Abstract
Amid widespread resistance to online social networking tools, their effectiveness in promoting knowledge sharing in a knowledge-driven organisation was demonstrated in the study. Usage patterns, user attitudes and perceptions regarding online social networking technologies as a professional application for knowledge sharing within the workplace were investigated. Self-administered questionnaires were administered to a sample of IBM Global Business Services employees in South Africa. Upon completion of the questionnaire analysis an interview was conducted with the knowledge manager for verification and clarification purposes. The results revealed the respondents' positive attitudes regarding the use of social networking tools for knowledge sharing. The culture of knowledge sharing at IBM and the contribution that social networking tools makes within the company were uncovered. Findings disclosed that the online social networking tools were effective and that management at IBM encourages employees to make more and more use of the tools for knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of online social networking tools and serve as encouragement to hesitant organisations to adopt social networking in their business practices.
Highlights
The only thing that gives an enterprise an advantage over others is what it knows, how it uses what it knows and how quickly it can know something new. (Prusak 1996:6)Knowledge sharing is a concept that has always intrigued practitioners and researchers in the knowledge management discipline and significant research has been conducted into understanding what hampers knowledge sharing and what makes it successful (Chua 2003:117)
The study conducted at IBM has shown that the use of online social networks (OSNs) tools is an effective way of sharing knowledge and learning within the enterprise that can serve as an example for other organisations
Many of the respondents explained how they rely on OSN tools every day in order to do their jobs
Summary
The only thing that gives an enterprise an advantage over others is what it knows, how it uses what it knows and how quickly it can know something new. (Prusak 1996:6). Many organisations remain sceptical about the use of OSN technologies within the company because of the perception that employees will abuse the tools for social purposes rather than for organisational knowledge sharing (McClure 2009:2). This article argues that OSN tools are highly effective in promoting knowledge sharing on a professional level among employees, especially in organisations that are knowledge dependent within an economy that is driven by knowledge. One such organisation that has adopted the use of OSN tools throughout the entire organisation is IBM.
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