Digital social network technology and the complex organizational systems
| Date | 26 June 2007 |
| Published date | 26 June 2007 |
| Pages | 180-191 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/03055720710759955 |
| Author | Alon Hasgall,Snunith Shoham |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Digital social network technology
and the complex organizational
systems
Alon Hasgall and Snunith Shoham
Department of Information Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Abstract
Purpose – In a competitive business environment, organizations must leverage their resources
efficiently in order to provide system-wide solutions and maintain the standards all customers expect.
To do so, the resources must be integrated; however, the integration of information and resources
within organizations has thus far not produced satisfactory results. In contrast, it has been found that
efficient, ongoing and timely transfer of information is conducted over the internet. This research
seeks to examine whether the use of internet technology within organizations can indeed enhance and
streamline the ability of employees to function as fractals in complex organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – The research is a qualitative study, allowing for the
examination of behavior in the organizational reality as is, by analyzing intervie ws and
observations of over 60 employees in different organizations.
Findings – It is found that the ability of a digital social network to create immediate system-wide
solutions, together with a management approach that transforms the organization into a complex
adaptive system, allows employees to behave as fractals – i.e. to share applied-knowledge, to take
responsibility for performance and management of the processes, to update their superiors, and to
develop self-management abilities at the local level.
Originality/value – Social networks in organizations should be viewed as a shared “knowledge”
system. Use of the network is “natural” and less rational and synchronized up front. However, it must
be backed by a relevant management culture that enables all employees to serve as fractals in a
complex adaptive system. In this manner, employees can contribute personally to work processes,
determine their needs, and receive credit.
Keywords Social networks,Knowledge sharing, Adaptive systemtheory, Internet
Paper type Research paper
Theoretical background
The organizational environment in today’s digital world is chara cterized by
accelerated global development of communications, technology and portability
(Banathi, 1996). At the same time, we can see a transition to an individualistic
philosophy, according to which every customer or employee of the organization can
demand and must receive customized attention (Inglehart, 1990). These characteristics
lead to an increasingly accepted work assumption maintaining that for the
organization to produce immediate, customized and relevant solutions for customers,
it must take advantage of all its resources, including the knowledge of its employees.
Such “knowledge” can enable employees to quickly customize solutions to the
requirements and needs of customers, while maximizing organizational resources
(Shoham and Hasgall, 2005). Thus, the ability to make the most of the knowledge at the
right time and place becomes a strategic asset, and by using knowledge management
processes, the organization can cope in a dynamic environment (Oliver and Roos, 1999).
The basic assumption in this type of situation is that intensive integration between
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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VINE
37,2
180
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 37 No. 2, 2007
pp. 180-191
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055720710759955
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