The Influence of Organisational Facilitating Conditions and Technology Acceptance Factors on the Effectiveness of Virtual Communities of Practice

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.