Effects of Organizational Use of KakaoTalk, a Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) Service, on Employees’ Attitudes toward Current Organization in Korea

Abstract

Present-day organizations have become largely dependent on mobile instant messaging services (MIMs) for various organizational purposes. Focusing on the increasing use of MIMs in today’s organizations, this study aims to explain how different aspects of KakaoTalk, the most dominant MIM in Korea, influence employees’ attitudes toward their current employers, and how these attitudes impact the employees’ intentions to stay at their present workplaces. Overall, with the exception of one factor (satisfaction with KakaoTalk use), all other factors (perceived quality of information exchanged through KakaoTalk, belongingness through KakaoTalk, and KakaoTalk overload) significantly influenced employee’s attractiveness toward their current employers. Specifically, while KakaoTalk overload’s effect on perceived organizational attractiveness was negative, two other factors were positively associated with it. Perceived organizational attractiveness also strongly influenced employees’ intention to stay at their present workplaces. These findings contribute to expanding practical and theoretical understandings regarding the critical roles of MIMs in the efficient management of organizations in this hyperconnected society.