How can leaders alleviate employees' workplace anxiety caused by information overload on enterprise social media? Evidence from Chinese employees

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between information overload and employees' workplace anxiety in the context of enterprise social media (ESM).Design/methodology/approachThis study built a theoretical model to analyze the relationships among employees' perceptions of information overload on ESM, supervisor-subordinate instrumental and expressive ties on ESM and workplace anxiety. PLS-SEM was used to test the model through 219 questionnaires collected online.FindingsThe results revealed that information overload on ESM plays a positive role in employees' workplace anxiety. Supervisor-subordinate instrumental ties based on ESM can weaken the relationship between information overload and employees' workplace anxiety, but expressive ties can strengthen the positive relationship between information overload and workplace anxiety.Originality/valueLittle is known about whether information overload on ESM will affect employees' workplace anxiety and how leaders can mitigate this effect through ESM. Hence, this study developed a theoretical model and conducted an empirical study to open up a research opportunity to examine the relationships among information overload on ESM, supervisor-subordinate instrumental and expressive ties on ESM and employees' workplace anxiety. The study also has the potential to guide organizations in fine-tuning their social media usage strategies.

Knowledge Sharing Through Enterprise Social Media in a Telecommunications Context

This study investigated the motivators knowledge workers employ when sharing knowledge though enterprise social media (ESM) in a telecommunications context. A questionnaire was distributed among knowledge workers in one of the leading telecommunication companies in the Sultanate of Oman. Based on the Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) analysis of 100 responses from knowledge workers, results showed that technological motivators had significant effects on knowledge workers’ knowledge sharing through ESM. Further analysis based on the knowledge type indicated that technological motivators and organizational motivators significantly impact knowledge workers’ tacit knowledge sharing, whereas only technological motivators impact knowledge workers’ explicit knowledge sharing. This study provides decision makers with useful insights on the motivators of sharing knowledge through ESM and further advances knowledge workers’ learning and business operations, especially in under-investigated countries.

An Empirical Study of the Effect of Communication Visibility on Innovation Behavior

The effect of communication visibility on employee behaviors has garnered attention for the widespread use of enterprise social media; yet, this research has rarely considered the typical employee behavior of innovation behavior. This paper explores the relationship between communication visibility and innovation behavior. In addition, the underlying mechanism and boundary conditions are examined drawing on communication visibility theory, regulatory focus theory, and voice literature. Data were collected in a field experiment from a Chinese enterprise. It was found that communication visibility was positively associated with innovation behavior, and the positive association was mediated by voice behavior. Meanwhile, the positive indirect effect of communication visibility on employee innovation behavior was strengthened by promotion regulatory focus. Our research expands our understanding of the outcome behaviors of communication visibility and provides valuable management implications by shedding light on measures to promote innovation behavior.