Enterprise Social Networks Research Articles

When Systems Fall Short: Employee Perspectives on Knowledge Management and Enterprise Social Networks

This study examines the limitations and challenges of knowledge management systems (KMS) and enterprise social networking systems (ESNS) in a multinational professional services firm. While digital tools like MS Teams and SharePoint are critical for knowledge sharing and collaboration, their effectiveness varies significantly depending on employee group and career stage. To fill an important gap in the literature, this study illuminates how employees in different positions perceive and interact with these systems and demonstrates their impact – or lack thereof – on the distribution of knowledge within the organization. A structured online questionnaire was used to collect responses from 66 employees, combining Likert scales, multiple choice items and numerical ratings. Statistical analysis using IBM SPSS revealed correlations, mean differences, and trends in system usage and satisfaction. The results show that KMS and ESNS have deficits in critical areas: new employees have difficulty integrating knowledge effectively, while experienced employees are dissatisfied with the efficiency and functionality of the systems. In particular, MS Teams proved to be the most effective tool, while MS SharePoint was considered problematic. These findings suggest that targeted KMS improvements and tailored onboarding strategies are critical to closing knowledge gaps and improving collaboration between different organizational levels and regions.

Social networking learning through enterprise social networks: a multi-criteria decision-making model

ABSTRACT This research proposes and tests a model to select the best enterprise social network for teaching. An emic approach is employed, and a Delphi study based on an analytic hierarchy process is developed. The results show that Viva Engage® is the most appropriate enterprise social network for teaching business administration subjects, and the most important factors that affect teachers’ selection are related to teachers’ profiles, students’ profiles, and the platform’s pedagogical features. This study extends the literature on educational technologies by presenting enterprise social networks as new learning management systems. Additionally, it provides a list of potential enterprise social networks together with a customising decision-making model. Starting from these, teachers can decide the best enterprise social network for teaching, given their objectives and preferences. Therefore, it helps teachers choose the best platform for their needs and make the transition from socio-constructivism learning to social network learning.

Altruistic and egoistic behaviors on enterprise social network platforms: Analysis using PLS-SEM and fsQCA

Altruistic and egoistic behaviors on enterprise social network platforms: Analysis using PLS-SEM and fsQCA

The role of perceived proximity and employee voice in teleworkers’ well-being

PurposeThis paper studies the impact that perceived proximity and employee voice have on the affective well-being of employees working from home (WFH). Drawing on Wilson et al.'s (2008) model of perceived proximity in virtual work, we believe that effectiveness in the use of the enterprise social network (ESN), communication and workmate identification increase the perceived proximity of teleworkers. We also propose that employee voice and perceived proximity have in turn positive implications in terms of well-being.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes a dataset of 542 professionals with experience in home-based telework. Structural equation modeling (SEM) has been used to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsResults show that perceived proximity is significant and positively associated with affective well-being. Conversely, the expression of direct voice using electronic channels has a negative influence on the well-being of home-based teleworkers.Originality/valueThis study reveals the need to re-think the challenges of telework after the forced experiment of WFH provoked by the COVID-19 pandemics. Building on the “far-but-close” paradox, it emphasizes the role of workmate identification and communication and the perceived effectiveness of the ESN as sources of perceived proximity. At the same time, the paper adds to telework research by explaining how the expression of direct voice through electronic channels and indirect voice can have consequences in terms of well-being.

The visibility paradox: Impediment or benefit to vicarious learning in hybrid work environments?

AbstractOrganisations have increasingly adopted enterprise social networks to mitigate the challenges of hybrid work environments for workplace learning, particularly vicarious learning. However, the improved communication visibility intended to facilitate vicarious learning may paradoxically create tensions that could potentially undermine the benefits of communication visibility, recreating the invisibility of knowledge work. Through an in‐depth single qualitative case study at one of the Big Four consulting firms, which serves as a paradigmatic case for hybrid work, we explain how the visibility enabled by enterprise social networks can alleviate or impede vicarious learning in hybrid work environments. We identify three instances of the visibility paradox—performance, information overload, and availability—that create a burden on both knowledge sources and seekers. Consequently, their individual strategic responses render knowledge work invisible, thereby preventing third‐parties from capitalising on the potential benefits of vicarious learning that an enterprise social network could afford.

Exploring Boundary Violations Among Remote Workers with ICTs

ABSTRACT The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a widespread shift to remote work, solidifying its status as a prevalent and mainstream employment model. As the world emerges from the health crisis, remote work maintains its popularity. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) played a pivotal role during the pandemic, enabling virtual work from any location at any time. However, the increased reliance on ICTs has elicited both praise and criticism for its potential impact on “work-life balance,” a concept gaining prominence. Notably, the use of instant messaging (IM) and enterprise social networking (ESN) platforms in remote work has become commonplace, raising questions about boundary violations within existing boundary theory research. This study aims to explore the extent of these violations and confirms that the use of IM and ESN tools, in conjunction with job satisfaction, can moderate boundary issues within the boundary theory framework. It contributes valuable insights for optimizing work-life balance and well-being in the context of remote work, thereby benefiting organizations and individuals in the evolving work landscape.

