Overcoming cross-cultural barriers to knowledge management using social media

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa Ray
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Social Media Tool

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers to knowledge management (KM) due to various national cultural dimensions and to understand how social media can be used to mitigate those barriers to KM processes within organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with a focussed review of existing literature to understand the key concepts in KM and national culture. The paper then outlined the important dimensions of national culture and the barriers they introduce to the KM processes. The paper also briefly reviews the features of some of the popular social media tools available. The paper then conceptually link the three areas of KM, national culture and social media to emerge with a clear picture of how social media can overcome KM barriers due to specific cultural traits. Findings – National culture has multiple dimensions and each of these dimensions can act as a significant barrier to KM within organizations. Social media tools have rich interactive features which can help overcome these barriers. Choosing the correct social media tool with specific features can help alleviate the issues introduced by specific cultural traits. Originality/value – This paper integrates the three areas of KM, national culture and social media. It provides an understanding of how the various cultural dimensions can act as barriers to KM. It particularly outlines specific social media tools to remedy obstacles to KM due to each of the national culture dimension.

Global use and access of social networking web sites: a national culture perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Gong ◽  
Rodney L. Stump ◽  
Zhan G. Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Diffusion

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the role and effect of national culture on social networking web sites (SNWs) use and access across countries while controlling for socio-economic factors, specifically networked readiness, level of education and mobile penetration. Design/methodology/approach – Hofstede's multidimensional framework serves as the conceptual basis for the study. Hierarchical regressions are conducted to test the hypothesized effects of cultural dimensions beyond that of the control variables on the penetration of SNWs using a secondary dataset for 36 countries. Findings – The results provide supporting empirical evidence linking three of Hofstede's cultural dimensions to nations' SNWs use and access. Research limitations/implications – Limitations include the use of secondary data for a limited number of countries. Only three social-economic variables were included as controls on the relationship between culture and SNWs access and usage. Future research will benefit from examining other cultural frameworks (such as Hall's classifications) and potential factors such as a nation's demographic composition and their roles in adoption and diffusion of the SNWs. Further research is needed to validate the results by including more nations and employing time-series data of social media penetration and diffusion. Practical implications – Managerial implications are discussed with respect to formulating more effective online marketing strategies for brand engagement and promotional media choice by accommodating for cultural differences. Originality/value – The paper's original contribution stems from the fact that little can be found in the literature about the influence of national culture on the use of social media. It attempts to establish the importance of understanding cultural impact on consumers' SNWs adoption behavior across countries.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of knowledge management practices in fostering customer relationship management as a catalyst of marketing innovation

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurora Garrido-Moreno ◽  
Nigel Lockett ◽  
Victor Garcia-Morales
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Customer Relationship Management ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Companies ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Knowledge Management Processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a research model exploring the link between knowledge management processes and customer relationship management (CRM) performance. It seeks to answer two research questions: What are the effective drivers of knowledge management processes in the context of a CRM initiative? Do these processes make a real impact on CRM performance? Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on data obtained from a sample of 93 service companies located in Spain. The authors conducted a structural equation modeling analysis using PLS to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – It was observed that both technological and organizational readiness were effective drivers of knowledge management. However, it was contrasted also that the usage of social media tools was not significantly related to knowledge management. Results show a real impact of knowledge management processes on CRM performance, so companies can understand how to implement successfully those initiatives. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations of the study are that it was based on cross-sectional data and that variables were measured based on the perceptions of general managers. Practical implications – Service companies need to invest in technological infrastructures, and create an appropriate organizational climate (top management support, employees commitment) in order to promote effective knowledge management processes, that will enable CRM success, paving the way for the development of marketing innovations. Originality/value – This is the first empirical work that examines in confirmatory way what are the main drivers of knowledge management processes, including in the analysis the impact of both organizational and technological readiness, and considering also the usage of social media tools, in the context of a CRM initiative.

