Knowledge Brokering in an Era of Communication Visibility

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the extent to which enterprise social media (ESM) use enhances visibility of content (message transparency) and connections (network translucence) in organizations, and how this affects knowledge brokering. The findings support the theory of communication visibility by demonstrating that ESM use is associated with perceptions of message transparency and network translucence. Furthermore, the findings suggest that employees, regardless of their position within a network, are provided with a vision advantage and thus have the ability to engage in knowledge brokering. Future work needs to examine the impact of network characteristics on these effects. This article contributes to our understanding of knowledge brokering in contemporary networked and mediated workplaces. Specifically, this article offers an analysis of the theory of communication visibility and demonstrates the mediating role of communication visibility in the relationship between ESM use and intraorganizational knowledge brokering activities.