Social media – Changing the face of knowledge management
Development and Learning in Organizations
ISSN: 1477-7282
Article publication date: 27 September 2019
Issue publication date: 20 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Social 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/approach
A list of research articles on “social media and knowledge management” have been read and reviewed. The insights are summarized and a framework is proposed.
Findings
The 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/value
The 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.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are immensely thankful to the Editor, Ms. Anne Gimson and the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions for the improvement of the paper.
Citation
Irum, A. and Pandey, A. (2020), "Social media – Changing the face of knowledge management", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 5-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLO-02-2019-0051
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited