Managing IOS- and social media-enabled knowledge exchange processes: A task–technology fit perspective

Abstract

As information and communication technology (ICT) develops, firms increasingly rely on interorganizational information systems (IOSs) and social media to exchange knowledge and communicate with their partners. In this research, we investigate how ICT infrastructure capability and ICT use capability impact IOS- and social media-enabled knowledge exchange processes, respectively. Using a task–technology fit perspective, we also examine how the impact is influenced by the interorganizational governance (IOG) structure. We surveyed 550 industrial manufacturing firms to test the hypotheses. The results of our statistical analysis show the different impacts of ICT infrastructure capability and use capability on IOS- and social media-enabled knowledge exchange processes, which in turn promote interorganizational communication efficiency. This finding confirms the fit effects of ICT capabilities and IOG: contractual governance strengthens the positive impact of ICT infrastructure capability on the IOS-enabled knowledge exchange process, whereas relational governance strengthens the positive impact of ICT use capability on the social media-enabled knowledge exchange process. These findings raise our understanding of the relationships among ICT capabilities, ICT-enabled knowledge exchange processes, and communication efficiency as well as reconfirm the importance of IOG in interorganizational knowledge exchange. They also offer important theoretical and practical implications for marketing channel management.