So little time for so many ties: Fit between the social capital embedded in enterprise social media and individual learning requirements

Enterprise social media has been suggested as an effective platform to create social capital and improve organizational learning. Although social media is useful in this regard, the cost of building and maintaining social capital remains high and therefore individuals should use enterprise social media selectively to maintain the social capital that fits with their learning requirements. This study proposes and tests a fit model between bonding/bridging social capital and exploitation/exploration learning requirements on employees? usage behavior. The results partially confirm our fit model and demonstrate the importance of the social environment in determining enterprise social media usage.

Automated summary

Enterprise social media is considered effective for creating social capital and enhancing organizational learning. However, individuals should selectively use it to maintain social capital that aligns with their learning needs due to high costs. The study confirms a fit model between bonding/bridging social capital and exploitation/exploration learning requirements on employees' usage behavior, highlighting the significance of the social environment in enterprise social media usage.