Understanding a Social Media-Enabled Knowledge Management Adoption Model for Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa

Abstract

This chapter shares the practical application of the explanatory sequential mixed methods research design in a study to investigate a model for adoption of social media enabled knowledge management for the small and medium enterprises in South Africa. Research that solely applies either the quantitative or qualitative approach presents some weaknesses in understanding a phenomenon holistically. The quantitative approach does not adequately provide depth in contextualising issues to bring more understanding of the phenomenon, and qualitative research is poor in providing repeatability and generalizability of findings. The explanatory sequential mixed methods research has capitalized on the weaknesses of the two approaches by combining them to produce more holistic understanding of the phenomenon. This chapter presents the practical application of the explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to investigate a model of social media-enabled knowledge management adoption for the small and medium enterprises in South Africa.