Hazel Hall's paper presented at the International Conference on Managing Knowledge, University of Leicester, April 10-11 2001. A full text version is also available at http://drhazelhall.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/2001_hall_social_ex_for_kn_ex_leicester.pdf. The material presented here draws on early work for Hazel Hall's PhD, the full details of which are available from http://hazelhall.org/publications/phd-the-knowledge-trap-an-intranet-implementation-in-a-corporate-environment/

1. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Hazel Hall
Senior Lecturer
School of Computing
Napier University, Edinburgh
h.hall@napier.ac.uk
http://www.esis.bim.napier.ac.uk/esis/about_us/hazel.html
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 1
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

2. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Format of the presentation
• introduce topic of doctoral research
• present theoretical framework for the study
• provide short summary of literature reviewed to date
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 2
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

3. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Motivating knowledge sharing: interest in the
topic
• widely discussed topic
• important area for research
• priority area for companies
• more important than issues related to capture, storage or
dissemination of information
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 3
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

4. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Motivating knowledge sharing: suitability for
doctoral research
• respond to need to understand what motivates knowledge
sharing
• emphasis on groups of individuals as well as individuals
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 4
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

5. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Theoretical framework: exchange theory
• from economics
• studies relationships and “exchanges”
• assumes rational decisions based on best value, lowest cost
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 5
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

6. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Analytical concepts and assumptions of
exchange theories
• actors - participants
• resources - “currencies”
• structures - relationships
• processes - interactions, opportunities
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 6
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

7. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Social exchange theory
• actors = people (long-term relationships, known parties)
• resources = what they value (not information/knowledge)
• structures = dependent relationships
• processes = interactions, opportunities
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 7
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

8. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Exchange structures
Productive
Direct
Generalised
 
 Joint output


Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 8
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

9. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Interest in social exchange theory
• Anthropology - social cohesion (generalised exchange, gift
giving)
• Behavioural psychology - learning
• Sociology - power relationships, commitment, affective ties
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 9
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

10. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Social exchange theory and knowledge sharing
Implied - examples
• relationship between job demands and innovative work
behaviour
• relationships between employers and employees
• support of word-of-mouth information flows in marketing
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 10
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

11. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Social exchange theory and knowledge sharing
Alluded - examples
• Constant et al (1994) - “exchange and expressive theory of
information sharing”
• limited follow-up of Constant et al’s work
• Nahapiet & Ghoshal (1998) - knowledge markets, creating
social capital and knowledge capital
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 11
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

12. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Social exchange theory and information science
Implied - examples
• processes of scholarship
• scholarly communication
• citation analysis and trust
• information sharing across networks
• acknowledgements and gift giving
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 12
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

13. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Incentives
• resources: rewards for knowledge sharing where knowledge
is a private good
• conditions: create moral obligation, where knowledge is a
public good
NB majority of papers reviewed to date make no reference to
social exchange theory
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 13
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

14. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Exchange resources for knowledge sharing: hard
rewards
• economic rewards, e.g. cash, bonuses
• access to information and knowledge
• career advancement/security
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 14
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

15. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Exchange resources for knowledge sharing: soft
rewards
• enhanced reputation
• personal satisfaction
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 15
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

16. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Exchange conditions for knowledge sharing
• explicit responsibility to knowledge share
• experimentation as a legitimate activity
• status ignored
• communities: shared identity/commitment/obligation to
support social interaction
• provision of information and communication technologies
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 16
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

17. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Easy to use
System Hard to use
& useful Rewards & useless
Soft Hard
Participants
Volunteers Conscripts
Groupings
Teams Individuals
Ties
Strong Weak
Control
Loose Tight
Status
Irrelevant Matters
Influence of resources and conditions
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 17
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

18. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Easy to use
System Hard to use
& useful Rewards & useless
Soft Hard
Participants
Volunteers Conscripts
Groupings
Teams Individuals
Ties
Strong Weak
Control
Loose Tight
Status
Irrelevant Matters
Reading of the literature
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 18
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001

19. Social exchange for knowledge exchange
Easy to use
System Hard to use
& useful Rewards & useless
Soft Hard
Participants
Volunteers Conscripts
Groupings
Teams Individuals
Ties
Strong Weak
Control
Loose Tight
Status
Irrelevant Matters
Outcome of PhD research?
Managing Knowledge: Conversations and Critiques 19
University of Leicester, 10-11 April 2001