Knowledge Exchange in Electronic Networks of Practice: Toward a Conceptual Framework

Recent advances in IS have led to the development of electronic networks that enable thousands of geographically dispersed individuals, who are typically strangers from diverse organizational, national, and demographic backgrounds, to interact (Sproull & Faraj, 1995). In these networks, individuals engage in knowledge sharing and problem solving through message postings offering professional advice, storytelling of personal experiences, and debate on relevant issues (Wasko & Faraj, 2000). Individuals benefit from these networks since they gain access to new information and expertise related to their practice that are often not available locally. Based on previous research (Wasko & Teigland, 2004), we define an electronic network of practice (ENOP) as a self-organizing, open activity system focused on a shared practice that exists through computer-mediated communication. Despite the growing interest in online social structures such as electronic networks of practice, we know surprisingly little about how or why these structures support knowledge exchange (Desanctis & Monge, 1999; Lin, 2001). Thus, the goal of this exploratory research is to investigate electronic networks of practice by drawing upon theories of public goods and collective action. Building upon work by Fulk and colleagues (Fulk, Flanagin, Kalman, Monge, & Ryan, 1996), we investigate ENOPs as a form of collective action by examining two fundamental research questions: (1) what is the pattern of interaction underlying knowledge exchange in an ENOP and (2) why do some individuals participate more than others in an ENOP. The article concludes with a discussion and areas for future research.

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Knowledge Exchange and Symbolic Action in Social Media-Enabled Electronic Networks of Practice: A Multilevel Perspective on Knowledge Seekers and Contributors

MIS Quarterly ◽

10.25300/misq/2014/38.4.14 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 1245-1270 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Roman Beck ◽

◽

Immanuel Pahlke ◽

Christoph Seebach ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Symbolic Action ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Multilevel Perspective ◽

Networks Of Practice

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Extending Richness with Reach

Knowledge Networks ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-200-8.ch019 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 230-242 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Robin Teigland ◽

Wasko

Keyword(s):

Communities Of Practice ◽

Information Technologies ◽

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Individual Performance ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

Communication Space ◽

Bridging Ties ◽

Networks Of Practice ◽

Traditional Communities

In an effort to replicate Communities of Practice online, organizations are investing in Information Technologies that create intra-organizational electronic networks, or “Electronic Networks of Practice”. These networks are designed to enable the creation of electronic “bridging ties” between geographically dispersed organizational members to provide a communication space in which individuals working on similar problems may quickly ask each other for help on task-related problems. This chapter compares the dynamics of knowledge exchange between Electronic Networks of Practice and traditional Communities of Practice. In addition, this chapter examines why people participate and help others in the network, as well as whether participation has an impact on knowledge outcomes and individual performance. In order to investigate these issues, data were collected from a successful electronic network at one of Europe’s largest consulting companies. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the results and implications for both managers and researchers interested in the dynamics of electronic knowledge exchange.

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Knowledge Exchange in Electronic Networks of Practice

Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, First Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-553-5.ch309 ◽

2005 ◽

pp. 1757-1762

Author(s):

Robin Teigland ◽

Molly Wasko

Keyword(s):

Organizational Learning ◽

Knowledge Economy ◽

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Social Structures ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Online Networks ◽

Face To Face ◽

Mutual Engagement ◽

Networks Of Practice

Communities of practice (CoPs) are regarded as essential building blocks of the knowledge economy, and organizations are promoting them as sources of competitive advantage and facilitators of organizational learning. Within organizations, CoPs have traditionally emerged through the mutual engagement in work by individuals who are either physically co-located or who frequently meet face-to-face (Orr, 1996; Wenger, 1998). In an effort to replicate traditional CoPs online and in response to hypercompetitive conditions and increasing complexity, numerous organizations have implemented online networks to facilitate knowledge sharing. We refer to these online social structures focused on knowledge exchange as “electronic networks of practice” (ENoPs).

