Together with the Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam, we conducted research into the adoption of digital platforms, such as social intranets. We do this to continue learning from new insights and to advance the field.in 2014, Evolve and the University of Twente conducted their first research into adoption factors. But times are changing, and that calls for a reassessment. The work context has shifted considerably in recent years: Hybrid working has become the norm, internal communication is increasingly digital and employees have different expectations of their digital work environment. Reason enough to re-examine the adoption factors.
The original adoption factors
The 2014 research focused on the question: What factors influence the adoption of a social intranet within organizations, and in particular the difference between passive and active users?
We can already reveal the following about the results of today’s research: the adoption factors identified in 2014 are still relevant today. That is not only a confirmation of their strength, but also of their lasting influence. But there is more: the review has revealed two additional factors. These play a clear role in the adoption process in the current work context.
But first, back to the original adoption factors. These are the six:
- Expected performance improvement: the extent to which users expect the platform to actually make their work easier or better.
- Expected effort: whether users think the platform takes a lot of time, effort, or technical skill to use.
- Reputation: the extent to which use of the platform contributes to the professional status or visibility within the organization.
- Visible use of colleagues: whether colleagues, with whom users collaborate on a daily basis, are also active on the platform.
- Visible use of executives: how clear it is that executives themselves actively use the platform.
- Standards for collaboration: the extent to which knowledge sharing and collaboration are already seen as normal and desired behavior within the organization.
The fact that these factors are still relevant does not surprise us. They reflect fundamental principles from Behaviorism that explain why people may or may not exhibit new behaviors. Adoption occurs when users believe that a change brings them concrete benefit, such as:
- Getting more done in the same time;
- Do more work where they get satisfaction;
- Get faster access to relevant information and colleagues.
Social motivation plays a big role in this: the feeling that using something contributes to professional reputation, seeing colleagues who actively use it, and exemplary behavior of managers increase the willingness to participate. In addition, the existing organizational culture influences the chances of success: in teams where knowledge sharing and collaboration are already the norm, a new channel is incorporated more quickly into everyday work.
Together, these principles show that successful implementation is not only a matter of technique, but above all of smart steering on human behavior.
Adoption factors in 2025
Two additional adoption factors are introduced in the study. This means that the adoption of an internal digital platform today is even more complex than it was a decade ago. The more factors come into play, the more points of attention there are, and the more important it is to have a clear strategy and plan.
Signal-to-noise ratio
The first additional adoption factor is signal-to-noise ratio. the signal-to-noise ratio on intranet is about the balance between useful information and noise. The better the ratio, the faster employees find what they are looking for, and the less they get lost in information overload.
For some respondents, a wrong signal-to-noise ratio leads to frustration, because there is “so much information” and they therefore “can no longer see the forest through the trees”. a large amount of (news)messages on the platform can also quickly undercut valuable contributions. For example, a respondent indicates that she “does not know why certain things are at the top. It feels arbitrary.’ For example, you can respond to this by visually distinguishing between need to know and nice to know messages. If important messages stand out for the user, he sees what is relevant at a glance.Rhythm and regularity, with content formats, also ensure predictability and clarity, and therefore less noise.
Communication benefits
The second adoption factor, communicationbenefits, refers to the extent to which employees see the digital platform as a convenient, and especially efficient, way of communicating. For example, a respondent posts all team updates on the intranet, “because then I don’t have to send all individual emails”. in addition to sharing updates, sharing calls or successes with a wide group of colleagues is also emphasized. Replacing individual emails and meetings with a single central platform plays an important role.
The perception of benefits always works in two directions and thus raises questions about the relevance of the platform. Suppose employees have the idea that they are already fully aware of what is going on through the newsletter. Why should they visit the intranet? And does the news service via the intranet still have added value in that case?
