Social Knowledge Management Research Articles

Strategic business decision making: the use and relevance of marketing metrics and knowledge management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perception of marketing managers in a transition country Montenegro with regards to marketing metrics. The paper examines the degree in which managers are familiar with the way marketing metrics are applied and how important they are in the process of making business decisions in a company operating in a Montenegro. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected during 2020 through a survey of 171 randomly selected companies and was analyzed using structural equation model and the statistical method of analysis of variance tests. Findings The obtained results show that managers are quite familiar with financial and non-financial metrics. Both groups are applied to a significant degree, as managers believe that these indicators provide valuable information needed during the decision-making process. Still, more emphasis is placed on the knowledge, implementation and importance of non-financial metrics compared to financial metrics. This is probably due to the specificities of the economic activities of the companies operating in Montenegro, as most of them are service companies, which is why non-financial metrics (such as consumer metrics) are the most important indicators when it comes to ascertaining the market position of the company. Additionally, in recent years the primary focus in Montenegro, as country that is still in the process of transformation from planned economy to a free-market form, has been placed on strengthening of competitiveness and advancing the market orientation of companies. This led to an increase in the importance that managers in transition countries attach to non-financial metrics. Research limitations/implications The fact that the survey only covers companies from one country is its limitation. Practical implications The obtained results will have a significant empirical contribution, which is reflected in providing guidelines for managers on how to improve the system of measuring and controlling marketing performance, all that to strengthen the competitiveness of the company, and can serve managers of hierarchy levels in a company as guidelines for making decisions on the implementation of marketing strategy and marketing metrics, to improve business performance, multi-context customer interaction, cost-saving and strengthen competitiveness. Social implications Obtaining necessary knowledge management and implementing marketing metrics are important conditions for consideration when it comes to the continuous monitoring and improvement of business results, increasing competitiveness and advancing the market position of the company. Originality/value The originality stems from the analysis of the interconnection that exists between marketing metrics and strategic decision-making, which is expected to be positively reflected in the development of society, i.e. strengthening the competitiveness of companies based on knowledge management achieved through the assessment of the degree of knowledge, the implementation and the significance of each of the metrics covered within this research in business decision-making processes. The paper provides insights into the extent to which managers understand the meaning of these indicators and are able to combine different marketing metrics to obtain more complex indicators, serving as necessary inputs when making strategic business decisions.

