scholarly journals What happens when organisations embrace social networking? Knowledge sharing at a multinational business solutions corporation

2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Stafford ◽  
M.A. Mearns

Amid widespread resistance to online social networking tools, their effectiveness in promoting knowledge sharing in a knowledge-driven organisation was demonstrated in the study. Usage patterns, user attitudes and perceptions regarding online social networking technologies as a professional application for knowledge sharing within the workplace were investigated. Self-administered questionnaires were administered to a sample of IBM Global Business Services employees in South Africa. Upon completion of the questionnaire analysis an interview was conducted with the knowledge manager for verification and clarification purposes. The results revealed the respondents' positive attitudes regarding the use of social networking tools for knowledge sharing. The culture of knowledge sharing at IBM and the contribution that social networking tools makes within the company were uncovered. Findings disclosed that the online social networking tools were effective and that management at IBM encourages employees to make more and more use of the tools for knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of online social networking tools and serve as encouragement to hesitant organisations to adopt social networking in their business practices.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Sarah Khan ◽  
Dr. Nasir Mehmood

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the direct impact of knowledge donating behaviour on employees’ productivity and an indirect effect through social networking technologies. Social networking technologies play a vital role in the growth and learning of individuals and organizations in today’s competitive business environment. Recently, advancement in social networking technologies has brought a paradigm shift in the overall business environment and specific operational requirements. This study aimed to investigate the role of social networking (SN) between knowledge donating behaviour (KD) and employees’ productivity (EP). Methodology: For this purpose, data were gathered from targeted respondents belonged to the Universities and Banks located in the Northern Punjab region of Pakistan. Structural Equation Modelling technique using the SmartPLS was carried to statistically analyse the responses. Findings: The results showed that the hypothesized relationship between knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB) and employee’s productivity was significant and positively related, while social networking played a significant mediating role between this relationship. Implications: The findings provided useful insight to the managers and policymakers for planning effective use of social networking technologies to craft knowledge sharing behaviour among employees to create efficiencies and intended outcomes. Originality: The study has uniquely focused merging phenomenon of knowledge sharing behaviour in the service sector of Pakistan, specifically among academic and financial sector by exploring the impact of social networking technologies and provide valuable future direction for researchers to further extend the underlined idea in the wake of current Covid-19 Pandemic.


Author(s):  
Sarabjot Kaur ◽  
Subhas Chandra Misra

Knowledge sharing in organizational context is facilitated by communicative process affected by varied social dynamics. It can be a difficult process in case of distributed organizations as employees may not be aware of the right source of getting advice and expertise. In such a scenario, social networking tools provide the required functionality for such sharing and lead to better social ties among knowledge providers and seekers across the organization. The chapter brings out some factors that affect knowledge-sharing behavior in the context of organizations using social networking tools as a communicative media.


Author(s):  
Akakandelwa Akakandelwa

This chapter discusses the various ethical challenges librarians face as they provide library services through the use of social networking technologies. Specifically, the chapter identifies the major ethical issues being encountered by librarians in the use of social media, the implications to professional practice, and the mitigation strategies that can be used to address these issues. The first section is a brief introduction to social networking tools and their uses in the provision of library services. It also discusses the benefits of adoption of social media in libraries. The second section discusses the major ethical challenges being faced by libraries as they integrate social media in their outreach programmes. The third section discusses implications of use of social media in the provision of library services and attempts to recommend measures and practices librarians should undertake to ensure ethical use of social media in their operations. The fourth section is a conclusion to the chapter.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 494-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Mohammad Javid Khan

