SNA metrics provide an unbiased way to interpret relationships ( Mohr, 2014 ) and are applied to measure network properties ( Tubaro, 2012 ). In social networks, where actors are linked by means of one or several relationships, SNA provides structural measurements: to describe the network as a whole; and to provide information on the participation of each actor in the network ( Martinez et al., 2003 ).
Published in Chapter:
Understanding Knowledge Networks Through Social Network Analysis
Ronel Davel (University of Pretoria, South Africa), Adeline S. A. Du Toit (University of Pretoria, South Africa), and Martie Mearns (University of Johannesburg, South Africa)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 32
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2189-2.ch004
Abstract
Social network analysis (SNA) is being increasingly deployed as an instrument to plot knowledge and expertise as well as to confirm the character of connections in informal networks within organisations. This study investigated how the integration of networking into KM can produce significant advantages for organisations. The aim of the research was to examine how the interactions between SNA, CoPs, and knowledge maps could potentially influence knowledge networks. The researchers endeavour to illustrate via this question that cultivating synergies between SNA, CoPs, and knowledge maps will enable organisations to produce stronger knowledge networks and ultimately increase their social capital. This chapter intends to present a process map that can be useful when an organisation wants to positively increase its social capital by examining influencing interactions between SNA, CoPs, and knowledge maps, thereby enhancing the manner in which they share and create knowledge.