The application of Social Network Analysis to Knowledge Management

1
The application of Social Network Analysis to
Knowledge Management

• Peter Busch Debbie RichardsDepartment of
  ComputingMacquarie UniversityAustralia

2
Goals

• Knowledge Management
• Test for articulable Tacit Knowledge (aTK) in
  individuals
• articulable implicit managerial IT knowledge
• Map intra-organisational diffusion of aTK among
  IS personnel
• Social Network Analysis
• Knowledge flows/bottlenecking

3
Research questions

• 1. Are there observable tacit knowledge
  differences between how experts handle the
  tacit knowledge issues in the organisation from
  those of novices? In other words how do experts
  differ in their approaches to those of novices?
• 2. Can we identify other tacit knowledge rich
  personnel based on the similarity of their
  answers with that of the expert group?
• 3. Are there certain biographical parameters
  (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, years of IT
  experience, ACS level, highest formal
  qualification) that differentiate IS individuals
  who have accumulated more tacit knowledge from
  those with significantly less tacit knowledge?
• 4. Do people clique with one another based on
  biographical factors such as ethnicity? If so,
  does it affect tacit knowledge transfer?
• 5. Is there evidence of tacit knowledge
  bottlenecking taking place?
• 6. Are there observable differences in knowledge
  diffusion patterns between IS personnel depending
  upon the character of the organisation?

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Highest occurrence (9)
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Tacit knowledge and Groups
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Tacit knowledge and Competition
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Tacit knowledge and Social Environment
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The knowledge hierarchy(Busch and Dampney 2000)
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Testing for tacit knowledge

• Tests
• explication based
• psychological domain
• individualistic
• positivist
• not student populations

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Approaches to testing

• Larkin (1980)
• Physics problem solving
• Benner (1984)
• US Air Force
• Scott (1990 1992)
• Nursing mothers
• Reber (1993)
• Anagram puzzles
• Reed, Hock and Lockhead (1993)
• length of images

• Noh (et.al. 2000)
• AI/cognitive maps
• Case Based Reasoning (CBR)
• Herbig, Büssing and Ewert (2001)
• nursing
• Delphi
• simulation technique (Frederiksen 1966)
• Sternberg (et.al. 1985-)
• critical incident technique (interviews)
• simulation approach (observation)

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Tacit knowledge inventory

• 3 components
• Electronic questionnaire
• Javascript
• Cgi
• Perl
• Html
• Java
• 1. Biographical -gt
• 2. Social Network Analysis (SNA)
• 3. The inventory itself

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Result comparisons ..
0

• Experts vs. others
• colleagues asked to choose
• concept of proficiency
• how did experts answer?

• Likert scale data
• experts answering differently?
• which particular scenarios and answer options
  different?
• which scenarios greatest degree of variation
  ethical/realistic answers
• Identification of expert non-experts

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Organisation X
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Org. X Language other than English
Concept lattice illustrating language other than
English
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Organisations Y and Z
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Tacit knowledge sample scenario
Scenario 8, answer 4 of the IS articulable tacit
knowledge inventory
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General differences
0

• Experts
• greater awareness of status related issues
• problems related to avoiding responsibility for
  issues
• non-experts seem to be a little happier to pass
  the buck
• going over a superiors head less of a good idea

• taking issues outside of the organisation is less
  of a good idea
• see less wrong with showing superior better way
  of doing things
• better idea of practical logistics, what may be
  good in theory, not good in practice
• Little more guilt if system implemented, not
  quite what it could have been

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Ethical differences
0

• Experts ..
• seem more comfortable with telling superiors that
  their plate is full enough
• if they are to be given extra work
• then it is best not to grumble but tackle the
  task at hand
• less enthusiastic about passing responsibility
  for tasks onto others

• would prefer to be noticed for working harder
• they do seem less comfortable with being a yes
  person
• seem to feel less at ease with covert means of
  gaining advantage
• more responsible for a projects success

19
Realistic differences ..
0

• Experts
• seem far happier in practice to say they are
  already overcommitted
• seem far less comfortable in practice questioning
  the decisions of a superior
• agreeing with superiors if the task at hand needs
  to be done, seems to rate more highly with
  experts in practice
• seem more content in practice with offering
  management alternatives if they know of them
• appear less inclined practically to want to
  achieve means with ulterior motives

• less inclined to pay lip service
• reduced interest in passing the buck
• being leaders from a practical point of view,
  rather than followers
• Less interested in unpaid overtime
• less interested in practice in asking
  subordinates what extra help they may require
• reluctant to commit itself to exercises where
  outcomes are likely to be less clear

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General differences
0
21
0
22
0

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Significant ethical differences between the two
groups
0
24
0
25
0
26
Significant realistic differences between the two
groups
0
27
0
28
0
29
SNA questionnaire component
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Participant observation

• Sliding scale (Leedy 1997)
• direct observation lt-gt direct participation
• Physical presence in the workplace
• Unsuitable occupation type?
• Modification of behaviour

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Social Network Analysis(underpinnings)

• Actors or participants in the system viewed as
  interdependent upon one another
• rather than independent
• Relations among actors
• considered as channels or thoroughfares of
  resources
• Interaction among actors is directly constrained
  or aided
• by the structure of the relationships themselves
• Relations that take place between the actors
  determine all
• economic, political and social structures

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Social Network Analysis
A sociomatrix

• Whole of network/egocentric
• Sociomatrices
• binary vs. valued
• symmetrising
• Degree
• in- and out-
• Prestige/Prominence vs. Centrality
• in- and out- degree
• betweenness of actors
• (those who are pathways to others)
• Density and inclusiveness

The in- and out-degree of 4 actors
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Social Network Analysis

• Sociograms
• with/without multidimensional scaling
• Cliques

A sociogram without multidimensional scaling
Cantonese clique
A sociogram with multidimensional scaling
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SNA - Cliques
Staff who meet hourly
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1. Size Size of ego network 2. Ties Number of
directed ties 3. Pairs Number of ordered
pairs 4. Density Ties divided by Pairs 5.
AvgDis Average geodesic distance 6. Diameter
Longest distance in egonet 7. EgoBetween
Betweenness within the egonet 8. UnReach of
ordered pairs with infinite distance
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Organisation X
Staff who meet each other weekly
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Organisation X (senior personnel)
1046 has 50 subordinates1246E has 40-44
subordinates1719E has 25 to 29 subordinates1534
and 12E have 10-14 subordinates
Now including people with 5 to 9 subordinates
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Organisation X
Front-office staff
Back-office staff
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Organisation X
With contractors
Without contractors
40
Avoiding one another
41
Can get by without seeing
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Organisation Y
43
Organisation Y
44
Organisation Z
45
Organisation Z
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Conclusion

• Participant observation has limitations
• SNA represents a viable alternative
• can help identify flows/bottlenecks
• Reliance on IT
• can be detrimental for tacit knowledge transfer
• Size of the organisation
• generally small is preferable