Do an Organization’s Digital Transformation and Employees’ Digital Competence Catalyze the Use of Telepresence?

Abstract

Rapid changes in the external environment are increasing interest in digital transformation. In particular, the recent breakout of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 has required certain companies to restrict physical exchanges among their members. As a result, companies must strive to maintain productivity and performance by supporting business exchange activities through online platforms. A metaverse technology that supports individuals’ exchange activities in a virtual space based on 3D technology has recently attracted attention from companies. However, as previous studies related to the metaverse have focused on strengthening personalized content and services, additional research is needed in order to understand the metaverse’s effects at the organizational level. This study aims to present the conditions for strengthening the motivation to use the metaverse from the perspective of organizations and members who have applied the metaverse in the workplace on a trial basis. In this study, an online questionnaire was conducted targeting workers of organizations with a history of using the metaverse for business, and the hypotheses were tested using 304 valid samples. As a result of the analysis, it was found that telepresence, a characteristic of the metaverse, influences the intention to continue using the metaverse through informativeness, interactivity, and enjoyment. In addition, the shared goal of the organization’s digital transformation moderated the influence relationship between telepresence and an individual’s motivations, and an individual’s digital competence moderated the influence relationship between motivation and the intention of continuous use. This study suggests a digital transformation strategy for an organization in terms of suggesting ways to strengthen the motivations for the use of the metaverse of employees in the organization.