Business meetings in the metaverse: stakeholder views evolve
ISSN: 0275-6668
Article publication date: 23 June 2023
Issue publication date: 26 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations have started using the metaverse to sell non-fungible tokens, execute engineering processes and conduct business meetings. A condition of creating value by moving business processes to the metaverse is acceptance of this technology. In business-to-business scenarios, internal employees and external partners may have different views on the topic but must agree upon new practices. Understanding common motivations and challenges associated with using the metaverse is crucial to its success.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors interviewed managers from a pharmaceutical company considering conducting meetings with clients in the metaverse. A series of 23 statements on reasons for (non)-use was generated. Twenty-five individuals (13 employees and 12 clients) then ranked these statements against each other, revealing what would drive or hinder their metaverse use. The authors compared these perspectives to identify common issues.
Findings
The authors identified four different views. Views 1 and 2 correspond to internal and external participants, while Views 3 and 4 correspond to external ones only. View 1 is skeptical and underlines the role of peers in acceptance. View 2 is a positive perspective centered on usefulness. View 3 is ambivalent and is centered on efforts required to use the metaverse. View 4 reveals a reversed perspective wherein using the metaverse is a low-effort activity.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a case study probing acceptance of a realistic business use of the metaverse. This paper identifies risks to mitigate and motivations to leverage when proposing metaverse usage in a business-to-business context.
Keywords
Citation
Besson, M. and Gauttier, S. (2024), "Business meetings in the metaverse: stakeholder views evolve", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 45 No. 3, pp. 178-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-02-2023-0031
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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