Uncovering the phenomenon of Employees' Enterprise Social Software Use in the Post-Acceptance stage - proposing a Use Typology

Social software applications – such as wikis, weblogs, and social networking sites – have in recent years attracted the attention of organizations. However, a better understanding of employees’ enterprise social software use behaviors would help organizations to make better informed decisions regarding enterprise social software implementations. As an important step toward addressing this need, this study – on the basis of (i) qualitative empirical data and (ii) existing literature – identifies four post-acceptance information system (IS) use behaviors related to how employees leverage implemented enterprise social software platforms (ESSPs): Consumptive use, contributive use, hedonic use, and social use. A conceptualization of these four distinct use behaviors is proposed and subsequently validated based on data from 233 employees using an ESSP in the post-acceptance stage at a communications and high-tech sector organization. By providing an enterprise social software use framework, developing and rigorously validating an according measurement instrument, this study provides researchers as well as practitioners with a proven instrument to assess employees’ post-acceptance enterprise social software use behaviors.