CLUSTER POLICY OF UKRAINE: TARGET INTERESTS OF REGIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

The article provides a theoretical and methodological generalization and proposes a new solution to the current scientific problem, which is to substantiate practical recommendations for the formation and development of the scientific direction of the cluster economy and expand the use of modern environmental management. A number of literary sources and characteristics of the process of development of scientific thought on the formation of a modern system of knowledge of cluster economics and cluster policy, environmental management and circular economy are presented and systematized. The cluster economy, its theoretical and methodological content as system knowledge and reflection in the newest generalized provisions - social and ecological management are substantiated.
 The theoretical and genetic development of integration processes in modern regional management is determined taking into account the vectors of social progress, combination of knowledge of economics, innovation, sociology, market theory and entrepreneurship. It is emphasized that integration processes always have general or local action impact on the phenomena and processes of human activity, provide positive or negative dynamics of individual socio-economic phenomena and processes. It is integration as a driving force that shapes the potential of society and the economy of the state and its territories.
 The key factors of social progress that led to the study of the process of integration in the economy and management are identified: the accelerated formation of the world market and its impact on national economies, changing the borders of regions; consolidation, centralization and diversification of capital, accelerated diversification of production and services; mass production and its dependence on scientific and technological progress, environmental and social standards; territorial redistribution of the world, zones of economic influence and the latest formats of regionalization.
 The focus is on the fact that the cluster, as a manifestation of economic integration in modern activities, sectoral and regional authorities, is the primary tool for stimulating markets, business, qualitative and quantitative improvement of the business environment, attracting investment, a tool for balancing government and business. It is noted that clusters become the center of industrial policy, balance regional interest groups, stimulate and adjust regional development, accelerate the commercialization of national scientific heritage.
 Such components of the potential of cluster formation of regions as: science and education are determined; resource base; savings of enterprises and the population; small and medium business and infrastructure to support small and medium business. The realization of the potential of clustering should be based on a system of security against existing risks, the construction of which can quickly form a platform for mutual action, collective decision-making, organizational and control measures. The managerial vision of formation of the strategic purpose of cluster formation taking into account the principles of consolidation and harmonization of key interests is substantiated.
 The author 's vision of modern tendencies of economic progress, which form the latest vision of economic, ecological, social interests as an integrated manifestation, combination of social, economic and cultural spheres of mankind, is substantiated. The thesis of need and relevance by involving transdisciplinary knowledge and methods of regulating the processes of regional reproduction is presented and substantiated; integration and differentiation of management knowledge; anthropogenic security of human development; systemic socialization on the platform of cluster and circular economies. It is proved that integration as a tool for combining the system of modern knowledge of management and economics forms the potential of society and directs the vectors of economic activity to the standards of trust and socialization.
 The knowledge of management in the formation of cluster economy of Ukraine on the basis of system integration and balance of national interests is considered and systematically analyzed with recommendations for further study of the existing specifics of social progress, knowledge management and practice of improving the effectiveness of government and business.
 The author's vision of classification of interests in stimulating cluster formation of enterprises and measures of regional cluster policy on the platforms of action of principles - trust, knowledge-intensive measures, targeted information support, compliance with European integration values ​​is substantiated and given.
 The obtained conclusions and recommendations on regional cluster policy confirm the prospects of the movement of the regions of Ukraine to the most progressive forms of environmental management with the involvement of regional, sectoral cluster projects and EU programs. The effectiveness and fundamental vectors of the EU regional policy, aimed at building a new model of cluster economy on the basis of trust and balance of interests of business entities, government and the population, are specified.

The Measurement of Organizational Social Media Integration Impact on Financial and Innovative Performance: An Integrated Model

Organizations are investing in social media for communicating with customers, promoting employee collaborations, and integrating with partners and suppliers. One of the essential organizational capabilities that can help organizations create and share knowledge and improve their performance and create competitive advantage is social capital and social media integration. Therefore, while examining the role of social media integration on the three dimensions of social capital and the organizational emphasis on knowledge management, the present study has evaluated the impact of knowledge quality on improving organizational financial and innovative performance. This study was conducted in a sample of 280 employees of a bank in Iran. The present study had an applied data collection methodology, using structural equations modeling for analyzing with a descriptive correlational research goal. The results showed that integrated social media positively affects the social capital dimensions and organizational knowledge quality. This study highlights both the potential and limitations of social media in promoting organizational knowledge management. Businesses must consciously manage the assimilation and use of social media to benefit from them. The authors position the study at the intersection of social media, social capital, and knowledge management and explicate how social media works through social capital and organizational knowledge management efforts to affect knowledge quality.

Investigating the relationship between knowledge management and social capital

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study is to establish the relationship between knowledge management and social capital in education from the perspective of human resource managers of Tehran industrial companies. Research methodology: A knowledge management questionnaire and social capital questionnaire were used to collect data. The reliability of the questionnaires was 0.909 and 0.912 by Cronbach's alpha method, respectively. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, regression, and Pearson coefficient were used to analyse the data. Results: The results show that there is a significant relationship between social trust and knowledge management, also there is a significant relationship between networks and knowledge management; In addition to the above, it was shown that there is a significant relationship between cooperation and knowledge management and between relationships and knowledge management. Limitations: The practical and usable environment for the results of this study is the educational environment. Contribution: Our research can be very useful for researchers in this field due to the accuracy we had in doing the work and using its results in the educational environment and industrial companies. Keywords: 1. Social capital 2. knowledge management 3. human resource

Students’ Intention Towards Entrepreneurship as a Career: A Case of University Students

Apart of the total unemployed in Malaysia are university graduates, while close to half the graduates of public universities are working in mismatched occupations, totally unrelated to their formal training. To overcome this issue, the best solutions is involvement in entrepreneurial. Therefore, this study aims to examine the student intention towards entrepreneurship. The data were collected from questionnaires that have been distributed to diploma and degree students in UiTM Terengganu. The questionnaires were tested on 300 respondents. The study found that the social environment and knowledge management are significant with student intention. The result for all independent variables shows positive relationship with dependent variable.

