Assimilation of Enterprise Information Systems: Knowledge Support from People and Systems

Prior research has indicated that employees rely on their informal social network to acquire knowledge essential for assimilating new technologies into their work practices. This study investigates the role of the help desk and online help in providing knowledge support for individual users and workgroups after the implementation of an Enterprise Information System. In addition to the informal social network, the people-driven help desk and system-driven online help are incorporated into a multi-modal social network framework to understand their synergistic impact on implementation success. The findings of the study indicate that the help desk provides knowledge support to both individuals and workgroups, while online help has a nuanced effect that depends on the density of individual and workgroup social network connections. The study further emphasizes the relevance of multi-modal social networks in understanding the combined network effects of people and systems.