Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management, Second Edition

Abstract

Reviewing the growing body of literature on how networks facilitate the management and organization of knowledge, in this chapter three types of networks are discerned: social networks, alliance networks, and organizational networks. Studies of social networks have mainly focused on how the structural and relational characteristics of ties influence knowledge seeking and transfer. Research on alliance networks has mainly concentrated on how firms access the multiple complementary knowledge bases of partners in an alliance portfolio, and on how knowledge is acquired among firms. Studies of organizational networks have centered on how different structures and management processes facilitate knowledge creation and transfer within firms. Since each research stream has contributed uniquely to the study of knowledge and networks, this chapter emphasizes how these three network types complement each other. Finally, studies examining the creation of relational and alliance capabilities are reviewed. The insights developed in this chapter are employed to identify promising future research directions.