Social network analysis: A tool for evaluating and predicting future knowledge flows from an insurance organization

Leon, Ramona – Diana, Raúl Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Pedro Gómez-Gasquet and Josefa Mula

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2017, vol. 114, issue C, 103-118

Abstract: The paper aims to identify the individuals who influence the knowledge sharing processes from an internal social network and to forecast the future knowledge flows that may cross it. Exploratory research is employed, and a four-phase methodology is developed which combines a social network analysis with structural modeling. This is applied to the internal enterprise social network used by a British insurance company. The main results emphasize the most influential groups, their relationships, future knowledge flows, and the connection between the network's heterogeneity and structure, and employees' future knowledge sharing intention. These findings have both theoretical and practical implications. The theory is extended by proving that a social network analysis can be used as a tool for evaluating and predicting future knowledge flows. At the same time, a solution is offered to decision-makers so they will be able to: (i) identify the potential knowledge loss; (ii) determine leaders; (iii) establish who is going to act as a knowledge diffuser, by sharing what they know with their coworkers, and who is going to act as a knowledge repository, by focusing on acquiring increasingly more knowledge; (iv) identify the elements that influence employees' future knowledge sharing intention.

Keywords: Knowledge sharing; Future knowledge flows; Social network analysis; Strategic planning and implementation; Insurance sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162516301895
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:114:y:2017:i:c:p:103-118

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2016.07.032

Access Statistics for this article

Technological Forecasting and Social Change is currently edited by Fred Phillips

More articles in Technological Forecasting and Social Change from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().