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Electronic Networks of Practice and Communities of Practice

Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities and Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-563-4.ch035 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 188-192

Author(s):

Robin Teigland ◽

Molly McLure Wasko

Keyword(s):

Communities Of Practice ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Social Structures ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Face To Face ◽

Geographically Dispersed ◽

Bulletin Boards ◽

Networks Of Practice

Recent advances in ICT have led to the emergence of online social structures where the primary purpose is knowledge exchange. Using computer-mediated communication technologies, such as newsgroups, listservs, and bulletin boards, an unlimited number of geographically dispersed individuals with diverse organizational, national, and demographic backgrounds share knowledge through helping each other solve problems, debating issues around shared interests, and telling stories of personal experiences (Sproull & Faraj, 1995; Wasko & Faraj, 2000). Individuals benefit from participation in this online knowledge exchange since they gain access to help and expertise that are often not available locally. While knowledge exchange in traditional face-to-face communities of practice within organizations has received considerable attention, we know much less about the dynamics underlying electronic networks and have yet to reach a consensus defining the phenomenon of interest. For example, online social structures focused on knowledge exchange are commonly referred to by numerous names: virtual or electronic communities, communities of interest, and online communities. Additionally, both practitioners and researchers tend to take a unitary view of both communities of practice and electronic networks, thus masking possible heterogeneity along a number of important dimensions. Yet without clear definitions of electronic networks, it is difficult to apply overarching theories that are both appropriate and generalizable, to compare across studies, and to build a coherent stream of research. Thus, this article’s purpose is twofold: (1) to define and describe the specific characteristics of one form of online social structure, an electronic network of practice and (2) to compare electronic networks of practice with communities of practice in order to highlight the roles of each for supporting learning and knowledge exchange focused on a shared practice.

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Knowledge Exchange in Electronic Networks of Practice

Building the Knowledge Society on the Internet ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-816-1.ch009 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 172-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Molly Wasko ◽

Samer Faraj

Keyword(s):

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Knowledge Flows ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Organizational Ties ◽

Survey Responses ◽

Networks Of Practice ◽

Globally Distributed

This study examines knowledge exchange in a worldwide, extra-organizational, Usenet-based electronic network of practice. Participation in such networks is voluntary, globally distributed, and network participants generally do not have personal or organizational ties. The purpose of the study was to investigate two questions: first, what type of knowledge is being transferred in these networks, and second, how is knowledge transferred across individuals in electronic networks. To address these questions, we observed and saved all messages posted to comp.lang.C++ for a period of 7 weeks. Our analyses include content analysis of 1,562 messages, survey responses from 593 participants, and objective data from the electronic message postings. The study illuminates how people use computer-mediated communication to support knowledge transfer, the types of knowledge transferred, as well as how knowledge flows in this network.

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Exploring Knowledge Exchange in Electronic Networks of Practice

Journal of Information Technology ◽

10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000089 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 5-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Eoin Whelan

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Exchange ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Knowledge Flows ◽

Communication Structure ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Knowledge Based ◽

Computer Based ◽

Networks Of Practice ◽

The Relationship ◽

Growing Network

The recently developed knowledge-based view of the firm argues that knowledge is the firm's most valuable resource. Within this field of study, informal social networks are rapidly gaining attention as mechanisms that facilitate knowledge flows. Electronic networks of practice (NoPs) are a special case of informal network where the sharing of practice-related knowledge occurs primarily through computer-based communication technologies. However, we know relatively little about the dynamics of knowledge exchange that occur in these electronic networks. This conceptual paper posits that there is a relationship between the structural properties of electronic NoPs and successful knowledge exchange. The theoretical positions of social network theory and the knowledge-based view of the firm are used to support this claim. A review of the extant literature reveals that a clear conceptual framework for NoPs is lacking. The objective of this research is to contribute to the development of such a framework by addressing a largely neglected area within the growing network of practice literature – namely, the relationship between electronic network communication structure and knowledge flows.

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