other departments that are far from their area, thus provides them
easier and faster communication. The co -researchers have
compared Spark with other commu nication tools being used in the
company such as e-mail, telephone and also communicating with
personal interaction. They stated that Spark is better than other
communication tools since it saves them more time communicating
than having to compose a forma l message in email and calling
some colleagues on telephone waiting for the line to be answered
and also when going personally to colleagues working area.
Though Spark allows them to communicate instantly, it still cannot
totally remove personal interactio n at work.
Usefulness and Distractiveness of Spark
It is said that Spark can be both useful and distractive to
employees depending on how it is being used. In nature, Spark was
built to be useful for the employees’ communication to improve the
daily operations of the company as well as its overall performance.
Co-researchers have said that though Spark has allowed them to
exchange messages and files easier and faster that it helps them
while they are doing their task, it can still be distractive when it is
used extremely for nonwork -related matters. Thus, distractiveness
of Spark depends on how the employees use it.
Multitasking through Spark
It I known that employees get a lot of benefits from using
Spark, one is that it gives them the ability to multitas k as they can
communicate while doing their task at their respective desks. It is
said that it gives less interruptions and it saves them time
compared to other ways of communicating because Spark is
already installed in their computer, it is easy for them to switch
screen from Spark application and to other system applications
they are using for work and vice versa. Co -researchers have
highlighted one of Spark's features which is Broadcast feature that
helps most of them when they need they have announceme nts or
they need to send same message or question to many or to selected
colleagues at work.
Effects of Spark on Employees' Performance
Communication is one of critical parts of a company, Spark
has made daily exchange of messages faster and easier at w ork
making the company improve its operations. It has helped
employees' collaborate with each other in doing their specific tasks
or assignments by exchanging files , documents and ideas and it
made it possible for them to multitask and maximize their time in
finishing a specific task. Thus, made their performance improved.
Though, some of them are not totally affected because they don't
fully rely on Spark in completing their tasks. Still it depends on
the employees on how they utilize Spark to improve thei r
performance.
Effects of Spark on Employees' Productivity
Relative to how Spark has improved employees’ performance,
their productivity has been observed to increase since they can
finish work faster than usual with the use of Spark in
communicating with other colleagues, it gives them more time to
do and finish more tasks in a day. Likewise, there are still
employees whose productivities are not affected with Spark since
not all of them rely on it in doing or finishing their tasks. Still in
depends on t hem how Spark would affect the amount of tasks they
complete in a day.
Effects of Spark on Employees' Interpersonal Skills
Employees of the company, especially in a banking
corporation are facing difficulties from amount of workload
working with other dep artments and with different types of
individuals hence communicating and having interpersonal skill is
relevant for the company to survive in their daily operations.
Spark has helped employees’ communication more advanced and
because of that it has helped them improved and enhanced their
interpersonal skills as they collaborate and assist each other to
better their work progress.
Problems and Challenges Encountered while using Spark
Though Spark is known to be very useful in the
company and its employees, just like all the other applications, it
has downsides. All of co -researchers have experienced problems
and challenges having Spark as one of their communication tool in
the company. One is the misuse of Spark, where as co -researchers
mentioned that using it for nonwork -related matters and having
chit chats with other colleagues is really a big challenge for them
and some of their colleagues are not logging in on Spark for some
reason that they avoid getting messages and instructions from
others. Misinterpretation is also a problem since absence of facial
expressions and tone gestures occurs while communicating
through Spark. Concerns with privacy in regards of having
someone glanced o n their inboxes were also included. They also
experience errors on sharing big sizes of files and documents and
lastly, the problem on the company’s network connection that
causes them to unable to log in on Spark and use it to communicate
to help them wit h their task.
Suggestions to Improve the Effects of Spark
Suggestions on how to improve the effects of Spark on
employees’ performance and productivity is basically addressing
the problems and challenges they have encountered while using it
and should focus on how to improve its usefulness. Mainly, the
proper utilization of Spark at work, wherein the employees should
have self-discipline and should know how to prioritize tasks
depending on its urgency, thus avoiding chit chatting and having
irrelevant topics while they are busy working. Employees must be
well-informed and be educated for the main reason why the
company has installed Spark and is to be used for business matters
and not for personal. They should also give attention on how to
avoid miscommunication or misinterpretation and employees’
privacy while chatting. And for the improving of file size transfer
and network errors, it is beyond the employees’ power to resolve
this issue. Thus, it is the company’s respective department such as
IT department responsibility to take actions on these matters and
that they also should be aware that this is happening and should
let employees’ know what they need to do if this randomly occurs
anytime of the day.
Conclusion
The main objective of this study is to know how Spark affects
employees’ performance and productivit y on a banking
corporation.
Though Spark is a very useful communication tool for the
banking company and its employees’ performance and
productivity, it is given that it still has downsides and that
employees are also facing problems and challenges on usi ng Spark
that may somehow affect the employees’ individual performance
and productivity and also the whole operation of the company.
Therefore, problems should not be disregarded and they
should also give attention on how they’re go ing to avoid and
prevent it by having their own company and employee
communication guidelines.
Recommendation
Based on the findings, what guidelines can be developed to
improve the effects of Spark on employees’ performance and
productivity? The followin g guidelines or recommendations were
formulated on the basis of the research findings:
GUIDELINES RATIONALE
1. Log-in to Spark regularly Employees must recognize
that certain communications
may be timely critical, “I did
not log -in to Spark” is not
acceptable excuse unless the
system is down. The
employees should know the
importance of engagement and
utilization is critical since the
company have invested a lot
of money for the improvement
of their day to day operations.
2. Spark should be used mainly Employees should be aware of

