Social capital approach on Enterprise 2.0: a multiple case study

Abstract

The goal of Enterprise 2.0 is to create a collaborative work environment and facilitate knowledge sharing. However, organisations report both increases and decreases in productivity associated with Enterprise 2.0. The focal qualitative case study adopts the social capital approach as a theoretical lens to provide a holistic account of Enterprise 2.0. The study reveals the multilevel and multifaceted nature of Enterprise 2.0 and shows how it associates with individual employees’ behaviours, their mutual work- and non-work-related relationships and knowledge sharing patterns, as well as managerial processes. Thus, the study continues and contributes by going beyond the mere operational use and benefits of Enterprise 2.0, and approaches it as a holistic socio-technical phenomenon that largely intertwines with organisational realities and strategic management. Furthermore, the study provides a discussion on Enterprise 2.0 as a driver of social change, and what kind of managerial action and involvement is required for its success.

Keywords:

• Enterprise 2.0
• workplace social media
• knowledge sharing
• social capital

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their invaluable advice during the review process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Hannu Makkonen is a senior researcher at the Department of Marketing and International Business, Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku. His research interests lie in the areas of innovation management, industrial networks and relationships, service marketing, organisational purchasing, and dynamic capabilities. His previous work has been published, for example, in Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Management Decision, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Journal of Business Market Management, and Small Business.

Kustaa Virtanen is a Social Software Specialist at IBM Finland. His specialities are social business applications, social media and B2B marketing. During his career, he has mainly worked in marketing and sales positions in the field of B2B.

ORCID

Hannu Makkonen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8087-4458