Identifying Organizational Knowledge Paths through Social Network Lens: Synthesis of Multi-Industry Case Studies

Unlike the common belief that knowledge flows mainly along the formal organizational hierarchy, recent research has pointed out an informal social network among organizational members as a more potent source of organizational knowledge paths. Most of the previous studies examining the organizational...

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Published in2009 42nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences pp. 1 - 10
Main Authors Young-Gul Kim, Sung-Byung Yang, Yong-Sauk Hau, Jeong-Su Seo, Ghi-Hoon Ghim
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.01.2009
Subjects
Business
Correlation
Distance measurement
Industries
Knowledge engineering
Organizations
Social network services
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Summary:Unlike the common belief that knowledge flows mainly along the formal organizational hierarchy, recent research has pointed out an informal social network among organizational members as a more potent source of organizational knowledge paths. Most of the previous studies examining the organizational knowledge flows, however, have been conducted in a single organization or industry setting, thus limiting the generalizability of their findings. Through the use of social network lens, this paper identifies organizational knowledge flow paths, examines knowledge flow network structures, and analyzes the knowledge flow patterns based on individual case studies from six organizations in different industries. Based on these findings, seven propositions are derived for future research. In addition, it suggests implications for KM practitioners and scholars interested in finding, nurturing, and utilizing knowledge flow networks embedded in organizations.
ISBN:9780769534503
0769534503
ISSN:1530-1605
2572-6862
DOI:10.1109/HICSS.2009.242