How Does Social Media Improve Work Efficiency? Insights from the Theory of Communication Visibility

Social media tools have been increasingly used by employees for internal communication, knowledge sharing, and problem-solving. Despite many studies on knowledge sharing in online settings, little has examined what affects employees’ use of social media for work-related knowledge sharing and work efficiency. Drawing on theories of communication visibility and work motivation, this study examines the direct and indirect influence of message transparency and network translucence together with work motivations (i.e., reputation and social networking) on employees’ knowledge sharing. We further hypothesize the impacts of message transparency and network translucence on work efficiency. Based on a survey of 259 employees, we find that message transparency positively influences knowledge sharing and work efficiency. Notably, message transparency weakens the impact of reputation on knowledge sharing while network translucence strengthens the effect of social networking on knowledge sharing. The practical and theoretical implications of our findings are discussed. Full paper available at https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2019/crowds_social/crowds_social/3