Social capital and project management success in a developing country environment: Mediating role of knowledge management

ABSTRACT Despite significant investments in projects by organizations, governments, and international development agencies in developing countries, many of the projects have failed and continue to fail due to budget overruns, inability to complete projects on time, and poor-quality outcomes. We draw on social capital theory and knowledge management to argue that individuals can leverage the resources embedded in the trust among other project participants, and the norms and values shared by the project participants and employees in an organization to enable them acquire, share and exploit knowledge for achieving project management success. Based on data collected from individuals engaged with projects in Ghana, this study tests a model in which knowledge management processes mediate the relationship between social capital and project management success. Our findings indicate that while trust is very important in the acquisition and sharing of knowledge, shared norms are very important in the sharing and exploitation of knowledge for project management success. Further, we find that the impact of norms and trust on project management success is mediated by knowledge sharing, and knowledge exploitation.

Examining the Moderating Effect of Organic Structure and Innovative Culture on the Relationship between Social Capital and Knowledge Management Processes at a Research & Development Organization

Purpose- In today’s heavy competitive environment, organizations have found that the knowledge is the best tool for keeping up with competitors. In this regard, the role of employees, as knowledge holders and the most important capital of organizations have been being taken into account more than before. Since the existence of social capital in organizations lead to improvement and development of knowledge management processes (KMP), examining the level of social capital as an important dimension of intellectual capital and its role in KMP is the main purpose of this article. Design/methodology/approach- By reviewing the existing literature and using standardized questionnaire, it was tried to examine the relationship between social capital and KMP through the moderating role of organic structure and innovative culture in the organization. After review of the existing literature in depth, we took advantages of Nahapiet and Ghoshal Model for measuring social capital and in order to measure the KMP, Bukowitz and Williams Model was used. The main hypothesis of this research was that there was a significant relationship between KMP and social capital through moderating role of organic structure and innovative culture in the organization. In order to test the hypothesis, using the test methods for correlation coefficients (Pearson and Spearman), a standardized questionnaire was designed and distributed among our target segment including faculty members, researchers and administrative staffs of university. Findings- The results showed that contrary to our expectation, considering moderator variables, structure and culture does not have positive and significant effect on KMP in the level of the organic structure and innovative culture of social capital. It was revealed that considering those two variables, social capital does have a significant and positive effect on KMP in the level of mechanical structure and non-innovative culture. We also found that there was a considerable relationship between cognitive and relational dimensions of social capital and KMP. Besides that, it was understood that there was a positive and significant relationship between each of organic structure and innovative culture’s variables and social capital and KMP’s variables. Research limitations/implications– Risks of method variance or response biases are likely as all Data are drawn from employee surveys, and some selection bias as respondents could not be directly compared with non-respondents. Originality/value – This study makes a significant contribution to the intangible assets literature by providing further evidence of the impact of culture and structure on intellectual capital.

The integration of social capital and knowledge management – The key challenge for international development and cooperation projects of nonprofit organizations

Nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are important actors in international development (ID) who implement trillions of dollars’ worth of projects annually. As with other organizations delivering projects, ID NGOs seem to be failing many stakeholders due to poor delivery of results. Lack, and mismanagement, of social links and knowledge resources have been identified as the biggest challenges of ID NGOs in reaching vulnerable beneficiary populations. We have explored ID NGOs’ social capital and knowledge management systems in order to propose an integrated model to optimize ID NGO project management through social resources embedded into organizational structures. The integrated model we propose enables multi-stakeholder engagement in all phases of project life cycle, building a culture of accountability and respect. This model also helps promote smart and flexible solutions to the “wicked” problems ID projects often grapple with, as well as timely adaptation to changed circumstances and unforeseen or challenging events.

The interaction between social media, knowledge management and service quality: A decision tree analysis.

