ESM Usage, Employee Agility, and Creativity: Role of Communication Visibility in a Multi-Wave Cross-

Abstract

Despite the increasing popularity of enterprise social media (ESM) technology in the workplace, little research has explored the relationship between its usage and employee creativity. Drawing on insights from communication visibility theory, this study investigates the relationship between ESM usage and employee creativity via employee agility. The study further explores the moderating role of communication visibility. Our results are based on two cross-cultural and multi-wave studies. Study 1 (N = 233) was conducted in the Peoples’ Republic of China, where three-wave data were collected from employees working in a variety of organizations utilizing ESM technology at work. We replicated our findings in Study 2 (N = 215), using two-wave data from employees in the United States of America (USA). The results reveal a positive relationship between ESM usage and employee agility, and subsequently, employee creativity in organizations. In addition, communication visibility has shown significant moderating effects on some of our hypothesized relationships. We discuss how our findings can help organizations and managers better understand ESM usage and the implications for both employee agility and creativity.