“StoryWeb”: A storytelling‐based knowledge‐sharing application among multiple stakeholders

The research objective of this paper is to develop a storytelling‐based knowledge‐sharing application that enables users to co‐create their own stories for both individuals and groups. To address this, a design science research methodology was applied for elucidating users' requirements. As empirical evidence, a case study was conducted on the children's book industry to synthesize a knowledge‐sharing design application named “StoryWeb”. Usability tests were conducted to reconfigure users' feedback and suggestions after two StoryWeb prototypes were developed. This study makes three main contributions. First, it empirically tests individual's or group's creativity and co‐creation by a view of knowledge sharing. Second, it methodologically applies a design thinking approach into a knowledge‐sharing study. Third, it also practically suggests feasible guidelines for the creativity and innovation research community on which features of storytelling‐based applications can be configured.     

Information technology to support informal knowledge sharing

The knowledge management (KM) literature largely focuses on the explicit and formal representation of knowledge in computer‐based KM systems. Informal KM practices are widespread, but less is known about them. This paper aims to redress this imbalance by exploring the use of interactive information technology (IT) applications for informal knowledge sharing (KS). We develop theoretical propositions to highlight the key facets of informal KS processes, and illustrate them through an interpretive case‐study analysis of KS in two public relations firms in China. We then discuss the implications of our findings for practice in both China and beyond. Finally, we recommend a research agenda to further investigate informal, relationship‐based knowledge sharing.     

A study of Facebook Groups members’ knowledge sharing

There have been many studies focusing on individuals’ knowledge sharing behavior in the organizational setting. With the rapid prevalence of social networking sites, many people began to express their thoughts or share their knowledge via Facebook website. Facebook is an open environment which does not provide any immediate monetary benefits to its users. Its Groups members’ knowledge sharing behavior could be different from the ones in organizations. We proposed a research model to examine factors which promote the Facebook Groups users’ willingness to share knowledge. The factors in the study include extrinsic motivation, social and psychological forces, and social networking sharing culture. We used PLS to test our proposed hypotheses based on 271 responses collected through an online survey. Our results indicated that reputation would affect knowledge sharing attitude of Groups members and sense of self-worth would directly and indirectly (through subjective norm) affect the attitude. In addition, social networking sharing culture (fairness, identification, and openness) is the most significant factor, not only directly affecting knowledge sharing intention, but also indirectly influencing the sharing intention through subjective norm and knowledge sharing attitude.     

Interpersonal knowledge exchange in China: The impact of guanxi and social media

The employees of professional service firms regularly engage in various knowledge-related activities, including the seeking and sharing of knowledge with other people; we refer to this process as interpersonal knowledge exchange (IKE). Two prominent drivers of IKE in China are the socio-cultural concept of guanxi and social media. We conduct an interpretive investigation into IKE, collecting qualitative data from employees in three Chinese organizations. We explore how guanxi lubricates the social media-based communication practices that are central to IKE in China. We report and generalise our findings into theoretical propositions, discuss the practical implications, and identify opportunities for future research.     

Clicking vs. sharing: The relationship between online news behaviors and political knowledge

Online news and social media are transforming the process of news production and reading. While research has shown that news media play an important role in providing information to the public in democratic societies, research investigating the impact of sharing news online on the process of public opinion formation is in a nascent stage. This study examines the impact of viewing and sharing online news on two dimensions of political knowledge: factual knowledge and structural knowledge. Results from survey data collected over 3-waves during the 2012 US Presidential Election from an online panel of 403 US adult Internet users show that reading online news is positively related to factual political knowledge. Sharing online news, in contrast, is related to structural knowledge. We discuss these findings and their implications for future research investigating the role of online news.     

Examining interpersonal trust as a facilitator and uncertainty as an inhibitor of intra‐organisational knowledge sharing

This study developed a theoretical model to explore the antecedents of interpersonal trust and the impact of interpersonal trust and uncertainty on intra‐organisational knowledge sharing in highly information‐technology‐mediated work environments. The proposed model was tested empirically using survey data collected from five telecommunication companies. The findings reveal that interpersonal trust has a positive effect on knowledge sharing, while uncertainty has a negative effect upon knowledge sharing. The results also show that social interaction ties and shared knowledge‐sharing vision are the antecedent factors of interpersonal trust, and that uncertainty regarding knowledge sharing is increased by seeker absorptive capability concerns, reciprocity concerns and fear of losing knowledge power. Some important implications for theory and practice as well as directions for future study are discussed.     