The existing literature fails to identify to which extent the utilization of social media could be relevant for increasing the effectiveness of knowledge management, in respect to overall business operations. In order to shed some light on this area we define three goals. Firstly, we investigate to what extent the different activities of clients on social media (SM), are important to the processes of knowledge management (KM) in companies. Secondly, we examine to what extent KM functions can be relevant in attaining the quality of IT services. Thirdly, we analyze to what extent KM mediates between SM and the quality of IT services, that is, which client activities on SM should be formalised in the form of KM processes so as to influence the quality of IT services. In order to asses these goals, the decision tree method was used at the sample of B2B companies, more specifically at the sample of those companies offering Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS). The study has shown that: (i) SM client activities have the largest importance for building efficient KM; (ii) KM functions are relevante to the overall quality of IT services, and (iii) those SM options and activities have been identified, whose importance for the assessment of the quality of IT services is indirectly transmitted through KM. This paper offers new empirical evidence which can lead to a better understanding of the role of KM in KIBS. Thanks to the obtained findings, managers will be able to define the goals of their companies in relation to the utilization of SM, more specifically: their presentation on SM, monitoring the outcomes of the SM, usage improving their KM practices and, thus, define strategies to increase the quality of the IT services they offer.

Improving team innovation performance: Role of social media and team knowledge management capabilities

Social media can be used to manage information flow in teams, thereby empowering knowledge management, which can be linked to innovation. This study develops a model to test the influence of social media on transactive memory system, absorptive capacities (potential and realized capacity), and team innovation performance. Partial least squares analysis on 61 software development teams indicates the positive impact of social media on transactive memory system and potential and realized absorptive capacity, which in turn can influence team innovation performance. This article presents theoretical contributions and describes implications for social media adoption in knowledge-intensive teams.

Balancing the strength of external and internal ties for tacit knowledge management

ABSTRACT From external and internal perspective, this research constructs the model regarding tie strength and tacit knowledge management based on social network theory. To test the proposed model, this study disposes and analyses the data captured from 301 emerging firms located in Chinese large cities. The results confirm the proposition that both external and internal tie strength impose a positive effect on the process of tacit knowledge management. In addition, temperate internal tie strength positively affects the relationship between external tie strength and tacit knowledge acquisition, while excessive internal tie strength negatively moderates this relationship. This study not only expands the theoretical space in the field of social networks and knowledge management, but also provides guidance for the enterprise’s relationship network management and innovation practice.

Enhancing Organizational Performance through Social Media use and Knowledge Management

Researchers acknowledge the importance of knowledge, innovation, social capital, and social media for organizations. Based on practical and academic importance of these variables, hypotheses were developed and relationships have been tested among knowledge management, innovation and performance for various contexts. Furthermore, hypotheses have also been drawn to test the relationships amongst knowledge management, social capital, and social media use. However, limited research examined relationships amongst all these constructs in the same research framework, and this research attempted to cover that gap. Thus, this research pays original contribution in the form of testing an extended model regarding the impact of social media use on companies’ performance involving the investigation of serial mediating effect of social capital, knowledge management, and innovation. Pakistan’s home appliance industry markets around 2500 electronic products and has 95% share domestically. Further, innovation and knowledge sharing are critical success factors for home appliance industry Therefore, this study was conducted for this industry and used survey method which resulted in 150 responses from the managers. The study finds that commercial social media’s use by companies impacts knowledge management through social capital; and a serial mediating impact of these constructs exists amongst social media use and organization performance. There are extremely limited studies for electronic companies in Pakistan given the concerned variables. Therefore they are helpful for the managers concerned as these findings suggest effective use of social media by electronic companies in particular to create better organizational knowledge and improve company performance.campaigns motivate citizens to pay for safe drinking water

Opportunities and challenges of social media for health knowledge management: A narrative review.