We’re in This Together: Visible Social Support Actions in Virtual Teams Using Enterprise Social Media

Enterprise social networks (ESNs) are a communication standard within virtual teams. Among other affordances, ESNs enable colleagues to provide each other with social support. In this paper, we analyzed the message logs of virtual teams in a large open-source software project to determine how virtual teams use ESNs to provide particular forms of social support to each other and, secondly, to determine how the visibility of these interaction patterns influences team functioning. Our findings reveal distinct ESN use patterns in relation to four types of social support, each described using a metaphor: a dynamic notice board for information sharing, a community of practice for teaching and knowledge sharing, a team huddle for emotional support, and a job board for instrumental support. The findings provide structure to the diverse set of social support actions in this context and identify the higher-order functions that the visibility of social support produces.

The use of enterprise social networks for knowledge sharing: the impact of intra-organizational trust and governance

PurposeThis study aims to understand how organizations in the service industry can encourage the use of enterprise social networks (ESNs) for knowledge sharing, focusing on the concepts of intra-organizational trust and governance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors gathered data through an online survey of 104 participants from the financial services industry. Data were analyzed using structural equation modelling to test the proposed model and evaluate the constructs’ reliability and validity.FindingsThe findings of the survey data indicate that intra-organizational trust and governance are related to the use of ESN for knowledge sharing to enhance service innovation. Further, the findings suggest that, although trust directly affects service innovation, using ESN for knowledge sharing partially mediates the relationship between trust and service innovation. The findings also reveal that governance significantly moderates the relationship between ESN for knowledge sharing and innovation.Originality/valueThis paper provides insights into the relationship between trust, knowledge sharing and innovation. The novelty of this study demonstrates that governance strengthens the relationship between ESN for knowledge sharing and innovation. Further, the study suggests that firms using or intending to use ESNs could keep track of the evolving nature of ESNs, develop an open culture and create a trusted environment in their organizations.

Social Behavior Analysis in Exclusive Enterprise Social Networks by FastHAND

There is an emerging trend in the Chinese automobile industries that automakers are introducing exclusive enterprise social networks (EESNs) to expand sales and provide after-sale services. The traditional online social networks (OSNs) and enterprise social networks (ESNs), such as X (formerly known as Twitter) and Yammer, are ingeniously designed to facilitate unregulated communications among equal individuals. However, users in EESNs are naturally social stratified, consisting of both enterprise staffs and customers. In addition, the motivation to operate EESNs can be quite complicated, including providing customer services and facilitating communication among enterprise staffs. As a result, the social behaviors in EESNs can be quite different from those in OSNs and ESNs. In this work, we aim to analyze the social behaviors in EESNs. We consider the Chinese car manufacturer NIO as a typical example of EESNs and provide the following contributions. First, we formulate the social behavior analysis in EESNs as a link prediction problem in heterogeneous social networks. Second, to analyze this link prediction problem, we derive plentiful user features and build multiple meta-path graphs for EESNs. Third, we develop a novel Fast (H)eterogeneous graph (A)ttention (N)etwork algorithm for (D)irected graphs (FastHAND) to predict directed social links among users in EESNs. This algorithm introduces feature group attention at the node-level and uses an edge sampling algorithm over directed meta-path graphs to reduce the computation cost. By conducting various experiments on the NIO community data, we demonstrate the predictive power of our proposed FastHAND method. The experimental results also verify our intuitions about social affinity propagation in EESNs.

Using an Enterprise Social Network to build faculty engagement in Higher Education: An Experiment at Jammu, India

Abstract— Indian Higher Education is rapidly transforming with a national mission to improve quality and attain enhanced outcomes. Faculty is the bedrock of all institutional transformation initiatives. Faculty development has thus received significant attention from policy makers with several national initiatives in the offing. However, faculty support, engagement and true empowerment has not received the desired attention in a large majority of the institutions in the Indian Higher Education space. Apart from institutional commitment to building faculty engagement, an entire supporting ecosystem is required to create a culture of sustained performance leading to measurable outcomes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, online platforms for facilitating employee engagement gained traction across several industry verticals, a trend which has continued in the postpandemic world. We present a case study on implementing an Enterprise Social Network (ESN) at an educational institution in India for building faculty engagement. Initial results establish the effectiveness of Enterprise Social Networks for facilitating information flow, communication, sharing success stories and recognition, besides effectively chronicling events, activities, and achievements. We recommend adoption of such platforms, subject to some caveats. Keywords— Faculty Engagement; Higher Education; Social Networks.a

