The visibility paradox: Impediment or benefit to vicarious learning in hybrid work environments?

Abstract

Organisations have increasingly adopted enterprise social networks to mitigate the challenges of hybrid work environments for workplace learning, particularly vicarious learning. However, the improved communication visibility intended to facilitate vicarious learning may paradoxically create tensions that could potentially undermine the benefits of communication visibility, recreating the invisibility of knowledge work. Through an in‐depth single qualitative case study at one of the Big Four consulting firms, which serves as a paradigmatic case for hybrid work, we explain how the visibility enabled by enterprise social networks can alleviate or impede vicarious learning in hybrid work environments. We identify three instances of the visibility paradox—performance, information overload, and availability—that create a burden on both knowledge sources and seekers. Consequently, their individual strategic responses render knowledge work invisible, thereby preventing third‐parties from capitalising on the potential benefits of vicarious learning that an enterprise social network could afford.