Knowledge Networks

A knowledge network is a network used by knowledge-sharing entities, such as individuals, organizations, and nonhuman agents (e.g., websites, content, and referral databases). Peter R. Monge and Noshir Contractor (2003) described such networks as distributed repositories of knowledge elements or units that form a larger knowledge domain. The concept of knowledge networks applies the social network perspective to understand how knowledge is obtained, learned, and transferred in organizational structures and by networked individuals. The process through which knowledge circulates within knowledge networks reflects and affects how knowledge is created, distributed, and applied.

Knowledge networks take numerous forms. For example, the Web can be used for knowledge acquisition, sharing, and application. So too, social media constitute individual and organizational knowledge networks. These networks allow members of organizations to create, share, and use strategic knowledge to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Such networks are especially valuable for high-tech companies and institutions that rely heavily on knowledge for survival and development (e.g., universities, research institutions). Effective knowledge networks help keep an optimal rate of knowledge creation and sharing and therefore facilitate information exchanges.

Knowledge networks exist at organizational, regional, and global levels. At the organizational level, an effective knowledge network offers organizations benefits, such as greater customer intimacy, improved strategic planning, flexible adaptation to market changes, improved decision-making processes, and rapid and flexible supply chain management. These can have regional and even global impact.

Effective knowledge networks can be created by a combination of new organizational designs and the adoption of new technologies (e.g., data mining and intelligent agents). Public relations practitioners should play active roles in the building and maintenance of these networks, especially by providing knowledge that can be stored, shared, and retrieved through them.

At the regional and global level, knowledge networks incorporate professional associations, academic institutions, development agencies, foundations, think tanks, consultancy firms, individual experts, and scientific communities that organize around special subjects or issues. A network amplifies and disseminates ideas, research, and information to an extent that could hardly be achieved by particular individuals or institutions. Moreover, a network confers legitimacy and pools authority and respectability. Especially for nongovernmental organizations and activist groups, knowledge networks help to draw media attention and provide information to followers.

In the knowledge economy, knowledge has become an important resource for organizations and individuals. Public relations practitioners should be aware of the importance of such networks and [Page 500]help their organizations build and maintain them effectively.