Effects of using social media in the workplace

Purpose: The article aims to identify the effects of using social media by company employees in the workplace based on a review of existing research literature. Design/methodology/approach: This paper applied a literature review procedure according to Hart's methodology, which consists of the following steps: data identification and collection, data evaluation, bibliometric analysis, visualisation, interpretation and description of the research findings. Findings: In light of the growing prevalence of online communication, the article examines the consequences of employees' utilisation of social media in the workplace, both positive and negative. Practical implications: An attempt has been made to identify the specific challenges for managers and contemporary organisations that need to be addressed due to the growing importance of social media in the workplace. Originality/value: This paper presents a structured analysis of the use of social media during working hours. The results of the study can assist managers in developing an organisational management policy for the use of social media in organisations. Keywords: virtual communication, social media, Enterprise Social Networks, workplace. Category of the paper: research paper.

Impact and Efficiency of Knowledge Management and Enterprise Social Networking Systems: A Data-Driven Analysis

This study examines the impact and effectiveness of knowledge management systems (KMS) and enterprise social networking systems (ESNS) within a professional services firm. As firms increasingly rely on digital tools for knowledge sharing and collaboration, understanding how these systems work across different employee groups is critical to optimizing organizational effectiveness and knowledge distribution. The gap in the literature that makes this study important arises from the fact that, while previous studies have examined the general benefits of ESNS, their specific impact on knowledge-intensive multinational organizations has not been adequately explored. This study fills this gap by focusing on how KMS and ESNS are perceived by employees at different career levels and how these perceptions impact knowledge sharing within the organization. The methodology used in this study covers a data-driven analysis via a structured online questionnaire collecting data from 66 employees of a multinational professional services company. The questionnaire included Likert scales, multiple-choice questions, and a numerical rating scale. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS to assess correlations, mean comparisons, and descriptive trends in the use of KMS and ESNS. The findings show that satisfaction with KMS and ESNS varies significantly by tenure. MS Teams was considered the most functional system, while MS SharePoint was viewed as the most problematic. New employees had difficulty integrating knowledge, while long-term employees expressed dissatisfaction with the effectiveness and efficiency of the systems. These findings suggest that KMS improvements and tailored onboarding strategies could improve knowledge sharing within the organization across regions.

Enhancing Social Networking Learning by Using Enterprise Social Networks

Social networking learning is emerging in light of the European Skills Agenda and technological development. This aims to incorporate learning techniques in social networking environments to foster formal and informal learning. However, the classical customer-oriented social networks provide an essential learning environment that does not include assessment tools and pedagogical perspectives. The enterprise social networks could fill this gap since they are more flexible, easy to customise, and highly efficient in the organisational learning context. This research, with its practical implications, aims to bring forward the enterprise social networks that can answer higher education demands and the selection criteria that could be considered. An emic approach is employed, and a conceptual design is developed. The results present a multi-criteria decision model that can be used by higher education teachers who want to move forward to social networking learning. The current approach has theoretical and practical implications; it extends the literature on educational technologies and helps teachers decide which enterprise social network they can use in their activities.

The S-O-R paradigm in explaining enterprise social network (ESN) discontinuous usage intention

PurposeThis study aims to show that employees' excessive work-related use of enterprise social networks (ESN) can be accompanied by some work-related strains, hindering them from continuing utilization of ESN at work. To this end, the impact of employees' excessive work-related utilization of ESN on their discontinuous usage intentions by mediating roles of employees' impression management concerns, privacy concerns and ESN fatigue will be evaluated.Design/methodology/approachStimulus-organisms-response (S-O-R) framework has been drawn to support the design of this research. Using an entirely random data collection, 173 ESN users from 10 Iranian organizations were surveyed. The model was assessed using partial least squares structural equations modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe results of the study confirm that employees' excessive work-related use of ESN positively affects impression management and privacy concerns, resulting in ESN fatigue. Furthermore, ESN fatigue plays a predicting role in ESN discontinuous usage intention.Originality/valueAccording to the obtained results, if work-related use of ESN exceeds a normal threshold (i.e. excessive usage), employees will stop using ESN in their work due to the work-related strains delivered to them, revealing the dark side of ESN usage in organizations.