Client–vendor knowledge transfer in IS offshore outsourcing: insights from a survey of Indian software engineers

We use knowledge‐based theory to develop and test a model of client–vendor knowledge transfer at the level of the individual offshore information systems engineer. We define knowledge transfer in this context in terms of mechanisms by which an offshore engineer employed by a vendor can (a) gain understanding of their onshore client; and (b) utilize their knowledge for the benefit of the client. Over large geographic, cultural and institutional distances, effective knowledge transfer is difficult to achieve, although it is central to the success of many offshore outsourcing contracts. Our empirical test consists of a survey of vendor software engineers physically located in India but working on development projects for clients in Europe and the United States. The findings support predictions regarding engineer exposure to explicit and tacit knowledge: We find client–vendor knowledge transfer to the offshore vendor engineer to be positively associated with formal training and client embedment. We also test whether an offshore vendor engineer's inappropriate reliance on informal discussions in the offshore location hinders effective client–vendor knowledge transfer. Our result for this is mixed. Finally, we show differences between offshore engineers who have had previous onshore experience and those who have not. Client embedment is a potent driver of knowledge transfer when the offshore engineer has had previous onshore placement, while it acts to reduce inappropriate reliance on informal discussions for those that have not had an onshore placement.     

个体在线知识分享行为的惯性效应分析

在线知识社群是大数据时代组织学习、协同创新、知识与信息交流与转移的重要方式。针对这种在线知识网络的分析、预测和管控,是大数据对经济社会实现数据服务和决策咨询功能的重要环节。以CMKT咨询俱乐部2群QQ群为例,搜集分析该群在2016年3月份所有的专业交流、讨论和分享记录,并基于这些实时数据建构CMKT动态知识网络,分析了在线动态知识网络中个体知识分享行为的策略性选择,最终验证了动态知识网络中个体分享行为的惯性效应。基于这一惯性效应,在大数据技术的支撑下,政府、高校或科研机构以及大型企业可以对其所构建的跨组织学习知识网络的动态演化趋势进行有效的分析和预测,并适时地选择干预或管控手段以引导知识网络更好地发挥在协同创新、知识转移、跨组织学习等方面的作用。     

“Telling tales”: Stories,metaphors and tacit knowledge at the fuzzy front‐end of NPD

Breakthrough ideas depend upon the generation of new knowledge, which emerge from the conversion of tacit knowledge at the fuzzy front‐end (FFE) of new product development (NPD). The occurrence of stories and metaphors has been strongly linked to tacit knowledge, however, empirical studies that examine how stories and metaphors harness tacit knowledge in the FFE are lacking. In addition, how managers can use stories and metaphors to develop breakthrough product ideas is unclear. To address these gaps, an ‘in‐situ’ empirical case study was conducted in the European subsidiary of a B2C multinational. This study investigated the role, characteristics and interplay of stories and metaphors emerging in discussions between managers and customers in a collaborative design workshop (CDW). Taking a knowledge management theoretical perspective, the data were analyzed using the well‐known SECI framework. The results clearly show that significant new knowledge was created based on the discussions in a CDW and stories and metaphors were important mechanisms for this. Importantly, it was stories related to product usage that triggered breakthrough ideas. The study extends the understanding of how breakthrough ideas emerge; it proposes a tentative conceptual framework; and it provides managers with recommendations of how to use stories and metaphors effectively during the FFE.     

Satisfaction or gratitude? Exploring the disparate effects of physicians' knowledge sharing on patients' service evaluation in online medical consultations

The influence of physicians' knowledge sharing on patient satisfaction in online medical consultations (OMCs) has received extensive attention in recent years. However, patient gratitude in OMCs, another crucial outcome for physicians' knowledge sharing, has largely been overlooked. To address this gap, this study attempts to distinguish patient satisfaction from gratitude in OMCs and elucidate the relationship between the sharing process and outcomes. Drawing on the affect theory of social exchange, this study proposes a model that investigates the relative effects of physicians' informational and emotional support during the knowledge-sharing process on patient satisfaction and gratitude, as well as the contingent roles of physicians' professional seniority and patients' disease severity. The research model is tested by using data from a well-known online health platform in China. The results indicate that patient gratitude is associated with a more favourable service evaluation than satisfaction in OMCs. Physicians' informational support has a greater effect on patient satisfaction than emotional support, while emotional support has a greater effect on patient gratitude than informational support. Moreover, professional seniority and disease severity positively and negatively moderate the relationship between emotional support and patient gratitude, respectively. A survey-based experiment is also adopted to validate the research model with self-reported perceptual measures. This study contributes to the literature on patient gratitude, online healthcare service evaluation, knowledge sharing, and the affect theory of social exchange.     

