Leveraging enterprise social network technology: understanding the roles of compatibility and intrinsic motivation

Catalysts of digital excellence: Unraveling the threads of connectivity, embedment, and visibility in enterprise social media for enhanced task and innovative performances

In an era characterized by rapid digital transformation, this research delves into the intricate dynamics of enterprise social media (ESM) ubiquitous connectivity, drawing on the influential framework of social cognitive theory (SCT), we unravel the complex relationships among compatibility, presenteeism, ESM-enabled embeddedness, and the visibility of digital interactions, shedding light on how these factors collectively shape task performance and innovative contributions in the contemporary hybrid work landscape. By incorporating SCT into our research model, we not only enhance the theoretical underpinning but also respond to the imperative of understanding how individual cognition and observational learning impact behaviors in digital work environments. Data is collected from 467 participants from China. Results indicated that ESM-enabled embeddedness mediates the connection between presenteeism and both digital-enabled task performance, digital-enabled innovative performance. Findings conformed that ESM-enabled embeddedness mediates the connection between compatibility and both digital-enabled task performance, digital-enabled innovative performance. ESM visibility strengthens the connection between ubiquitous connectivity (presenteeism, compatibility) and ESM-enabled embeddedness. In addition, results also indicated that ESM visibility moderates the mediation effect of ESM-enabled embeddedness between the dimensions of ESM ubiquitous connectivity (presenteeism) and both digital-enabled task performance, digital-enabled innovative performance. In contrast, ESM visibility did not moderates the mediation effect of ESM-enabled embeddedness between the dimensions of ESM ubiquitous connectivity (compatibility) and both digital-enabled task performance, digital-enabled innovative performance. This study not only contributes depth to ESM literature but also lays the groundwork for future research endeavors, encouraging exploration of diverse contexts and additional moderating factors to comprehensively grasp the intricate dynamics within modern digital workspaces.

Supporting participatory innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparative study of enterprise social media use

Purpose

The need for accelerating innovation is exacerbated as organizations struggle to either adapt or perish in this unforgiving condition due to the COVID-19 disruption. To address this issue, many organizations have embraced employee-driven participatory innovation to survive and thrive albeit the uncertainties. This study aims to investigate the role of enterprise social media (ESM) in supporting and facilitating these efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

This study first identified the underlying mechanisms that allow ESM use to foster and maintain participatory innovation and then reexamined how these mechanisms played out during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. The data was collected through a questionnaire in two phases, before and during work-from-home mandates, and the results were analyzed and compared to capture similarities and differences.

Findings

The results revealed that innovation culture and management support mediated the effects of ESM use on three measures of innovation productivity in both conditions. Interestingly, the effect of ESM use was more prominent in driving innovation in the work-from-home condition. This effect was not limited to the direct effect of ESM use on innovation productivity but on innovation culture and management support as well.

Originality/value

The results suggest that ESM offer a potentially useful path to support and enable employees to participate in the innovation processes, especially when they work remotely or in a distributed team. More generally, this paper should be of interest to researchers and practitioners interested in understanding, implementing and evaluating enterprise social software applications and encouraging employee-driven participatory innovation.