Explaining knowledge sharing in organizations through the dimensions of social capital

Abstract

The increasing complexity of organizations, together with the growing scale of information activities, puts new demands on business corporations. It is believed that investing in social values based on mutuality, trust and respect could yield long-term benefits such as corporate well-being and innovativeness. The benefits are believed to be based on better knowledge sharing, lower transaction costs due to a communicative spirit, and a greater coherence of action. However, the concept of social capital in the field of information behaviour in organizations is new and needs a more solid theoretical framework. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of how social and informative aspects are anchored to each other and to explore the mechanisms behind knowledge sharing. Possible measures and contexts for this kind of research are suggested.

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“…Although researchers have examined knowledge sharing in organizations and its impact on individual and organizational performance (Alavi & Leidner, 2001;Fugate, Stank, & Mentzer, 2009;Kankanhalli, Tan, & Wei, 2005;Liao, Fei, & Chen, 2007;Widén-Wulff & Ginman, 2004), few have studied it in the context of ESM. Several researchers have also studied knowledge sharing with customers in an online environment such as e-commerce (Nah, Siau, Tian, & Ling, 2002;Nah, Siau, & Tian, 2005).…”

“…Hence, ESM can help to facilitate a shared interpretation of knowledge that can lead to improved performance (Fugate et al, 2009). Next, to understand the impact of ESM use, we adopt a knowledge-sharing perspective through the lens of social capital theory (Widén-Wulff & Ginman, 2004).…”

“…One can use social capital theory to explain knowledge sharing in organizations (Widén-Wulff & Ginman, 2004). Social capital refers to "networks, norms, trust, and mutual understanding that bind together the members of human networks and communities, and enable participants to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectives" (Widén-Wulff & Ginman, 2004, p. 449).…”

Influence of Organizational Leadership on Knowledge Transfer in Construction

“…Knowledge transfer is an imperative proclaim for construction business to accomplish maintainable and global completive improvement (Widén-Wulff & Ginman, 2004). In the construction organization transfer of knowledge can be regarded as human common promise and connections that involve an interchange of skill, information, ideas and experiences for operational development of the organization (Von Krogh et al, 2012).…”

Capital social em rede organizacional: uma análise de suas dimensões explicativas

“…Tais concepções clássicas deram origem a diferentes explicações sobre o capital social (Tsai & Ghoshal, 1998;Koka & Prescott, 2002;Wíden-Wulff & Ginman, 2004;Bjørnskov, 2006;Fidrmuc & Gërxhani, 2008;Agndal et al, 2008;Brunie, 2009;Ahlerup et al, 2009). Esta pluralidade teórico-metodológica decorre da adoção de diversas matrizes epistemológicas que orientam a produção do conhecimento acerca da noção de capital social (Brunie, 2009).…”