INTRODUCTION:Social media is becoming a new tool for developing health knowledge management. However, despite the rapid growth of research in this area, few attempts have been made to review previous research. This study tried to summarize the opportunities and challenges of using social media to managing health knowledge.METHODOLOGY:This article used a narrative approach to collect and review studies. In this review, published documents during 2010–2019 were retrieved by search in the following three electronic scientific databases: Web of Knowledge, PubMed, and Google Scholar search engine using keywords including social media, public health, health knowledge, knowledge management, and health promotion.RESULTS:Social media by overcoming geographical barriers, developing health promotion, facilitating decision-making, and providing public health education has been able to enhancing health awareness and improving health behavior. Doctors' unwillingness to interact with the public, lack of compliance with the principles of medical ethics, users' privacy concerns, and difficulty of managing negative comments are the four challenges to health knowledge management in social media.CONCLUSION:Social media can be a suitable tool for developing health knowledge management processes if medical professional ethics and users' privacy managed properly.

Exploring knowledge management within teams from a social capital perspective: a literature review

Abstract: We live in an economy based on knowledge where the socialization that takes place through relation networks is the key in the construction of this knowledge. The aim of this research is to explore the state of the art of Knowledge Management in teams inside organizations and in conjunction with the theory of Social Capital. To achieve the proposed aim, a systematic review of literature, using thirty three articles – thirty with empirical research and three theoretical articles – was carried out. The academic contribution is the understanding of the operation of Social Capital and Knowledge Management in teams that make use of agile methods in carrying out work. The technical contributions for team and project managers are presented through consolidation of factors that were identified or supported by the research as influencing performance, learning, and improvement of processes, among others.

Social Media Use and Its Effect on Knowledge Sharing: Evidence from Public Organisations in Delta State, Nigeria

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates social media use and its effect on knowledge sharing. Based on the review of related literature, we hypothesised that social media use has a significant effect on outward and inward knowledge sharing. Background: While the notion of social media use in work organisations has been progressively developed, empirical studies linking social media to the context of knowledge sharing have only begun to emerge. Even so, literature on social media use and its impact on public organisation is still tentative and remains a developing area. Methodology: The partial least square method was utilised in testing of hypotheses with data collected from 103 employees, who by virtue of their position and job function(s) interface with the public for the purpose of sharing knowledge via the social media space. Contribution: The study made contributions to the social knowledge management literature in two ways. First, the study developed a research model that links social media use to the two distinct dimensions of knowledge sharing. Second, the study provides a quantitative approach, where statistical techniques were applied to validate the social media use and knowledge sharing link. Findings: Statistically, the public organisations utilise social media partly for knowledge sharing, with its effect being significant on outward knowledge sharing and insignificant on inward knowledge sharing. This indicates that social media were deployed mainly for information dissemination “outward knowledge sharing” and not for stakeholders’ feedback and interaction “inward knowledge sharing”. Recommendations for Practitioners: Public organisations should develop a policy framework and guidelines for social media use to encourage the full use of this technology to inform and interact with stakeholders. It is important for this policy document to adopt best practices regarding interactive spaces so that both knowledge sharing dimensions manifest themselves in social media communications. Second, it is necessary to carry out staff training for the professional use of this technology for knowledge sharing. Recommendation for Researchers: Future studies should extend to more populations in different contexts to validate findings Impact on Society: This paper intends to influence practices adopted by organisations in the public sector to improve the knowledge sharing dimensions via the social media space. Future Research: Future studies may extend to public organisations in other geographical locations around Nigeria. It will be useful for studies to provide an international perspective by sampling public organisations from different countries or by comparing and contrasting the findings of other studies, specifically those from other countries. A longitudinal study should be encouraged to detect advancement or development with regards to the subject matter over a period of time.

АНАЛИЗ СОВРЕМЕННЫХ СОЦИАЛЬНЫХ ТЕХНОЛОГИЙ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ЗНАНИЯМИ В ОБЩЕМ ОБРАЗОВАНИИ И ПРОБЛЕМ ИХ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ

The article is devoted to the analysis of social technologies for knowledge management, taking into account the specifics of the general education system. Relevant practices that determine the features of the use of social knowledge management technologies in the general education system, the opportunities and existing problems of knowledge management, undergoing the process of modernization and globalization, from the perspective of sociological science are identified; in determining the current state and productivity of application of social technologies for knowledge management, prospects and contradictions of their development, implementation problems. The analysis showed that at the moment, the introduction of social technologies for knowledge management in general education is still at the initial stage, compared with foreign practice, but at the same time it should be recognized that a number of social technologies for knowledge management in education are used in domestic practice

