Antecedents and outcomes of enterprise social network usage within UK higher education

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors influencing knowledge sharing on enterprise social network (ESN) use behaviour among academic staff in universities, using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as the underlying research framework. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual framework was created by extending the UTAUT by incorporating three additional factors, namely, feature value (FV), relationship expectancy (RE) and professional benefits. A quantitative approach based on the survey was used to collect data from 254 academic staff. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings: The result indicated significant differences around factors influencing both consumptive and contributive usage patterns within ESNs. These factors suggest more contributive than consumptive use. Research limitations/implications: Future research should consider a longitudinal study focusing on the change in ESN use behaviour among academic staff and the fundamental aspects influencing this change. Originality/value: This study extends the UTAUT model by incorporating three additional factors: FV, RE and professional benefits, to study ESN use behaviour in a higher education context. This study has significantly modified UTAUT to include the dynamic nature of ESN usage.