Sociotechnical fit and perceived usefulness of enterprise social networks

I aimed to show how the sociotechnical fit model may be employed to understand users’ perception of the usefulness of enterprise social networks (ESNs). Specifically, I examined the fit between organization, technology, and employee as a determinant of the perceived usefulness of ESNs. Participants were 275 employees of JA Company who had previously used an ESN, and they completed measures of organizational factors, ESN characteristics, task characteristics, organization–technology fit, task–technology fit, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness. Results of structural equation modeling showed that organization–technology fit differed based organizational support but not the technological characteristics of ESNs; task–technology fit was influenced by ESN technological features, task features, and organization–technology fit; and there were significant relationships between organization–technology fit and perceived usefulness, between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, and between task–technology fit and perceived ease of use. The research findings contribute to understanding of the roles of organization–technology–human fit constructs that drive people’s perception of usefulness in the context of ESNs.