What role does enterprise social network play? A study on enterprise social network use, knowledge acquisition and innovation performance
Journal of Enterprise Information Management
ISSN: 1741-0398
Article publication date: 24 June 2022
Issue publication date: 27 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
In order to explore the role of enterprise social network (ESN), this study examines how the different dimensions of ESN use – within teams and across teams – facilitate knowledge acquisition in organizations and how knowledge acquisition, in turn, impacts exploitative and exploratory innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applied the survey approach to collect a valid sample of 150 Chinese companies that had innovation activities and were using ESN. The partial least squares (PLS) technique was used for data analysis to test the research model and hypotheses.
Findings
ESN use within teams has a positive impact on knowledge depth and knowledge breadth, and ESN use across teams has a positive impact on knowledge depth. Knowledge depth and knowledge breadth are both beneficial for innovation performance. The two types of ESN use have different impacts on knowledge depth and knowledge breadth; moreover, knowledge depth and knowledge breadth have different impacts on innovation performance. Specifically, the impacts of ESN use within teams and across teams on exploitative innovation performance are mediated by knowledge depth; the impact of ESN use within teams on exploratory innovation performance is mediated by knowledge breadth.
Originality/value
This paper can enhance the understanding of the importance of ESN use and ESN's role in facilitating knowledge acquisition and innovation performance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Youth Projects of Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of Chinese Ministry of Education [grant number 19YJC630175]; the Key Projects of Beijing Municipal Social Science Foundation, China [grant numbers 19ZDA12]; and the Youth Scientific Research Foundation of Beijing Wuzi University [grant number 2021XJQN04].
Citation
Xiong, J. and Sun, D. (2023), "What role does enterprise social network play? A study on enterprise social network use, knowledge acquisition and innovation performance", Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 151-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-04-2021-0168
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited