Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The value of online networks of practice: the role of embeddedness and media use

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Information Technology

Abstract

This article addresses the question how networks of practice (NoPs) can create value (operationalized as their contribution to individual members’ performance) for organizations through knowledge integration and management. The discussion focuses on two sets of variables influencing member performance: the embeddedness of the network and the use of different media. Three dimensions of embeddedness are distinguished: (1) embeddedness in practice: the extent to which the knowledge shared in the network is integrated in members’ (local) practices; (2) structural embeddedness: the extent to which network members are connected to each other and know who knows what; and (3) relational embeddedness: the extent to which the network is characterized by strong social ties. In terms of communication media, information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled and face-to-face interaction are distinguished. A survey study among 206 members of different NoPs reveals that all three forms of embeddedness are important antecedents of NoP member performance (explaining 43% of the variance in performance) and that these forms are interrelated. Furthermore, ICT use positively influences embeddedness in practice, whereas face-to-face communication contributes to the structural and relational embeddedness of an NoP. This contributes to knowledge management and ICT literature in general and NoP theory in particular.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agterberg, M., Van den Hooff, B., Huysman, M. and Soekijad, M. (2010). Keeping the Wheels Turning: The dynamics of managing networks of practice, Journal of Management Studies 47 (1): 85–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bos, N., Olson, J., Gergle, D., Olson, G. and Wright, Z. (2002). Effects of Four Computer-mediated Communication Channels on Trust Development, in Proceedings of Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) 2002 (Minneapolis, MN, April 2002); New York: ACM Press, 135–140.

  • Brown, J.S. and Duguid, P. (1991). Organizational Learning and Communities-of-practice: Toward a unified view of working, learning and innovation, Organization Science 2: 40–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J.S. and Duguid, P. (2001). Knowledge and Organization: A social-practice perspective, Organization Science 12: 198–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Browne, M.W. and Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative Ways of Assessing Model Fit, in K.A. Bollen and J.S. Long (eds.) Testing Structural Equation Models, Newbury Park, CA: Sage, pp. 136–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgoon, J.K., Stoner, G.M., Bonito, J.A. and Dunbar, N.E. (2003). Trust and Deception in Mediated Communication, in Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science, HICSS (Kona, HI).

  • Carlson, J.R. and Zmud, R.W. (1999). Channel Expansion Theory and the Experiential Nature of Media Richness Perceptions, Academy of Management Journal 42 (2): 153–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, S. and Brown, J.S. (1999). Bridging Epistemologies: The generative dance between organizational knowledge and organizational knowing, Organization Science 32: 554–569.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daft, R.L. and Lengel, R.H. (1984). Information Richness: A new approach to managerial behavior and organizational design, in L.L. Cummings and B.M. Staw (eds.) Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 6, Homewood, IL: JAI Press, pp. 191–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daft, R.L. and Lengel, R.H. (1986). Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness and Structural Design, Management Science 32: 554–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis, A.R., Fuller, R.M. and Valacich, J.S. (2008). Media, Tasks and Communication Processes: A theory of media synchronicity, MIS Quarterly 32 (3): 575–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dennis, A.R. and Valacich, J.S. (1999). Rethinking Media Richness: Towards a theory of media synchronicity, in Proceedings of the 32nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (Kona, HI); Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press.

