Knowledge sharing and strategic capital: The importance and identification of opinion leaders

Abstract

Purpose

This article seeks to propose that the success of an organization's knowledge‐sharing strategy and the magnitude of its strategic capital are critically dependent on its having the capability to visualize relationship‐networks among its employees, and means to identify and leverage, as appropriate, patterns of positive or negative influence.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on the author's own experiences and those of other authors in the same field.

Findings

There seems no evidence in the literature that programs can be mounted to deliberately develop opinion leaders by helping them acquire such meta‐capabilities or assume archetypical characteristics.

Originality/value

Utilization of the NVA‐based approach described here will provide an enhanced real‐world understanding of how the various sectors and network layers of an organization coalesce, and relate to one another, at micro and macro levels.

Citation

Smith, P.A.C. (2005), "Knowledge sharing and strategic capital: The importance and identification of opinion leaders", The Learning Organization, Vol. 12 No. 6, pp. 563-574. https://doi.org/10.1108/09696470510626766