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Article
Publication date: 8 July 2014

Minhyung Kang and Yong Sauk Hau

The purpose of this paper is to adopt the recipient’s perspective to explore multi-level antecedents’ effects on knowledge transfer using social capital and social network…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to adopt the recipient’s perspective to explore multi-level antecedents’ effects on knowledge transfer using social capital and social network theories.

Design/methodology/approach

Social network and general attribute survey responses from 331 employees were analyzed through hierarchical linear modeling to verify the study’s multi-level research model and hypotheses.

Findings

A recipient’s trust in colleagues positively influences knowledge transfer and company tenure has a negative impact. At a dyadic level, the perceived expertise of a source, in addition to strength of ties, exerts a positive effect on knowledge transfer. Additionally, a recipient’s network centrality moderates the effects of dyadic relationships on knowledge transfer.

Research limitations/implications

This study deepened the current understanding of the role of social capital in knowledge transfer from a recipient’s perspective. Three dimensions of a recipient’s social capital respectively showed significant, but different types of influence on knowledge transfer. Interaction effects between individual and dyadic level antecedents should be considered as well.

Practical implications

Both a strong tie at a dyadic level and a diverse network at an individual level should be nurtured to facilitate knowledge transfer. In addition, bi-directional knowledge transfer between seasoned employees and new employees should be promoted.

Originality/value

Most studies have focused on motivating a knowledge source, assuming that a recipient is always ready to adopt a source’s knowledge. To reduce this bias, the current study examined social capital’s role in knowledge transfer from a recipient’s perspective.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2014

Young-Gul Kim, Yong Sauk Hau, Seulki Song and Ghi-Hoon Ghim

This study aims at analyzing the features of knowledge flow and the role-specific nodes in knowledge networks among individuals and business units of six organizations in

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims at analyzing the features of knowledge flow and the role-specific nodes in knowledge networks among individuals and business units of six organizations in different industries, and suggesting prescriptions to prevent the organizational knowledge sclerosis.

Design/methodology/approach

This research conducts multiple case studies on the organizational knowledge paths of six companies in the multiple industries through social network analysis (SNA) tool developed by the authors of this paper.

Findings

This study provides four major findings which shed a new light on how to comprehend the features of knowledge flow and the role-specific nodes in knowledge networks in organizations: the within-business unit knowledge flows are more dominant over the inter-business units knowledge flow; the downward knowledge flows are dominant over the horizontal and upward knowledge flows in the management levels; distributions of knowledge owners and providers are like L-shape and the gap between knowledge owing and providing expands as the management levels go up; and the top 20 percent people in an organization dominate over a large portion of the knowledge brokerage activities.

Research limitations/implications

Cultural difference issue might arise because data collection was limited to Korean organizations. Therefore, the findings from this study needs to be cautiously interpreted considering the cultural difference/deeper understanding of the organizational knowledge paths through social network lens can make it possible for more context-specific KM strategies (e.g. suitable for a specific functional unit, management level, or industry type) to be identified and implemented.

Practical implications

Managers can have a solid grasp about knowledge flows and knowledge node roles in their organization through social network analysis in order to facilitate the knowledge transfer and eliminate the knowledge link lapse in organizations.

Originality/value

This study could be a stepping stone for further empirical research since it expanded the level of organizational knowledge network analysis from individual and team to inter-unit and inter-management level through the block modeling analysis of knowledge network.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

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