Competition or Silence? The Double-Edged Sword Effect of ESM Affordance on Employee Creativity

Abstract

Enterprise social media (ESM) refers to a platform built on Web 2.0 technology dedicated to online collaboration and information sharing among employees within an organization. With the advent of the information age, ESM as a kind of information tool improves the internal communication and management mode of the enterprise, which is crucial for its sustainable development. The current research on ESM affordance has a single perspective and lacks a double-edged sword perspective. Studying ESM affordance from a double-edged sword perspective enables managers to recognize the complex impact of ESM use. Based on communication visibility theory and regulatory focus theory, we used prestige-striving behavior (PSB) and quiescent silence (QS) as mediating variables. In addition, we used need for uniqueness (NFU) as the moderating variable. The impact of ESM affordance on employee creativity (EC) was explored from a double-edged sword perspective. There were 428 questionnaires collected in China from October to November of 2023. The results indicate that ESM affordance promotes EC, PSB and QS. ESM affordance positively influences employee creativity by promoting PSB. ESM affordance negatively affects employee creativity by promoting QS. The moderating effect of NFU is significant.