I'M PART OF THE INGROUP, DOES IT MATTER? IMPACT OF SOCIAL IDENTITY ON MULTI-CHANNEL INFORMATION SYSTEMS EFFECTIVENESS
Organizations' prolific adoption of information technology has forever changed how Information Technology employees interact with each other and complete work. In virtual and hybrid workplaces, employee interaction events like work and nonwork activities are fostered through advanced collaboration software tools that provide access to hundreds of applications. In-person conference room settings and ‘water cooler’ chatting are transitioning to online and virtual events like zoom meetings, electronic whiteboards, and blogs or project channels for team discussions. Consequently, the collaboration software market is experiencing exponential growth, with recent reports projecting growth from $13.44 billion in 2019 to $35.71 billion by 2027 (Team Collaboration Software Market Report, 2020). As organizations continue to invest in the employee digital experience, senior managers are concerned that reliance on collaboration tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams is negatively influencing an employee’s sense of connectedness with fellow peers which is degrading employee performance and satisfaction at work. Drawing upon social identity theory, this study examined how work and nonwork activities performed in a technology-enabled environment affect an employee's social connectedness with fellow teammates. The three components of social identity (affective, evaluative, and cognitive) were the central constructs of focus and were examined through an online survey of Information Technology (IT) professionals. The results supported this study's proposal that social identity developed in association with a workgroup will influence an IT employee’s satisfaction and feelings of perceived performance with a team. In addition, the theoretically grounded framework validated that work and nonwork activities performed in technology-enabled environments will influence an employee's social identification with a team.
social identity, Information technology professional, work, nonwork, self-esteem, commitment, Business, Business Administration, Management, and Operations
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