How Does Knowledge Workers' Social Technology Readiness Affect Their Innovative Work Behavior?

Experts in enterprise social technologies believe that these new tools require new skills and attitudes from business professionals. Against this background, the present study examines the impact knowledge workers' social technology readiness has on their innovative work behavior. Specifically, we investigate how social technology motivators (i.e., optimism and innovativeness) and inhibitors (i.e., discomfort and insecurity) affect innovative behaviors at work. Relying on the theories of planned behavior and social support, we argue that a higher readiness to use social technology encourages explorative behaviors with regard to new social technology, which in turn increases employees' innovative work behavior. Data from 301 knowledge workers support our hypotheses of the two motivators (i.e., optimism and innovativeness) and insecurity as the inhibitor. Interestingly, contrary to our expectations, discomfort positively affects employees' social technology exploration. We discuss the implications of this result for research and practice.

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