The influence of organisational facilitating conditions and technology acceptance factors on the effectiveness of virtual communities of practice. Issue 8 (3rd August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Peñarroja, Vicente; Sánchez, Jesús; Gamero, Nuria; Orengo, Virginia; Zornoza, Ana M.
• Is Part Of: Behaviour & information technology. Volume 38:Issue 8(2019)
• Page Start: 845
• Page End: 857
• Publication Date: 2019-08-03
• Subjects: Facilitating conditions -- sense of virtual community -- technology acceptance model -- virtual community of practice; Electronic data processing -- Periodicals; Human engineering -- Periodicals; Information technology -- Periodicals; 303.4833
• DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2018.1564070
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0144-929X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The present study aimed to examine the influence of facilitating conditions on the effectiveness of a Virtual Community of Practice. To do so, we first analysed the influence of facilitating conditions on the effectiveness of a Virtual Community of Practice. Second, we examined the mediating role of a sense of virtual community between facilitating conditions and effectiveness. Finally, we tested the moderating role of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in this relationship. The sample was composed of 110 employees of an NGO who used an intranet platform to create, share, store, and use knowledge about their practice. Results showed that facilitating conditions had a positive influence on effectiveness, and that a sense of virtual community partially mediated this relationship. We also found that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use moderated the effects of facilitating conditions on effectiveness through a sense of virtual community. The manuscript concludes with theoretical and practical implications of the study.