How Does Enterprise Social Software Impact on Employees’ Innovation Behavior? The Role of Symbolic Capital

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly adopting new technologies, such as enterprise social software (ESS), which afford employees a repertoire of uses. They not simply focused on work but also on socialization and entertainment. Previous research suggested that the implementation of ESS in an organization had an impact on their employee’s creative behavior. However, how does it impact on is still not clear. In the present study, the generative mechanism of the impact on their employee’s innovation behavior is investigated. Based on the practice theory of Bourdieu and theory of critical realism, a large number of interviews within four small medium enterprises was conducted by the grounded theory methodology. The results indicated that the impact on their employee’s creative behavior was accomplished by four steps, i.e., ESS usage, capitals reproduced, being recognized and practice of creation. The managerial implications from our study are discussed finally.

Keywords: ESS, Symbolic capital, Innovation behavior, Generative mechanism