Collaboration in the consulting industry: Analyzing differences in the professional use of social software

Abstract

Purpose

By studying the drivers of social collaboration the purpose of this paper is to describe how, and for what job-related purposes, social software is employed in the digital workplace. Focussing on consultants, who are considered to be part of a knowledge-intensive and innovative industry, factors that may influence the adoption of professional social software are explored. In addition, insights about socio-demographic differences as well as distinct consulting segments and use categories are provided.

Design/methodology/approach

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technologies (UTAUT) is the theoretical backbone of this research. The UTAUT model is expanded to fit the research goals, and the results from a quantitative study (n=341) are used to test the model.

Findings

The results suggest that the adoption of social software is associated with the expectation that one’s work performance will improve. There are significant differences regarding age and gender in the use of social software for job-related purposes.

Practical implications

Using the results of the study, social software suites can be tailored to users’ needs and preferences, which, in turn, may lead to higher levels of acceptance and intensity of use.

Originality/value

Social software is already widely adopted for private purposes, and it is being used more and more within the digital workplace, too. However, little research has been conducted into how, and for what job-related purposes, social software is employed, or into the potential drivers for its adoption. The stakeholders in the research include scholars and practitioners alike.

Citation

Martensen, M., Ryschka, S., Blesik, T. and Bick, M. (2016), "Collaboration in the consulting industry: Analyzing differences in the professional use of social software", Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 693-711. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-06-2015-0093