Linking enterprise social media use, trust and knowledge sharing: paradoxical roles of communication transparency and personal blogging

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of enterprise social media (ESM) use on two trust dimensions – affect-based trust (ABT) and cognition-based trust (CBT) – as mediators in the relationship between ESM use and knowledge sharing. In the first stage of the proposed model, the authors also consider transparent communication (TC) and personal blogging with colleagues (PBC) during work and non-work hours as moderators that reshape trust levels and subsequently promote knowledge sharing within the organisation. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected the data in three waves from employees in China, the world’s largest market for social media. Five companies, including three information technology companies and two software companies, were targeted for data collection. Initially, a total of 403 ESM users were recruited, but the final sample in the final round was reduced to N = 292. The authors used Mplus (v8.5) to calculate direct path coefficients and indirect moderated-mediation effects. Findings The use of ESM promotes ABT and CBT, thereby improving knowledge sharing. ABT and CBT both fully mediate the effect of ESM use on knowledge sharing. However, the research reveals paradoxical findings regarding moderation. For example, on the one hand, TC negatively moderates the association between ESM use and ABT, thereby reducing knowledge sharing in the workplace. On the other hand, TC strengthens the relationship between the use of ESM and CBT, thereby increasing knowledge sharing. These contradictory findings indicate that TC functions as a double-edged sword; thus, the effective use of ESM in the workplace requires managers’ intervention. Finally, the analysis reveals that the moderating role of PBC strengthens the association between ESM use and both ABT and CBT, thereby increasing knowledge sharing. Originality/value While stakeholders have expressed concern regarding the adverse impacts of workplace ESM adoption on employee performance, the authors provide a broad, novel perspective on the potential of ESM use to enhance knowledge sharing via trust (i.e. ABT and CBT). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to offer a comparative view of trust dimensions, such as ABT and CBT, and to discuss how, why and when TC and PBC interactions moderate the relationship of ESM to ABT and CBT and thereby lead to knowledge sharing. These interesting findings guide further research into the role of ESM in the workplace, especially research based on rational choice theory and communication visibility theory, by illuminating the ways in which employees can use ESM to reshape social communication in the workplace and thereby enhance knowledge sharing.

Relationship between IT Self-Efficacy and Personal Knowledge and Information Management for Sustainable Lifelong Learning and Organizational Performance: A Systematic Review from 2000 to 2022

“…Training courses, positive attitude of the employers, investment in knowledge development, motivation of workers, and transformative leadership were significant drivers to motivate manpower towards PKIM [25]. Lifelong skills, job autonomy, amicable work atmosphere, social and network support, and capacity-building workshops positively contributed towards PKIM practices [18,37,53]. Information literacy expertise, employee training and motivation, inspirational talks, investment in workers, CPD, job autonomy, and psychological ownership were vital trends to inspire people to manage personal knowledge and personal information for personal and sustainable professional development [50].…”

“…Vark and Reino [16] identified that IT efficacy and PKIM were interconnected and proved fruitful for supporting learning and work output. Masood et al [53] proved that there was a positive association between social media efficacy and PKIM practices. Figure 5 reveals the relationship between IT self-efficacy and PKIM for sustainable lifelong learning and organizational performance.…”

“…Social networking tools were beneficial in managing personal knowledge and information [12]. Informal social networks, social media tools, usage of weblogs, personal networks, usage of digital media tools, and personal blogging with colleagues proved useful in personal knowledge and information-based practices [15,17,34,53]. New media tools, virtual communities, online groups, interconnected networks, social networking technologies, weblogging, online communities, and communication channels were productive sources for PKIM activities [6,13,14,19,20,36,51,52].…”

“…Mutual collaborations, collaborative efforts, team spirit, workplace communication, and collective projects were useful trends to manage personal knowledge and information [12,15,17,18,29,53]. Organizational cooperation, collaborative team efforts, and support from colleagues and supervisors led towards efficient PKIM practices for sustainable innovative learning and job outcome.…”

Effects of Professional Virtual Community Attributes and Flow Experience on Information Sharing Among Chinese Young Netizens: A Fuzzy-Set QCA

“…3,4 Due to the advancement of digital technology, social media technologies have changed people's daily life drastically, 5 more and more people are willing to search and share information on virtual platforms. [6][7][8] So, PVC is becoming one of the most important channels to share opinions and information. 9 Especially in China, various social networking sites and "we media" have developed rapidly in recent years.…”