From slack to strength: Examining ESNs impact on mental toughness and cyberslacking in the workplace

From slack to strength: Examining ESNs impact on mental toughness and cyberslacking in the workplace

Employees’ reskilling and upskilling for industry 5.0: Selecting the best professional development programmes

Employees’ reskilling and upskilling for industry 5.0: Selecting the best professional development programmes

Public information sharing in enterprise social networks: a communication privacy management perspective

PurposeThe advancement of enterprise social networks (ESNs) facilitates information sharing but also presents the challenge of managing information boundaries. This study aims to explore the factors that influence the information-control behavior of ESN users when continuously sharing information.Design/methodology/approachThis study specifies the information-control behaviors in the “wall posts” channel and applies communication privacy management (CPM) theory to analyze the effects of the individual-specific factor (disposition to value information), context-specific factors (work-relatedness and information richness) and risk-benefit ratio (public benefit and public risk). Data on actual information-control behaviors extracted from ESN logs are examined using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analysis.FindingsThe study's findings show the direct effects of the individual-specific factor, context-specific factors and risk-benefit ratio, highlighting interactions between the individual motivation factor and ESN context factors.Originality/valueThis study reshapes the relationship of CPM theory boundary rules in the ESN context, extending information-control research and providing insights into ESNs' information-control practices.

Knowledge sharing quality on an enterprise social network: social capital and the moderating effect of being a broker

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to show that an important antecedent of perceived knowledge quality is an employee’s position in the organizational network due to their participation in different interest groups. In particular, this study theorizes that brokers establish a network of groups, which increases perceived knowledge quality vis-a-vis the social capital that employees draw on.Design/methodology/approachTo test this study’s hypotheses on the influence of the structural position of knowledge brokers on the positive effects of social capital on perceived knowledge quality, this study combines data from an online survey with longitudinal archival data from a youth-care organization who used an enterprise social network (ESN) for knowledge sharing.FindingsThis study found a mitigating effect of being a broker on the relationship between trust and perceived knowledge quality, and also between inter-team interaction and perceived knowledge quality for lower levels of both trust and inter-team interaction on perceived knowledge quality.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the hypotheses are supported, in light of prior research, the authors would have expected stronger and positive effects.Practical implicationsThis research is particularly interesting because it emphasizes the important role of social capital. For organizations that deal with trust issues, it might help to stimulate employees to broaden their activity on ESNs by becoming active in multiple groups.Originality/valueWhile knowledge sharing on ESNs is generally conducive for creating organizational value, there is a lack of understanding of what drives employees’ perception of the quality of shared knowledge, and how this perception may depend on their position in the social network. To investigate this question, the authors turn to social capital theory.

Information technology in supply chain management: Perspectives from key actors in the Nigerian petroleum sector

This research examines the potential impact of information technology (IT) on supply chain management (SCM) in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the IT systems utilized by the key actors in the industry, the challenges facing SCM operations, and the potential benefits of IT for addressing these challenges. The field survey used 266 individuals, comprising regulators, production units, transporters, vendors, and customers. The study employed inferential statistics, and hypotheses were tested using the chi-square statistical test. The findings reveal that enterprise social networks, real-time track and tracking systems, warehouse management systems, and electronic invoice and fund transferring systems are the IT systems most commonly utilized by the key actors in the Nigerian petroleum industry. However, monitoring and evaluation remain the most challenging area for IT development in SCM operations. The study recommends that the government implement policies that encourage the adoption of IT in SCM operations, as well as incentives to encourage industry players to digitize data. The original contribution of this research is that it identifies the key IT systems utilized by the actors in the Nigerian petroleum industry and the challenges facing SCM operations, as well as proposing policy recommendations.

Model Pengukuran Working Out Loud (WOL) Terhadap Adopsi Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs)

This study aims to examine the concept of Working Out Loud (WOL) in measuring the success rate of implementing Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs) in companies. The adoption of this technology has not been widely implemented by companies in Indonesia. Implementing ESNs in companies as a tool to drive increased employee collaboration requires integration of social media and enterprise technology infrastructure. This platform does provide benefits for companies in the areas of innovation, increased productivity, and also employee engagement; but on the other hand there are several failures caused by employee factors that only focus on implementing technology without changing employee behavior patterns and also how to measure this behavior. The concept of Working Out Load (WOL) is an indicator tool that can be used to measure the success of ESNs implementation. Although the concept of WOL is still unclear, it provides many benefits. Not much research has discussed the benefits that exist in this relationship. The initial hypothesis of this study is that the two behavioral factors above exist and influence each other but are different, so measurements can be made with the developed scale. This study uses a survey distributed to employees of PT. Djarum (one of the large companies in Indonesia) which has implemented ESNs technology in the period October - November 2022. Processing exploratory analysis and data confirmation using SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 with a total of 313 respondents; which was divided randomly with 200 respondents for confirmation analysis and the rest as data for exploratory analysis. Departing from the abnormal nature and ordinal nature of the item scale used, this study uses the Spearman method (not Pearson). This aims to confirm the hypothesis so as to produce a rating scale for individuals and groups of WOL, so that researchers and practitioners can find WOL behavior in a company as a continuous process. The results of this study can be used as a reference for companies in Indonesia to develop ESN technology and measure the success rate of their operations.