The Impact of Media Richness on the Usage of Web 2.0 Services for Knowledge Transfer

Abstract

The study investigates the impact of the use of web 2.0 applications on knowledge transfer in the Cocoa Sector in Ghana. Transferring knowledge via social media websites has received widespread attention by organizations. However, in most developing countries like Ghana, knowledge transfer still remains a major challenge, especially in the Cocoa Sector. The selection of media for a given task depends on the richness of the media and the characteristics of the task. The four modes of knowledge transfer theorized by Nonaka, require the use of media with varying degrees of richness. The study proposed that the usage of web 2.0 applications for the different modes of knowledge transfer can be affected by their media richness. And the use of web 2.0 applications for the knowledge transfer modes can influence knowledge transfer success. The study was conducted using a mixed method approach with a survey questionnaire. The results of the data analysis confirmed that the media richness of the selected web 2.0 applications affect their usage for the different modes of knowledge transfer.