The role of organizational culture in the knowledge management process

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Ling-hsing Chang ◽  
Tung-Ching Lin
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Resources ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to focus on the enhancement of knowledge management (KM) performance and the relationship between organizational culture and KM process intention of individuals because of the diversity of organizational cultures (which include results-oriented, tightly controlled, job-oriented, closed system and professional-oriented cultures). Knowledge is a primary resource in organizations. If firms are able to effectively manage their knowledge resources, then a wide range of benefits can be reaped such as improved corporate efficiency, effectiveness, innovation and customer service. Design/methodology/approach – The survey methodology, which has the ability to enhance generalization of results (Dooley, 2001), was used to collect the data utilized in the testing of the research hypotheses. Findings – Results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects on employee intention in the KM process (creation, storage, transfer and application), whereas a tightly controlled culture has negative effects. Research limitations/implications – However, it would have been better to use a longitudinal study to collect useful long-term data to understand how the KM process would be influenced when organizational culture dimensions are changed through/by management. This is the first limitation of this study. According to Mason and Pauleen (2003), KM culture is a powerful predictor of individual knowledge-sharing behavior, which is not included in this study. Thus, this is the second limitation of this paper. Moreover, national culture could be an important issue in the KM process (Jacks et al., 2012), which is the third limitation of this paper for not comprising it. Practical implications – In researchers’ point of view, results- and job-oriented cultures have positive effects, whereas a tightly controlled culture has a negative effect on the KM process intention of the individual. These findings provide evidences that challenge the perspective of Kayworth and Leidner (2003) on this issue. As for practitioners, management has a direction to modify their organizational culture to improve the performance of KM process. Social implications – Both behavioral and value perspectives of the organizational cultural dimensions (results-oriented, tightly control, job-oriented, sociability, solidarity, need for achievement and democracy) should be examined to ascertain their effects firstly on KM culture and then on the KM process intention of the individual. It is hoped that the current study will spawn future investigations that lead to the development of an integrated model which includes organizational culture, KM culture and the KM process intention of the individual. Originality/value – The results-oriented, loosely controlled and job-oriented cultures will improve the effectiveness of the KM process and will also increase employees’ satisfaction and willingness to stay with the organization.

scholarly journals Social Media use and value creation in the digital landscape: a dynamic-capabilities perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-343
Author(s):  
Aurora Garrido-Moreno ◽  
Víctor García-Morales ◽  
Stephen King ◽  
Nigel Lockett
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

PurposeAlthough Social Media use has become all-pervasive, previous research has failed to explain how to use Social Media tools strategically to create business value in today's increasingly digital landscapes. Adopting a dynamic capabilities perspective, this paper empirically examines the specific process through which Social Media use translates into better performance and the capabilities involved in this process.Design/methodology/approachA research model is proposed that includes both antecedents and consequences of Social Media use. Existing research was examined to derive the research hypotheses, which were tested using SEM methodology on a sample of 212 hotels.FindingsThe results show that Social Media use does not exert significant direct impact on organizational performance. Rather, the findings confirm the mediating role played by Social CRM and Customer Engagement capabilities in the value creation process.Practical implicationsThe results demonstrate how Social Media tools should be implemented and managed to generate business value in hotels. Implications yield interesting insights for hotel managersOriginality/valueThis study is a first attempt to analyze empirically the real impact of digital media technologies, particularly Social Media use, drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective and focusing on service firms (hotels). Including the variable “Organizational Readiness” as a basic prerequisite to benefit from Social Media use enhances the study's novelty and contribution.

Stairways to heaven: implementing social media in organizations

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moria Levy
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Service Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Functional Components ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper is aimed at both researchers and organizations. For researchers, it seeks to provide a means for better analyzing the phenomenon of social media implementation in organizations as a knowledge management (KM) enabler. For organizations, it seeks to suggest a step-by-step architecture for practically implementing social media and benefiting from it in terms of KM. Design/methodology/approach – The research is an empirical study. A hypothesis was set; empirical evidence was collected (from 34 organizations). The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, thereby forming the basis for the proposed architecture. Findings – Implementing social media in organizations is more than a yes/no question; findings show various levels of implementation in organizations: some implementing at all levels, while others implement only tools, functional components, or even only visibility. Research limitations/implications – Two main themes should be further tested: whether the suggested architecture actually yields faster/eased KM implementation compared to other techniques; and whether it can serve needs beyond the original scope (KM, Israel) as tested in this study (i.e. also for other regions and other needs – service, marketing and sales, etc.). Practical implications – Organizations can use the suggested four levels architecture as a guideline for implementing social media as part of their KM efforts. Originality/value – This paper is original and innovative. Previous studies describe the implementation of social media in terms of yes/no; this research explores the issue as a graded one, where organizations can and do implement social media step-by-step. The paper's value is twofold: it can serve as a foundational study for future researches, which can base their analysis on the suggested architecture of four levels of implementation. It also serves as applied research that will help organizations searching for social media implementation KM enablers.

Cultural distance and inter-organizational knowledge transfer: a case study of a multinational company

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasun Bhagya Sapuarachchi
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Organizational Knowledge ◽  
Multinational Companies ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Business World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore a phenomenon in knowledge management that has been given scant attention: the influence of cultural distance on inter-organizational knowledge transfer in the context of multinational companies involving headquarters in the USA and a subsidiary in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach Designed as a qualitative exploratory study, data was collected through in-depth interviews of 15 participants and documents review. Findings The findings of this study implied that the theoretically introduced cultural dimensions shall be relevant to analyze the phenomenon of this study. Consequently, through the findings of this study, it is argued that inter-organizational knowledge transfer in multinational companies is influenced by cultural distance. Research limitations/implications This study theoretically and empirically contributes to the debates on knowledge transfer in knowledge management research in general and, inter-organizational knowledge transfer in multinational companies between headquarters and subsidiaries with respect to the influence of cultural distance in particular, through the light of Trompenaars’ (1993) cultural dimensions theory. Practical implications The findings of this study could motivate the practitioners to take into account: the influence of cultural distance on inter-organizational knowledge transfer, if inter-organizational knowledge transfer happens in similar contexts: multinational companies with a headquarters in the USA (a western context) and a subsidiary in Sri Lanka (a non-western context) in the practical business world. Originality/value This study provides theoretical and empirical insights into the influence of cultural distance on inter-organizational knowledge transfer in multinational companies between headquarters and subsidiaries in the selected context while suggesting various avenues for further research toward the influence of cultural distance on such phenomenon in similar/dissimilar contexts.