This gets to the heart of the challenge: the newsletter and the intranet fulfill different roles. The newsletter is a push Channel: short, targeted and actively brings information to the reader. The intranet is a pull channel: it provides depth, context, interaction and access to tools and documents. When the intranet mainly acts as a news archive, it is logical that its relevance decreases.
The key lies in making the unique usefulness of the intranet visible. Let the newsletter act as a teaser pointing to intranet content. Add functionality that email can’t provide, such as interactive dashboards, a searchable knowledge base, or self-service forms. Thus, both channels can reinforce each other rather than replace or largely overlap.
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Recognition
What makes these findings so interesting is that we clearly recognize them from our own practice. In the past year, partly due to COVID, many internal digital channels have been introduced to support hybrid work and better meet the needs of employees.
However, what we also see is that the investment in adoption has lagged behind. This has created an abundance of channels, without it being clear how they are related in daily practice. As a result, many channels get in each other’s way, as can also be seen from these factors.
Maintaining or introducing a channel always affects the experience of other channels already present. Therefore, it is important that organizations are aware of this and actively include it in their channel strategy. It makes sense to critically determine what purpose each channel serves. In practice, we often see a fragmented channel landscape, so that employees do not always know where they can find what information.
Appropriate to the reality of daily work
The findings are in line with our vision on the adoption of digital platforms: they should not only be functional, but also really make a valuable contribution to daily practice. This calls for a continuous alignment with the needs of users and a genuine understanding of the people within the organization. You do this by questioning, listening, observing, measuring and regularly testing. Not as a platform, but as a starting point and continuous focus.
Difference between active and passive users
As mentioned, we also compared the passive and active users with the adoption factors. Passive users are employees who primarily use the platform to search for and read information. Active users, on the other hand, actively contribute by commenting on content and posting messages or documents themselves.
The research results show that the difference between active and passive users of the social intranet is strongly related to how they experience the adoption factors. Active users are more likely to see the platform as useful, understandable and socially supported. They feel helped in the use and recognize the added value of the intranet in their daily work.
Passive users, on the other hand, are more likely to perceive the social intranet as confusing, distant or irrelevant. They regularly lack guidance or recognition. As a result, the platform becomes less accessible or usable for them, which ultimately leads to them using it less.
Why is this bad?
In itself, it does not have to be a problem that there are passive users; for some employees, it is enough just to find and read information. However, when passive use arises from confusion or other obstacles, you as an organization Leave opportunities. In that case, the potential to develop passive users into relevant, active contributors is lost.
Increasing the number of active users requires more than just technical optimization. It requires guidance, a clear structure and making the added value visible in everyday work. By making the intranet more understandable and relevant, the gap between passive and active users can be reduced – provided that this serves your organizational purpose – and the overall degree of adoption increases.
What can we do with this now?
This research confirms that adoption of internal digital platforms is still a complex and intricate process. Perhaps even more finely meshed than ten years ago, because more factors are now playing a role. The two additionally identified adoption factors emphasize the importance of attention to the changing digital work context. Organizations should therefore regularly review their platforms to meet the needs of users. Does a platform feel intuitive? Does it really contribute to their daily work? What is the role of the platform in relation to other channels? And what are its unique properties?
In addition, it is important to keep an eye on the ratio between active and passive users, and especially how this relates to the objectives of the platform. Passive users often experience and use the platform in a different way than active users, and therefore also have different needs. The deep-seated question is: what drives passive use? Does it stem from actual utility; using the platform as a source of information? Or out of necessity because of obstacles, such as lack of clarity or lack of support?
In short: successful adoption does not only require well-functioning technology, but starts with human attention.
But there’s more…
The research provided more interesting insights, such as the importance of authenticity in content. In the coming period, we will take a closer look at these insights, and do additional research where necessary. When the time comes, we will of course let you know more about it!
Questions or need advice?
Do you have questions about this research or would you like to agree on what a successful adoption looks like? Contact Peter Haan via peter@evolve.eu or +31 6 13 98 14 27. Or fill in the contact form:
