Limits To Growth: A Theoretical Framework To Simulate Dynamics In Online Community Networks

Abstract

Online communities can help an organization discover and share knowledge more effectively by facilitating learning both from within the organization, as well as from entities outside the organization. In those instances where firms have linkages with outside organizations, however, the acquisition and sharing of knowledge takes place free from the constraints of hierarchy and local rules. These networks can be characterized as loosely structured, and generally self- organizing, and made up of individuals who voluntarily participate in the creation and sharing of knowledge. Building online networks without formal boundaries is a challenging task for any organization. This is because those responsible for building them must not only encourage the use of the new tools, but also refrain from intervening too often or with too heavy a hand. The objective of this article is to conceptualize a simulation model with which we can test the effects of structural interventions in online community networks. The simulation model described in this paper is based on an explicit dynamic theory derived from the relevant literature.