Decision support for “messy” problems

Problems that are non-quantitative and not bound to a narrow knowledge domain have been served unsatisfactorily by decision support and expert systems. Alternative techniques that address this type of problem are explained here using two key concepts: problem type dependent process support and domain related knowledge. Process support refers to the program steps and the data items useful in finding the solution. Domain related knowledge is knowledge drawn from a specific domain, yet through abstraction applicable to a wider range of problems. Results of preliminary empirical analyses suggest that both concepts are useful.     

Web-based knowledge exchange through social links in the workplace

Knowledge exchange between employees is an essential feature of recent commercial organisations on the competitive market. Based on the data gathered by various information technology (IT) systems, social links can be extracted and exploited in knowledge exchange systems of a new kind. Users of such a system ask their queries and the system recommends known and unknown experts selected out of user's friends. The friends either provide the solution or forward the query to their friends. By means of the established social paths to experts, the system facilitates informal learning and exchange of latent knowledge between organisation members in their workplace. The overall concept, limitations and detailed features of this novel knowledge exchange system are discussed in the article.     

IT‐mediated social interactions and knowledge sharing: Role of competence‐based trust and background heterogeneity

In the knowledge‐based economy, organizational success is dependent on how effectively organizational employees share information. Many studies have investigated how different types of communication activities and communications media influence knowledge sharing. We contribute to this literature by examining increasingly prevalent yet understudied IT‐mediated social interactions and their effects on knowledge sharing among employees in comparison to face‐to‐face social connections. By integrating the literature on knowledge sharing, social networks, and information systems, we theorize the ability of IT‐mediated social interaction to (1) afford interactions between individuals with heterogeneous backgrounds and (2) facilitate frequent IT‐mediated social interactions that are high in competence‐based trust—both supporting effective sharing of knowledge. Through a social network analysis of the employees in a high‐tech organization, this study finds that IT‐mediated frequent social interactions are the most effective in promoting knowledge sharing.     

Using peer-to-peer technology for knowledge sharing in communities of practices

Communities of Practices (CoPs) are informal structures within organizations that bind people together through informal relationships and the sharing of expertise and experience. As such, they are effective tools for the creation and sharing of organizational knowledge, and an increasing number of organizations are adopting them as part of their knowledge management strategies. In this paper, we examine the knowledge sharing characteristics and roles of CoPs and develop a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing architecture that matches the behavioral characteristics of the members of the CoPs. We also propose a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing tool called KTella that enables a community's members to voluntarily share and retrieve knowledge more effectively.     

An interactional view of social presence: Making the virtual other “real”

In IS research, social presence is generally defined as the perceived capacity of a communication medium to convey contextual cues normally available in face‐to‐face settings. However, theorizing social presence as a property of the technology has been challenged for decades. The objective of this paper is to develop a more contemporary, interactional view of social presence. To this end, this paper develops a new conceptualization of how participants form the sense that each other is present. We characterize the development of this sense as a skilful accomplishment that entails interactants' joint construction of each other as “real.” Viewing social presence as contingent on social practice, we seek to answer the following research question: “How is social presence accomplished in virtual environments?” To explicate how virtual others are perceived as becoming socially present, that is, emotionally and psychologically “real” to someone interacting with them, we draw from Goffman's work, particularly his concepts of involvement and involvement obligation. Detailing two examples of social interaction in the virtual world Second Life, our analysis highlights the key role that this moral obligation, intrinsic to everyday social interaction, plays in virtual others becoming perceived as psychoemotionally “there.” By outlining a model of how the sense of a virtual other as “real” is produced in and through social interaction, our work contributes a sociological perspective to the construct of social presence and underscores some of the material and social conditions necessary for users to perceive virtual others as present.     

