Social Media in the Workplace

At AOM 2010, I attended a paper session on Knowledge Management Technologies. Facebook in the workplace has been talked about for some time (see student webpage on the topic) and WorkLight's Workbook product has been around. This is a very relevant topic. A symposium was also held on the topic called Making Management Knowledge Connections Through Online Social Networking Sites.

I've posted the abstracts of interest. Contact the authors if you want to see their papers.

Workplace Web 2.0: Mapping the Research Agenda

Author: David Falls; U. of Ulster

Author: Paula Marie O'Kane; U. of Otago

Author: Martin McCracken; U. of Ulster

"Social Software is endemic, with Web 2.0 technologies at the forefront of its popularity. From being the domain of IT “geeks” and teenage communicators this technology has now firmly manifest itself within the workplace environment. Despite a plethora of studies on Web 2.0, both within and outside organisational life, the literature is fragmented, and the workplace impact largely unknown. This paper assimilates and reframes recent Web 2.0 research within the context of organisational behaviour and proposes a research agenda. In doing so, we construct a conceptual model which suggests social and task implications of utilising Web 2.0 within the workplace."

Assessing New Knowledge Creation and KM Maturity in Information Systems

Author: Priscilla Arling; Butler U.

Author: Mark Chun; Pepperdine U.

"Much of the literature in the area of knowledge management systems (KMSs) has focused on the process of capturing knowledge and disseminating it throughout the firm. There are numerous examples of firms who have implemented innovative approaches to identifying, capturing and sharing knowledge. However for firms to gain a competitive advantage from knowledge they must accomplish more than the redistribution of existing knowledge. They must generate new knowledge. In this paper we describe a framework that can be used by firms to assess the capacity of a KMS to facilitate the generation of new knowledge. To test the framework we conducted a longitudinal case study in a single company, Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne. Based on the findings in the case we present a model, called the KM Maturity model, which illustrates how firms develop knowledge management competencies that lead to on-going new knowledge generation. Both the framework and the model can serve as tools for organizations seeking to both leverage existing knowledge and generate new knowledge for competitive advantage."

Here is the abstract on the symposium and the participant.s

Making Management Knowledge Connections Through Online Social Networking Sites

Moderator: Gordon Bruce Schmidt; Michigan State U

Participant: Gerald C Kane; Boston College

Participant: Richard N. Landers; Old Dominion U.

Participant: James Lynch; American Express

Participant: Julia Teahen; Baker College

Participant: Michael Van Dervort; The Human Race Horses

"Online social networking sites are becoming increasingly popular means by which people communication with others. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin have user bases growing at impressive rates. While the popular press coverage of online social networking sites has focused attention on celebrities and teenagers, significant professional communities have been growing within online social networking. Both management scholars and practitioners have turned to online social networking sites to connect with each other, sharing management knowledge and experiences. These connections have also been made across the research-practice gap, as social media allows easier connections between people on both sides. Practitioners can talk to researchers directly to gain the latest in management knowledge. Researchers, in turn can talk to practitioners about what is really happening in organizations and what issues are most salient, informing what research is most needed. Social networking sites are a great medium for such connections, offering the potential to radically change how management knowledge and experiences are communicated between practice and science. This panel consists of academics and practitioners who are making such connections through social media and want to share how valuable such connections can be. Our panelists will discuss how they got involved in online social networking sites and how one gets connected to other management scholars/practitioners through them. We will also look to the future and predict how online social networking sites will grow and change, as well as what opportunities may arise for those who work in organizations and those who study organizations."