Abstract
Knowledge sharing in today’s distributed organizations is a challenge. Hierarchical structures may not support the fast flow of information or the efficient co-creation of knowledge from specialized and tacit individual knowledge bases (see Grant, 1996; Miles et al., 2000; Adler, 2001). There is therefore a need to devise new patterns for leveraging dispersed knowledge within organizations and across organizational borders. In the following we explore internal company weblogs as a potential new channel for sharing knowledge and expertise.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Knowledge Management: Refers to a range of practices organizations use to identify, distribute and leverage knowledge to gain competitive advantage.
Media Choice: Refers to the examination and selection of communication channels, that is, in terms of media richness and the level of social presence (Robert et al., 2005).
Organizational Blog: A weblog that is endorsed by an organization and maintained by its official or semi-official representative whose affiliations to the organization are public (Kelleher & Miller, 2006).
Blog (or weblog): A personal Web page including regular posts in reverse chronological order about a particular topic (Blanchard, 2004; Herring et al., 2004; Wagner & Bolloju, 2005).
Social Presence: The degree and type of mediated interpersonal contact and intimacy (Short et al., 1976).
Knowledge Blog: A weblog for experts sharing an interest on a specific topic and for documenting knowledge in their professional domains (Wagner & Bolloju, 2005).
Information Richness: Refers to the ability of the media to transfer cues and provide immediate feedback (Daft & Lengel, 1986).