THE DOWNSIDE OF NETWORKS: THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF A GRAYING WORKFORCE ON KNOWLEDGE RETENTION

Patricia Katopol
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Patricia Katopol: School of Library and Information Science, University of Iowa, USA

Chapter 7 in Knowledge Management:Competencies and Professionalism, 2008, pp 77-84 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: AbstractCan there be a downside to social networks in the workplace? This paper presents empirical evidence indicating that a network of long-time employees may restrict knowledge retention in the organization. The study found that support staff in a municipal government environment depended upon their deep social networks to obtain and share information. While this behavior may have short-term benefits, the findings suggest that there may be a negative effect on knowledge retention where: 1) network members are long term employees who prefer to obtain information from familiar, rather than the best, sources; 2) information obtained is not shared; 3) the focus is on completing tasks at hand rather than retaining knowledge for the long term, and 4) network members with expertise are close to retirement.

Keywords: Knowledge Management; Knowledge Management Practices; Knowledge Sharing; Skills and Competencies; Professionalism; Organizational Memory; Knowledge Processes; Knowledge Management Profession (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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