INF80040 | Knowledge Management | Exploration of Social Media

Introduction:

Knowledge has typically been perceived as one of the fundamental strategic resources which can generate sustained enduring competitive advantage. Knowledge is recognized as the competence of people as well as organizations to comprehend and act in effective manner. Organizations which require thriving, competing as well as executing in an ever evolving environment cannot afford to put down the advancement of knowledge and expertise within the organization (Razmerita, Kirchner and Nielsen 2016). Distribution and exchange of information and knowledge among employee base is regarded as a crucial part of knowledge management. Knowledge and information sharing is thus identified as a process that facilitates employees to collectively exchange their implicit and unambiguous knowledge.

Exploration of Social media and knowledge management

Knowledge either posited in the minds of individuals known as tacit knowledge or intrinsically embedded in organizational routines and regulations such as explicit knowledge effectively facilitate the growth and enhancement of new capabilities (Ellison, Gibbs and Weber 2015). It has been observed that wide ranging business firms have distinguished the value of knowledge as well as Knowledge Management (KM) to the prospective performance of both organization and the society. Kane (2017) observed that several KM initiatives applied in earlier which endeavoured to implement Information Technology (IT) to align marketing and recruiting strategies have been incompetent in accomplishing their goals thus have been considered to be failures (Leonardi and Meyer 2015). However it has been claimed by Bharati, Zhang and Chaudhury (2015) that technology advances essentially signified the attributes of knowledge when being utilized as a substance to be stored, recovered as well as transferred instead of being embedded in practice. Asrar-ul-Haq and Anwar (2016) is of the perspective that KM serves in encouraging smart advancements such as development of economy-based on knowledge as well as innovation. Modern organizations with the purpose to enhance their performance with unstable degrees of achievements have fundamentally shed light upon factors related to KM and have efficiently developed KM programs within their organizational process.

Understanding the Aspects of Information and Knowledge Sharing:

Knowledge sharing is typically linked to the activity whereby individuals, peers, communities as well as organizations tend to exchange knowledge, competencies, skills and experiences (Ngai et al. 2015). Social media promote and aid to knowledge distributing in digital communities specifically emphasizing on knowledge based to product information, travel details or cases related to consumer experiences. Gaál et al. (2015) states that aspects of knowledge sharing primarily refers to actions which aid others with expertise, knowledge and further aim to unify with others to bring resolutions regarding issues. Knowledge sharing process further creates new and innovative ideas or executes these processes. Gaál et al. (2015) distinguished three vital generations of knowledge sharing whereby the first generation emphasizes on customary way of sharing of knowledge that can easily be aligned to advanced technologies. The second generation typically focuses on social determinants, personalization along with approaches through which individuals co-operate and establish communication base. Furthermore, the third generation primarily addresses social networking systems which are refereed as advanced ways to interact with specialists and seek for knowledge external to the organizational arena. Razmerita, Kirchner and Nielsen (2016) hold the opinion that modern organizations have urgent necessity to pay significant attention towards effective process of knowledge sharing. This effective form however plays a fundamental role to attain competitive benefits. Thus knowledge sharing can effectively appear in documented form through the means of IT systems or through interpersonal communications. However Leonardi and Meyer (2015) regarded knowledge transfer as immensely vital for contemporary managers to open significant areas for individuals to share their information and knowledge. Furthermore, organizations require increasing a need for knowledge sharing purposes related to physical knowledge sharing.

Ambiguity Associated to Knowledge Transfer

Studies exposed by Asrar-ul-Haq and Anwar (2016) that strength of association between knowledge seeker and knowledge basis is identified as a vital provision for efficient as well as acceptable knowledge sharing. Knowledge source that possess a linkage with knowledge seeker will unjustly attain benefits of knowledge and experience they hold and further destabilize their influence or authority with it. Well-established relationships are identified as a mechanism which individuals utilize in order to condense the uncertainty and indistinctiveness pertaining to their divergences matter (Ellison, Gibbs and Weber 2015). However their divergences do not reduce such level of ambiguity as individuals are able to entrain and comprehend when their schedules are encumbered or refrained. However Bharati, Zhang and Chaudhury (2015) had casted light on aspects which exposed the reasons of failure of knowledge sharing. Forms of knowledge constraints can be perceived from three varied perspectives which focus on deficit of knowledge and expertise related to something reliant to obstacles for knowledge sharing or transfer. Another vital view related to inadequate knowledge and information depending on education level in specific areas (Ellison, Gibbs and Weber 2015). Perceptual method implemented by specific individuals or associations which fail to comprise adequate contact points or exhibit incompetence in converting the information into knowledge. Author expanded the view that additional obstacles of knowledge sharing must be comprehended to realize the reticence of knowledge barriers. 

Literature Gap:

Diverse range of literary papers, reports and journals have been critically explored to understand the background of the study. However an identification of literature gap has been observed. Although several research investigations comprehensively explained the generalized evaluation of the role of social media in knowledge sharing, they have not highlighted the rate of indistinctiveness associated to social media in the process of knowledge transfer and sharing.

References

Asrar-ul-Haq, M. and Anwar, S., 2016. A systematic review of knowledge management and knowledge sharing: Trends, issues, and challenges. Cogent Business & Management, 3(1), p.1127744.

Bharati, P., Zhang, W. and Chaudhury, A., 2015. Better knowledge with social media? Exploring the roles of social capital and organizational knowledge management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19(3), pp.456-475.

Ellison, N.B., Gibbs, J.L. and Weber, M.S., 2015. The use of enterprise social network sites for knowledge sharing in distributed organizations: The role of organizational affordances. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(1), pp.103-123.

Gaál, Z., Szabó, L., Obermayer-Kovács, N. and Csepregi, A., 2015. Exploring the role of social media in knowledge sharing. Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management, 13(3).

Kane, G.C., 2017. The evolutionary implications of social media for organizational knowledge management. Information and organization, 27(1), pp.37-46.

Leonardi, P.M. and Meyer, S.R., 2015. Social media as social lubricant: How ambient awareness eases knowledge transfer. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(1), pp.10-34.

Ngai, E.W., Moon, K.L.K., Lam, S.S., Chin, E.S. and Tao, S.S., 2015. Social media models, technologies, and applications: an academic review and case study. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(5), pp.769-802.

Razmerita, L., Kirchner, K. and Nielsen, P., 2016. What factors influence knowledge sharing in organizations? A social dilemma perspective of social media communication. Journal of Knowledge Management, 20(6), pp.1225-1246.