Purpose Many organizations are struggling to achieve competitiveness due to lack of knowledge sharing (KS) practices. The sustainability of the service sector is linked to KS practices and creativity. Therefore, to survive in a dynamic business environment, universities have to formulate and implement such practices and innovative learning systems. This paper aims to highlight how social media networking apps can be used efficiently and effectively to support the antecedents of KS among the employees in public and private universities. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a positivistic approach and a quantitative research design. A survey was carried out with employees at public and private universities. The respondents were chosen based on simple random sampling with the purpose of increasing the validity and generalizability of the results in the context of university settings and for other sectors as well. Findings Certain individual and organizational factors have been found, which have been supported by social networking tools. These factors can enhance KS practices, such as informal relationships and social networking, effective communication and collaboration, mutual trust and the intention to share knowledge, the KS culture and new ideas. The results of this study reveal that social networking applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, Facebook, Research-gate, YouTube and personal blogs are more productive in supporting the antecedents of KS stated above in university settings. Research limitations/implications Social networking applications have received attention because executives and researchers are increasingly focusing on finding new ways to use social networking tools for business purposes. The effective and efficient use of social networking tools helps organizations to foster knowledge amongst employees to address various critical issues, such as knowledge hoarding, lower levels of skills and knowledge, lower levels of communication and employee involvement, a lack of the intention to share knowledge and resistance toward the adoption of new technology. Originality/value There is rare literature available on how social networking tools can support the antecedents of KS in university settings. Most of such literature has investigated the link between social media and KS using a systematic literature and qualitative research approach. This research is based on empirical study and it is unique as it investigates the hitherto under-researched issue of the adoption of social networking applications to foster the antecedents of KS in university settings.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 2615-2632
Author(s):  
Bo Yang ◽  
Lulu Wang ◽  
Bayan Omar Mohammed

Purpose Social technologies can offer a strong means for organizations to manage their information flows and thus make changes on the organizational knowledge sharing, which may then be linked to employees’ productivity and performance enhancements. The purpose of this paper is to predict the impact of using the online social network on employee motivation and employee motivation effects on organizational knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach From employees of tax affairs organization, data are collected. For evaluating the model’s elements, a questionnaire was designed. It was revised by experts with significant experiences. For statistical analysis, SMART-PLS 3.2 is used. Findings Findings have confirmed the validity of the proposed model. The results also have indicated that online social networks, social trust and social goals have a positive and important impact on employee motivation. Furthermore, obtained results have revealed that organizational knowledge sharing is significantly influenced by employee motivation and organizational commitment. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the literature on organizational knowledge sharing and employee motivation in online social networking sites. Organizations could benefit from this knowledge by accepting that social networking sites must be considered as a critical component of the knowledge sharing, and precise targeting efforts could be directed for those users. Also, it could be exciting to study further factors affecting the development of organizational knowledge sharing in larger organizations. Originality/value The paper rises the understanding of what online social networking encompasses and how it can be utilized for the organization. The ideas and discussion are similarly applicable to libraries and may give them new visions into the delivery of social networking applications as part of their facilities to users.


Author(s):  
Paul T. Kidd

Addressed in this conceptual contribution is the use of Social Networking Technologies in the context of support for development of sustainable business practices, specifically the use of these technologies in a radical way to create information flows within the business and from external bodies, that effectively call into question the purpose, values, products, technologies, et cetera of the enterprise. This radical application is needed as part of a process of developing agility. Agility will be required in the future when businesses need to make significant adaptations to the way that they operate. Such fundamental changes in operation will be driven by the complexities of the structural changes in the business environment directly linked with climate change and other problems (e.g. security of energy supplies). Some of the complexities of these structural changes are discussed, along with key issues relating to paradigms, the social shaping of technology, agility, and the proposed application.


Author(s):  
M. Natarajan

The role of Knowledge Sharing (KS) in an academic environment, with the framework of KS has been explored in this chapter. The role played by social media (SM) as a technology for KS has been discussed. The different aspects of human attitude towards sharing have been expressed with the role of library professionals, in order to support the research activity of the students within the knowledge management cycle. Few examples like the use of blogs, Facebook, and YouTube in different types of institutions /organizations and the value, purpose and challenges are highlighted. The use of social networking tools by cataloguers as a necessity for current awareness information is also emphasized. It is found that the use of social media in education, health, and other domains is mostly used to enhance reaching out to users. The advantages of KS with the need for sharing of knowledge to enhance the role by the administrators in universities and by the professionals are provided. Further research in the field of SM by specific disciplines can be carried out.


Author(s):  
Akakandelwa Akakandelwa

This chapter discusses the various ethical challenges librarians face as they provide library services through the use of social networking technologies. Specifically, the chapter identifies the major ethical issues being encountered by librarians in the use of social media, the implications to professional practice, and the mitigation strategies that can be used to address these issues. The first section is a brief introduction to social networking tools and their uses in the provision of library services. It also discusses the benefits of adoption of social media in libraries. The second section discusses the major ethical challenges being faced by libraries as they integrate social media in their outreach programmes. The third section discusses implications of use of social media in the provision of library services and attempts to recommend measures and practices librarians should undertake to ensure ethical use of social media in their operations. The fourth section is a conclusion to the chapter.


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