Building and Maintaining Relationships through Social Media

2014 ◽  
pp. 104-125
Author(s):  
Alisa Agozzino
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Multiple Dimensions ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Goals And Objectives

In recent years, social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs have rocked the higher education world. No longer is just being present on these mediums enough. Integration of social media tools into daily practices through monitoring, teaching, and collaboration allows those in higher education to build and maintain relationships with key publics. From devising social media goals and objectives to monitoring channels and evaluating efforts, social media can be integrated into the higher education arena. In this chapter, multiple dimensions of social media tools and the various ways those in higher education can integrate those tools into operation are exposed and elaborated upon. In an effort to provide readers with best practices, ideas are shared to present those in higher education with optimal ways to connect, build, and maintain relationships with others both internally and externally.

Social Media in Knowledge Management

2017 ◽  
pp. 94-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivasan Vaidyanathan ◽  
Sudarsanam S. K.
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Management System ◽  
Social Tagging ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Corporate Context ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Key Aspects

This chapter discusses in detail about Knowledge Management and how Social Media tools and platforms can be used for Knowledge Management and how they can be integrated into Knowledge Management system. This chapter explains the key aspects of Knowledge Management and Social Media and how Social media can be used to capture both tacit and explicit knowledge and also to share knowledge among the communities of practice both within organizations and also outside the organizations. The chapter provides an overview of using social media to enhance knowledge management and collaboration in a corporate context and gives an insight on how firms get the most value from social media tools like wikis, blogs, microblogging, social tagging and some such similar tools in Knowledge Management. Further research directions based on the review of the literature are proposed.

The impact of national culture on the adoption of environmental management standards

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-566
Author(s):  
Raquel Orcos ◽  
Sergio Palomas
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Orientation ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how national cultures contribute to explain the uneven diffusion of ISO 14001 across countries. The paper focuses on two of the cultural dimensions developed by the global leadership and organizational behavior effectiveness (GLOBE) project, namely, performance orientation and institutional collectivism. Design/methodology/approach A database containing information about the diffusion of ISO 14001 in 52 countries during the period 1999–2016 was built to carry out this research. The countries considered in this study represent about 90 percent of worldwide ISO 14001 certifications. The information was gathered from publicly available data sources: the ISO Survey, published every year by the International Organization for Standardization, the world development indicators of the World Bank, the cultural dimensions of the GLOBE project and the Index of Economic Freedom provided by The Heritage Foundation. Findings This research finds that both performance orientation and institutional collectivism influence the diffusion of ISO 14001. Whereas performance orientation slows down the diffusion of ISO 14001, institutional collectivism speeds it up. Additionally, this research shows that the slowing effect of performance orientation decreases in strength over time, while the accelerating effect of institutional collectivism becomes stronger. Originality/value The study adds to the understanding of the influence of national culture on the diffusion of environmental management standards, with an emphasis on ISO 14001. A key contribution of this research is that it explores how the influence of cultural dimensions change over time as a result of the development and maturation of ISO 14001.

A comparative perspective of knowledge management via social media: India and China

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Liu ◽  
Pramila Rao
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
India And China

Purpose – This research paper aims to showcase current knowledge management (KM) practices via social media that is being adopted by organizations in India and China. India and China are considered leading economies in today’s global market. Any understanding of management practices in these countries will help practitioners in doing businesses in these nations. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper analyzes KM practices in India and China using an in-depth analysis of the extant literature to provide a comparative perspective of KM policies in these two economies. This paper has used a wide range of scholarly and non-scholarly databases from ABI Global Inform to Business Source Complete to Google Scholar among others. Findings – This research offers valuable insights into characteristic KM trends followed by Indian and Chinese firms. This paper also highlights different approaches adopted by these two cultures in managing their KM practices. The study also provides hypotheses that can be tested by potential scholars. This paper also offers theoretical models to understand this concept better. Practical implications – This paper also provides implications for practice by identifying guidelines for global managers. These frameworks might serve as preliminary parameters for practitioners planning to establish KM practices in India and China. Originality/value – This paper compares and contrasts KM practices in one of the two largest BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies which have not been addressed in the literature before. It also combines two theoretical frameworks from different fields (information technology and human resource management) providing a richer viewpoint on the subject.

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