Enterprise social network - a proposal for an interdisciplinary, multi-theoretical and integrative approach

ABSTRACT

This research mapped how scientific theories discuss different facets of the Enterprise Social Network - ESN. The goal is to provide a study that organizes some of the existing knowledge at the intersection of media studies and network science. As a field map, it is intended to think of several types of links involved in a relational perspective on ESN. The literature review identified 15 theories, four were selected: the Social Capital theory analyzes the network's ability to link people to each other; the theory of Affordance analyzes the resources that it offers; the motivation to participate is analyzed through the theory of Social Change; and one of the main challenges of organizations in general, the location of expertise is analyzed by the theory of Transitive Memory. These theories do not exhaust the possible theoretical bases for the conceptualization of ESN, but they have proved in fact appropriate to explain important organizational processes in the search for a more integral vision. Finally, the Conceptual Map is presented with the main key concepts related to theories and their interconnections in order to help create a better understanding of the existing integration between them and serve as an instrument to establish the created knowledge.

Keywords:
Enterprise social network; Enterprisesocialmedia; Organizational communication; Social tie; Affordances; Social exchange; Collectivememory