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Knowledge As Social Issue

Given the tacit/explicit conversion process, it is possible to assert that knowledge is social as produced and shared among a network of human and non-human actors within the organization. The mere existence of knowledge somewhere in the organization is of little benefit; it becomes useful only if it is accessible/sharable, and its value increases with the level of accessibility. This leads to the importance of communication/interaction (between humans and between humans and non-humans) as key factor for the success for a knowledge-intensive environment.

Social Networks

In the organizations it is important to map and measure relationships between people:

Such relationships work on a mix of formal and informal channels not always easy to detect. The goal of Social Network Analysis (SNA) is to create a representation of the organization people relationships that can be used to improve organization performance. SNA is focused on discovering people's interaction patterns.

Computer Networks as Social Networks

Computer networks are inherently social networks, linking people, organizations, and knowledge [2]. Communities, like computers, has become networked. Although community was once synonymous with densely knit, bounded neighborhood groups, it is now seen as a less bounded social network of relationships that provide sociability support, information, and a sense of belonging. Many organizations are similar to networked communities in having multiple sets of work team members, physically dispersed relationships, and teams of co-workers shifting by the day and week as employees get involved in multiple projects.

Communication and Common Ground »

References

[1] DeLong David W.
Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Aging Workforce.
Oxford University Press (August, 2004)

[2] Wellman Barry
Computer networks as social networks.
Computer and Science, vol 293 (September, 2001)