---
_id: '61811'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: While organizations are increasingly implementing Enterprise Social Networks
    (ESNs) to foster collaboration across organizational boundaries, few have been
    successful in motivating a substantial number of members to actively participate
    within such networks, and many ESNs fail owing to a lack of contributors. One
    of the main reasons for this dilemma is the fact that most employees only read
    and consume content (lurking), and very few actively participate and create content
    (posting). While a major research strand has studied motivations for posting and
    lurking behaviors in online communities, there is little research on motivations
    in ESNs. To bridge these gaps, this study examines whether posters and lurkers
    differ in their motivations to use ESNs. Building on social exchange theory, we
    analyze the impact of the underlying motivational factors such as common identity,
    common bond, social interaction, and community commitment, which have not yet
    been studied in the ESN context. We test our propositions with data collected
    from 4,892 respondents in a large knowledge-intensive multinational company. We
    are able to distinguish between five user groups (super frequent posters, frequent
    posters, infrequent posters, frequent lurkers and infrequent lurkers) with super
    frequent posters showing significantly higher mean values for all motivational
    drivers to use the ESN compared to the other user groups.
author:
- first_name: Lisa
  full_name: Giermindl, Lisa
  last_name: Giermindl
- first_name: Franz
  full_name: Strich, Franz
  id: '122631'
  last_name: Strich
  orcid: 0000-0002-0170-9025
- first_name: Marina
  full_name: Fiedler, Marina
  last_name: Fiedler
citation:
  ama: 'Giermindl L, Strich F, Fiedler M. Posters versus Lurkers - Analyzing the Motivations
    for Participation in Enterprise Social Networks. In: <i>Academy of Management
    Proceedings</i>. Academy of Management; 2017. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract">10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract</a>'
  apa: Giermindl, L., Strich, F., &#38; Fiedler, M. (2017). Posters versus Lurkers
    - Analyzing the Motivations for Participation in Enterprise Social Networks. <i>Academy
    of Management Proceedings</i>. Academy of Management. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract">https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract</a>
  bibtex: '@inproceedings{Giermindl_Strich_Fiedler_2017, title={Posters versus Lurkers
    - Analyzing the Motivations for Participation in Enterprise Social Networks},
    DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract">10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract</a>},
    booktitle={Academy of Management Proceedings}, publisher={Academy of Management},
    author={Giermindl, Lisa and Strich, Franz and Fiedler, Marina}, year={2017} }'
  chicago: Giermindl, Lisa, Franz Strich, and Marina Fiedler. “Posters versus Lurkers
    - Analyzing the Motivations for Participation in Enterprise Social Networks.”
    In <i>Academy of Management Proceedings</i>. Academy of Management, 2017. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract">https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract</a>.
  ieee: 'L. Giermindl, F. Strich, and M. Fiedler, “Posters versus Lurkers - Analyzing
    the Motivations for Participation in Enterprise Social Networks,” presented at
    the Academy of Management, 2017, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract">10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract</a>.'
  mla: Giermindl, Lisa, et al. “Posters versus Lurkers - Analyzing the Motivations
    for Participation in Enterprise Social Networks.” <i>Academy of Management Proceedings</i>,
    Academy of Management, 2017, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract">10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract</a>.
  short: 'L. Giermindl, F. Strich, M. Fiedler, in: Academy of Management Proceedings,
    Academy of Management, 2017.'
conference:
  name: Academy of Management
date_created: 2025-10-13T11:49:09Z
date_updated: 2025-10-15T10:39:18Z
doi: 10.5465/ambpp.2017.17605abstract
extern: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
publication: Academy of Management Proceedings
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0065-0668
  - 2151-6561
publication_status: published
publisher: Academy of Management
status: public
title: Posters versus Lurkers - Analyzing the Motivations for Participation in Enterprise
  Social Networks
type: conference
user_id: '122631'
year: '2017'
...