Capturing heterogeneities in orchestrating resources for accurately forecasting high (separately low) project management performance

Applying complexity theory tenets, the study here contributes an asymmetric modeling perspective for examining resources orchestrations that indicate high (separately low) project management performance (PMP) accurately. Complexity theory tenets include recognizing that the causal conditions resulting in high PMP have different conditions (i.e., ingredients) typically than the causal conditions resulting in low PMP—adopting this perspective supports the usefulness of asymmetric point or interval estimation rather than the currently pervasive symmetric approach to theory construction and empirical modeling of variable directional relationships (VDR). This study constructs a general model and specific configurational propositions that include social capital, processes, and knowledge management effectiveness as causal conditions indicating case outcomes of high and separately low PMP. Using survey data, the study includes examining propositions and models empirically on the causal conditions for completed projects (n = 302, USA sample of executives in product and service industrial firms). The findings support the perspective that high (as well as low) PMP depends on resource orchestration (configurational) antecedent conditions. The findings serve to support the general proposition that applications of complexity theory in project management research respond effectively in building in the requisite variety for deep understanding and accurate forecasting of performance outcomes. This study includes contributions to theory and empirical research that support the perspective that separate sets of resource orchestrations of alternative complex antecedents (rather than a VDR, symmetric, net effects perspective) forecast high (low) project management performances accurately.

Orchestrating enterprise social media for knowledge co-creation: an interactionist perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to present a conceptual framework of four knowledge co-creation processes in enterprise social media (ESM). From an interactionist perspective, the paper proposes a model on the role of ESM and enterprise social networks (ESNs) in facilitating knowledge co-creation processes.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper revisits existing literature on ESM, ESNs and social knowledge management to propose, hypothetically, the relationship between ESM, ESN and knowledge co-creation processes.FindingsESM enhances employee-to-employee interaction, which allows employees to co-create knowledge in a social context. Firstly, ESM affords employees to create ESNs for knowledge co-creation. Secondly, the structure of employee-to-employee interaction in ESNs will influence knowledge co-creation processes. Thirdly, ESNs provide the mechanism through which ESM affordances enable or constrain knowledge co-creation in the organisation.Practical implicationsESM creates a social context that allows employees to share, apply and recreate or reproduce knowledge in the process of knowledge co-creation. The action possibilities of ESM perceived and actualised by employees will enable or constrain knowledge co-creation. Such influences are fuelled by the structural properties of employee relationships on ESM.Originality/valueThe paper elucidates the concept of knowledge co-creation based on a representation of user activities in ESM. This paper suggests that knowledge co-creation is a salient outcome of both individual-to-individual interactions on ESM and individual-to-ESM interactions enabled by ESM affordances.

The Influence of Social Media and Knowledge Management to Improve Employees Creativity

The Influence of Social Media and Knowledge Management to Improve Employees Creativity

Social media – Changing the face of knowledge management

PurposeSocial media (SM) is amongst the latest techniques employed by organizations in their knowledge management endeavors. The paper provides a brief overview of how SM platforms are utilized for the creation, dissemination, and retention of knowledge. The various stages of knowledge management as supported by social media, is mapped through a framework.Design/methodology/approachA list of research articles on “social media and knowledge management” have been read and reviewed. The insights are summarized and a framework is proposed.FindingsThe framework demonstrates how SM tools aid in the creation of new knowledge, knowledge exchange and storage of the knowledge footprint. They help to generate varied forms of knowledge from different stakeholders. The freely available information acts as a knowledge source for the third party. The virtual nature of digital platforms motivates employees to share knowledge more openly, leaving a digital trace that can be accessed anytime, thereby building on to the knowledge base.Originality/valueThe article highlights how SM can be essential in the knowledge management processes in the organization. It showcases the prominence of everyday organizational interactions and experiences which together build a knowledge-rich culture.