Revisiting the effects of social networks on enterprise collaboration technology use: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis approach

Abstract

Enterprise collaboration technologies (ECTs) are increasingly recognized for supporting effective and efficient digital collaboration, such as decision-making activities, among employees. Given the social and collaborative nature of ECT use, social network theory offers important and helpful insights into how and why employees' social network relations facilitate their ECT use. However, existing research primarily examines the effects of a single social network relation or several social network relations separately, without applying a holistic approach to investigate the joint effect of multiple social network relations on ECT use. Drawing on a novel technique of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and social network analysis, this study explores how multiple social network relations (i.e., advice, friendship, and communication) collectively influence ECT use. Using multi-source data from 178 employees in the human resources department of a global technology company, we identify several configurations of multiple social network relations associated with high ECT use and low ECT use. Our findings indicate that a single social network relation is insufficient to explain ECT use and should be considered alongside other social network relations. Overall, this study provides an integrative framework to unpack the complex and contingent effects of multiple social network relations on ECT use.