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

Abstract

Purpose

This 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/approach

This 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.

Findings

ESM 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 implications

ESM 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/value

The 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.

Citation

Namisango, F., Kafuko, M.M. and Byomire, G. (2020), "Orchestrating enterprise social media for knowledge co-creation: an interactionist perspective", VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, Vol. 50 No. 1, pp. 57-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-12-2018-0115