Tacit knowledge sharing in IT R&D teams: Nonlinear evolutionary theoretical perspective

Tacit knowledge sharing influences the performance of IT R&D teams. However, information regarding the mechanism of tacit knowledge sharing is limited. Accordingly, we develop a nonlinear dynamic model to explore the influence of structural changes on tacit knowledge sharing behavior in an IT R&D team, particularly in response to gradual changes in payoff structures. The following results were observed：(1) Certain situations and a traditional correlation analysis confirmed that the current contradictions in the influence of reward systems on knowledge sharing behavior are unified. (2) Under special conditions, the influences of several critical factors (e.g., reciprocity, penalty of social reputation, and supervising mechanism) lose efficacy. As an alternative, managers can only enhance the reward system or reduce sharing cost. The effectiveness of knowledge sharing substantially improves only once it reaches certain critical thresholds. (3) During a catastrophe, a team’s behavior may become immune to the deterioration of payoff structures. However, sudden jumps (i.e., from sharing to hiding knowledge) may occur when another threshold is reached. In summary, once team members experience a sudden jump, retrieving the previous cooperative status becomes difficult.     

The exploration factors of affecting knowledge sharing – The case of Taiwan’s high-tech industry

In the past, the studies on knowledge sharing tended to be focused on the organization and few paid attention to the departments inside the organization. In this study, valid samples were collected from Taiwan’s 92 IC related firms in the high-tech industry through the Hierarchical Random Sampling method for empirical analysis. The non-linear fuzzy neural network is used due to its capacity in accepting errors and low limitation. This method enables researchers to accurately assess the relations between variables. The result of this study indicated that the degree of formalization and complexity of the organizational structure is negatively and significantly correlated with knowledge sharing. Similarly, motivation through material reward correlates positively and significantly with knowledge sharing with stronger intensity than that between motivation through non-material reward and knowledge sharing. The degree of integration between organizations correlates positively and significantly with knowledge sharing.     

Individual characteristics influencing the sharing of knowledge on social networking services: online identity,self-efficacy,and knowledge sharing intentions

ABSTRACT

Social media have become an important place for individuals with similar interests to exchange opinions and share resources. Ubiquitous collaborative learning environments in SNS have great educational and organisational potential and offer a platform for sharing knowledge. Rising interest in personal factors in knowledge management research calls for a better understanding of how knowledge is shared in SNS-based collaborative learning. Grounded on the theories of planned behaviour and social identity, this study investigates individual characteristics that affect the sharing of knowledge in SNS learning communities. The study also examines whether intent to share knowledge mediates those personal characteristics and sharing of knowledge. Eighty individuals from five active Facebook groups participated in this study. The findings indicate that individual characteristics, such as online personal identity, web-specific self-efficacy, and knowledge-creation self-efficacy significantly predict sharing of knowledge. In addition, intent to share knowledge mediates between the sharing of knowledge and online identity, web-specific self-efficacy, or knowledge-creation self-efficacy. The results reveal a need for customised support and environmental design focusing on online personal identity, web-specific self-efficacy, knowledge-creation self-efficacy, and intent to share knowledge in a knowledge-sharing community on SNS. Implications for the SNS communities and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

A ‘benign addition’? Research on ICT and pre‐school children

Abstract This paper reviews the international research evidence on the ways in which information and communication technologies (ICT) are used in both formal and informal pre-school settings. The review addresses the debate over the value and desirability of young children using computers and computational toys; the relationship of these technologies to a media environment which encompasses television, video, books and magazines; the literacies involved in using these media; and interface design and interactivity.     

Fostering knowledge sharing: Design principles for persuasive digital technologies in open innovation projects

Integrating knowledge is crucial for open innovation, and digital technologies can play a central role because they support knowledge sharing. In open innovation projects, in particular, little is known about the role of technology. Here, the individual behaviour of users is taken into account concerning the extent to which knowledge is shared. Therefore, persuasive technologies offer the potential to foster sharing. In particular, to facilitate the construction of future digital technologies, this study applies a design science research approach to create and analyse artefacts as a research contribution and develop design principles as a step towards a nascent design theory. We present insights from the design and application of three artefacts in different stages of open innovation processes. Results show that digital technologies can be used for various purposes: to build a common understanding, support design phases, communicate ideas and simplify the application of the technology for the user. Our research provides insights into the role of digital technologies for knowledge sharing in open innovation projects, and four design principles are found to facilitate the construction of future persuasive digital technologies for open innovation projects.