for work -related matters how they use Spark and
should avoid using it
extremely for personal matters

as it may affect their focus on
finishing their tasks and may
affect their overall
performance and productivity.
Its use is mainly for quick
questions, updates,
clarifications and urgent
announcement. Sensitive,
confidential and critical
messages should be sent
through e-mail, telephone or
face-to-face.
Therefore, employees must act
professionally and should
know how to properly use
Spark.
3. Observe proper etiquette Though Spark is a less formal

type of messaging tool,
employees should still observe
polite attitude in
communicating with other
colleagues to avoid
misinterpretation. For
example: use of Caps lock in
typing may seem to show
angriness, etc.
Employees should also

observe respect on colleagues’
time, they should begin every
message by asking whether
they’re disturbing them. When
someone messages them in
Spark, they should learn how
to say no or ignore or reply
late to irrelevant messages
when they’re busy or inform
the sender that they are busy
or change their status to “do
not disturb”.
Spark is mainly used for quick

conversations such as:
clarifications, giving
instructions, announcing
important matters, asking for
assistance and other files and
documents.
Staff should also make use of

e-mail when there is a need to
communicate with branch
managers and other officers or
people with high rank because
it is necessary to be formal
when communicating with
them. Thus, communicating
with them should also be
documented for future
references.
Use telephone when a specific

matter is not addressed or
there have been
misinterpretation with what
have been talked about
through Spark. Call someone
if there are urgent matters and
when an individual is not
available or not logged -in in
Spark.
4. Company should define Employees should also be

expectations of employees’ aware that the company has
privacy the right to monitor and log
all IM sessions for corporate
compliance, safety, and
security reasons. Spark
sessions are stored for
informational, forensic, and
legal and regulatory
compliance purposes of the
bank. Because these records
grow very quickly,

conversation archiving can
prove highly advantageous.
5. Inform employees with Number one reason why the

Spark’s internal restrictions. company has invested to
Spark is because it guarantees
secured communication
environment for the company,
especially banking
corporations as it observes
confidentiality. Thus,
company should be able to let
employee know about this
certain matter as it involves
restrictions on the files sizes
being shared by the employees
to their colleagues and vice
versa. It is one of the reasons
why employees have been
encountering errors while
transferring files and
documents, they do not know
the file size limitation of
Spark. The company should
give alternatives or ways on
how the employees can
minimize files with big sizes,
for example, zipping or
compressing the file size
before sending the necessary
files and documents they
need.
6. Conduct seminar or To disseminate company’s

