Organizational Knowledge Sharing and Enterprise Social Networks

Knowledge is a vital strategic asset for organizations but is surprisingly not well managed in public higher education institutions, with a number of negative effects. These organizations are highly bureaucratic in nature, with consequential structural and cultural characteristics that tend to inhibit staff communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. A new wave of social-media-driven knowledge-management techniques may have a transformational effect on these institutions, potentially leading to increased intellectual capital and competitive advantage in ever-expanding, global marketplaces. Enterprise social networks and virtual communities of practice are at the heart of this new type of knowledge sharing environment and provide a significant opportunity for higher education institutions to significantly change the way that staff interact and communicate with each other, generating a number of individual and organizational benefits.