In today’s rapidly evolving digital workplace, the role of enterprise social media (ESM) platforms has transcended simple communication, reaching into the core of organizational resilience and employee well-being. A groundbreaking study published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2025) by Zhu et al. delves into how the innovative concept of communication visibility within ESM fuels the resilience of employees by shaping their social network ties. The research integrates the well-established Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory to offer a nuanced understanding of how digital transparency and network exposure serve as critical avenues for building both instrumental and expressive social connections, ultimately bolstering employee resilience.
Communication visibility, a concept reflecting the degree to which communication exchanges are observable by others within the digital workspace, is increasingly recognized as a pivotal mechanism influencing how employees form relationships. The study reveals that information transparency (clarity and openness in shared knowledge) and network transparency (visibility of social connections and interactions) within ESM environments promote the development of instrumental and expressive ties among employees. Instrumental ties refer to work-related, resource-oriented connections that facilitate task completion and knowledge sharing, whereas expressive ties represent affective bonds, often grounded in personal and emotional support.
Instrumental and expressive social ties each play critical but distinct roles in nurturing employee resilience—the capacity to adapt and thrive amid work-related challenges and pressures. The study’s findings confirm that employees who maintain robust instrumental relationships tend to access vital resources, knowledge, and support essential for overcoming job-related obstacles. Similarly, expressive ties provide emotional encouragement and psychological safety, which buffer individuals against stress and burnout. Importantly, the research establishes that these social ties mediate the positive effects of communication visibility on resilience, highlighting the indirect but powerful influence of ESM-mediated transparency on employee adaptability.
Notably, the research addresses the complex dynamic of performance pressure within digital work contexts. Contrary to traditional perspectives that often cast pressure as a purely detrimental stressor, the findings articulate a more nuanced view: under certain conditions, performance pressure actually enhances the beneficial impact of social network ties on employee resilience. This suggests that an optimal level of challenge or demand can stimulate employees to leverage their social networks more effectively, activating personal and collective resources to meet expectations and adapt constructively.
From a theoretical standpoint, the study pushes the boundaries of existing communication visibility literature. Previous research has emphasized its positive implications on meta-knowledge, knowledge transfer, and creativity. However, Zhu et al. provide the first comprehensive evidence linking communication visibility to employee resilience, expanding our understanding of how digitized communication ecologies translate into psychological resources. By illuminating communication visibility’s instrumental role in resilience, the study positions ESM as a critical digital infrastructure supporting employee well-being in volatile organizational landscapes.
Beyond communication visibility alone, the research integrates social network ties theory to elucidate the relational mechanisms through which ESM impacts resilience. While earlier investigations hinted at these connections relative to performance or agility, this study confirms—and deepens—the mediating role of instrumental and expressive ties. It reveals the particular importance of both task-focused and socio-emotional relationships, affirming that resilience is a multifaceted phenomenon sustained by diverse social resources accessed through visible digital exchanges.
Moreover, the consideration of performance pressure as a moderating variable is a major contribution to ESM research. This insight recognizes the digitally transformed workspace as a context ripe with unique stressors and motivators. The study advocates for reframing performance pressure not solely as a cause of strain but also as a potential catalyst that, when calibrated effectively, amplifies the protective power that social networks impart to employees confronting work demands in digital environments.
Implications from this research ripple far beyond academic theory, offering critical guidance for organizational practice. The unequivocal message is clear: fostering a culture that encourages the strategic leveraging of ESM platforms can empower employees to build rich, supportive networks that fuel resilience. For managers, this entails cultivating transparent communication climates where information flow and social interconnections are not only visible but actively encouraged and leveraged for collaboration, innovation, and mutual support.
Further, the study urges organizational leaders and ESM platform designers to optimize features explicitly enhancing information and network transparency. This could involve redesigning user interfaces to spotlight connections, promote open dialogue, and reduce communication silos. Such enhancements not only facilitate social tie formation but also make resource exchanges more efficient and psychologically rewarding, enhancing overall workforce adaptability.
Crucially, the findings recommend a calibrated approach to performance management within digital ecosystems. Recognizing individual capabilities, managers are advised to modulate workloads and expectations thoughtfully. For instance, stretching the capacities of highly skilled employees through increased responsibilities may heighten their resilience by activating social networks more intensely, while adjusting standards for others ensures pressure remains constructive rather than overwhelming.
The intricate interplay between ESM-enabled communication visibility, social network ties, and performance pressure underscores a new paradigm for understanding employee resilience. It spotlights how digital tools can shape not just task performance but psychological endurance in modern workplaces, reframing the digital work experience as a dynamic ecosystem wherein visibility and sociality coalesce to foster adaptability.
By integrating the JD-R framework with modern digital communication theories, Zhu et al.’s study offers a transformative lens on how resilience is cultivated within the contemporary knowledge economy. It invites organizations and researchers to rethink digital communication’s role—not merely as a channel for information sharing but as a foundational mechanism shaping social ties, regulating stress, and ultimately, enabling employees to thrive amid uncertainty.
The implications are particularly relevant in an era marked by remote work, digital collaboration, and evolving organizational structures. With ESM platforms becoming ubiquitous, enterprises that harness the strategic potential of communication visibility stand to unlock significant competitive advantages through a more resilient, engaged, and agile workforce.
This research therefore acts as a call to action for both practitioners and theorists to deepen focus on how transparency and social networks intersect within digital forums to support human adaptability. It challenges organizations to innovate not only technologically but culturally, fostering openness and genuine connectivity that translate into tangible employee resilience.
In conclusion, Zhu et al. successfully demonstrate that enterprise social media, when thoughtfully designed and managed, can serve as a powerful catalyst for nurturing employee resilience by enhancing communication visibility and social network ties. Through this lens, the digital workplace emerges not just as a conduit for tasks but as a living network that sustains workforce vitality in an ever-changing world.
Subject of Research: Employee resilience in the context of enterprise social media, focusing on communication visibility and social network ties.
Article Title: Enterprise social media and employee resilience: integration of the lens of communication visibility and social network ties.
Article References:
Zhu, M., Ji, G., Sun, Y. et al. Enterprise social media and employee resilience: integration of the lens of communication visibility and social network ties. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 1364 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05712-z
Image Credits: AI Generated