orientation communication guidelines.
Employees should know and
should be educated by the
communication guidelines of
the company for them to have
knowledge of its proper usage
in order to maximiz e its
usefulness in their daily

operation. It is said that they
do not have seminar regarding
Instant Messaging being used
in the company. Thus, some of
them do not know about
communication policies and
restrictions and how it is
being monitored and
controlled by the company
and the reason why
conversations are being
recorded or archived for legal
purposes when needed for
some sensitive cases as it will
be used in court if necessary.
7. Company should update and Clearly, there is a need to
evaluate their communication update the company’s
guidelines annually communication guidelines
yearly for the reason that
Spark developers have been
updating it from time to time
to meet the company’s
expectations like improving
its file transfer issue or
increasing the storage memory
of the application and that
there are probably changes in
employees practices, problems
and challenges in using Spark
and also to secure that
confidentiality and privacy i s
being observed and that
employees are implementing
the company’s communication
guidelines, especially newly
hired employees.
8. Company should improve its Company’s respective IT
network connection department should give
attention and take actions to
the network connection
problems that employees’
have been experiencing while

using Spark as it may affect
the company’s overall
operations and employees
individual performance and
productivity. Errors with
network or server problems
may appear randomly any
time of the day without
knowing the real reason why
it has occurred is very
alarming for the company and
the employees because it
could somehow affect their
overall performance. The
company and its IT
department should always be
aware of Spark updates so that
they can solve such problems
and especially Spark
developers has been updating
it from time to time to
improve their service.

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ADAMSON UNIVERSITY 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

In this age of information technology, it is very important for

organizations to advance effective business communication and

speed up productivity by equipping and training employees on

how to use various communication technology tools (Ramey, 2013).

A multi-tasking tool that helps people communicate and do

other things at the same time is Instant M essaging (IM). It is more

convenient to use IM than using phone and email. IM also has

advantage due to the ability to detect presence (Maina, 2017).

Skype, Facebook Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Viber, HipChat, etc.

are Instant Messaging applications.

Nowadays, companies, specifically banking corporations run

their own IM service that is exclusively being used by their

employees. The company where the researcher conducted the study

is currently using “Spark” as their Instant Messaging tool.

Spark is an open-source instant messaging , cross-platform IM

client optimized for businesses and organizations. The banking

corporation has been using it because it has better privacy and

fewer distractions than other major instant messaging applications ,

it is designed to be ideal for the purposes of their operations. It

departments in a banking corporation and it also offers a great

chat room bookmarks, document transfer , detect online users and

and levels of computer experience because of the simplicity of the

program. (Spark, 2017)

As we all know the re are no perfect system applications , thus

instant messaging can also cause information leakage due to

viruses and irrelevant use of IM by employees , unrelated to their

work that may somehow affect their productivity and performance .

These are the reasons why it is relevant for a banking corporation

to know what are the common practices of employees in using

Instant Messaging and what are the effects of using IM on

individual employees to enable the banking corporation to build

its own policies and guidelines.

This prompted the researcher to further study on how Instant

Messaging affects employees’ productivity and performance and to

be able to construct an Employee and Company Guidelines for

Communication to protect the staff as much as the organization.

The researcher chose Banking Corporation because the company i s

using Instant Messaging and the researcher is currently wo rking in

Statement of the Problem

The study will determine the effects of using “Spark” Instant

Messaging on employees’ performance and productivty on a

Banking Corporation company .

Specifically, this study will answer the following problems:

1. How does “Spark” Instant Messaging affect s employees’

2. How does “Spark” Instant Messaging affect s employees’

3. What are the challenges and problems encountered in

using “Spark” Instant Messaging?

Significance of the Study

This study deemed to be significant to the following:

Banking Corporation Company. This thesis was designed to create

communication guidelines for the company that is currently using

Instant Messaging in their workplace. It assessed the common

practices of employees in using the communication technology

The Employees. The communication guidelines constructed will

help the employees to be more aware with their actions in using

Instant Messaging to avoid misuse and risks.

The Readers. The constructed communication guidelines from this

study will be a great help in managing communication in a

company that is using a communication technology tools.