Moderating roles of IT competency and work cooperation on employee work performance in an ESM environment

Abstract

This study investigates how the utilization of enterprise social media (ESM) influences the work performance of employees through task interdependence. ESM is an open and public platform that facilitates employee discussions on work-related issues. Most scholars in this area focus on the effects of ESM usage on employee work performance but are unclear regarding the advantages of ESM usage through task characteristics. Through data collected from 175 workers who adopted ESM in the workplace, this study examines ESM usage and verifies whether and how ESM usage is positively associated with work performance through task interdependence. The moderating roles of work cooperation and information technology (IT) competency are also examined. The findings confirm the significant role of ESM usage in improving work performance through task interdependence. Moreover, IT competency strengthens the link between ESM usage and task interdependence as well as work cooperation. This study contributes to existing literature by suggesting the managerial benefits of ESM usage, task interdependence, and IT competency while clarifying their effects on work performance.