  • Foss, N.J. and Pedersen, T. (2004). Organizing Knowledge Processes in the Multinational Corporation: An introduction, Journal of International Business Studies 35: 340–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gherardi, S. (2000). Practice-based Theorizing on Learning and Knowing in Organizations, Organization 7 (2): 211–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties, American Journal of Sociology 78 (6): 1360–1380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic Action and Social Structure: The problem of embeddedness, American Journal of Sociology 91 (3): 481–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulati, R. (1998). Alliances and Networks, Strategic Management Journal 19: 293–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handy, C. (1995). Trust and the Virtual Organization, Harvard Business Review 73 (3): 40–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, M.T., Mors, M.L. and Løvås, B. (2005). Knowledge Sharing in Organizations: Multiple networks, multiple phases, Academy of Management Journal 48: 776–793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hislop, D. (2002). Mission Impossible? Communicating and sharing knowledge via information technology, Journal of Information Technology 17: 165–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hislop, D. (2005). Knowledge Management in Organizations: A critical introduction, London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hustad, E. and Teigland, R. (2005). Taking a Differentiated View of Intra-organizational Distributed Networks of Practice: A case study exploring knowledge activities, diversity, and communication media use, in P. van den Besselaar, G. de Michelis, J. Preece and C. Simone (eds.) Communities and Technologies, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huysman, M. and Wulf, V. (2006). IT to Support Knowledge Sharing in Communities, Towards a Social Capital Analyis, Journal of Information Technology 21: 40–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvenpaa, S.L. and Leidner, D.E. (1999). Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams, Organization Science 10 (6): 791–815.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kayany, J., Wotring, C.E. and Forrest, E.J. (1996). Relational Control and Interactive Media Choice in Technology-mediated Communication Situations, Human Communication Research 22 (3): 399–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiesler, S., Siegel, J. and McGuire, T.W. (1984). Social Psychological Aspects of Computer-mediated Communication, American Psychologist 39 (10): 1123–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogut, B. and Zander, U. (1993). Knowledge of the Firm and the Evolutionary Theory of the Multinational Corporation, Journal of International Business Studies 24: 625–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam, A. (1997). Embedded Firms, Embedded Knowledge: Problems of collaboration and knowledge transfer in global cooperative ventures, Organization Studies 18 (6): 973–996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, M.L. (1994). Electronic Mail as the Medium of Managerial Choice, Organization Science 5 (4): 502–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Münzer, S. and Holmer, T. (2009). Bridging the Gap between Media Synchronicity and Task Performance: Effects of media characteristics on process variables and task performance indicators in an information pooling task, Communication Research 36 (1): 76–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nahapiet, J. and Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organizational Advantage, Academy of Management Review 22: 242–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlikowski, W.J. (1992). The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the concept of technology in organizations, Organization Science 3: 398–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ormrod, S., Ferlie, E., Warren, F. and Norton, K. (2007). The Appropriation of New Organizational Forms within Networks of Practice: Founder and founder-related ideological power, Human Relations 60: 745–767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Postmes, T., Spears, R. and Lea, M. (1998). Breaching or Building Social Boundaries? SIDE-effects of computer-mediated communication, Communication Research 25: 689–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J. (2000). From Know-how to Show-how? Questioning the role of information and communication technologies in knowledge transfer, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management 12 (4): 429–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, R.E. and Shook, D. (1990). Relationships of Job Categories and Organizational Levels to Use of Communications Channels, Including Electronic Mail: A meta-analysis and extension, Journal of Management Studies 27 (2): 195–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Short, J., Williams, E. and Christie, B. (1976). The Social Psychology of Telecommunications, London: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K.G., Collins, C.J. and Clark, K.D. (2005). Existing Knowledge, Knowledge Creation Capability, and the Rate of New Product Introduction in High-technology Firms, Academy of Management Journal 48: 346–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sproull, L. and Kiesler, S. (1986). Reducing Social Context Cues: Electronic mail in organizational communication, Management Science 32 (11): 1492–1512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tagliaventi, M.R. and Mattarelli, E. (2006). The Role of Networks of Practice, Value Sharing, and Operational Proximity in Knowledge Flows between Professional Groups, Human Relations 59: 291–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trevino, L.K., Daft, R.L. and Lengel, R.H. (1990). Understanding Manager's Media Choices: A symbolic interactionist perspective, in J. Fulk and C.W. Steinfield (eds.) Organizations and Communication Technology, Newbury Park, CA: Sage, pp. 71–94.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, W. and Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social Capital and Value Creation: The role of intrafirm networks, Academy of Management Journal 41 (4): 464–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hooff, B., Agterberg, M. and Huysman, M. (2007). Embeddedness and Media Use in Networks of Practice, in C. Steinfield, B.T. Pentland, M. Ackerman and N. Contractor (eds.) Communities and Technologies, London: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hooff, B., Groot, J. and De Jonge, S. (2005). Situational Influences on the Use of Communication Technologies: A meta-analysis and exploratory study, Journal of Business Communication 42 (1): 4–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Hooff, B. and Huysman, M. (2009). Managing Knowledge Sharing: Emergent and engineering approaches, Information and Management 46 (1): 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaast, E. (2004). O Brother, Where Art Thou? From communities to networks of practice through intranet use, Management Communication Quarterly 18 (1): 5–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walther, J.B. (1992). Interpersonal Effects in Computer-Mediated Communication: A relational perspective, Communication Research 19: 52–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walther, J.B. (1996). Computer-Mediated Communication; Impersonal, Interpersonal and Hyperpersonal Interaction, Communication Research 23 (1): 3–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walther, J.B. (1997). Group and Interpersonal Effects in International Computer-mediated Collaboration, Human Communication Research 23 (3): 342–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walther, J.B. and Burgoon, J.K. (1992). Relational Communication in Computer-Mediated Interaction, Human Communication Research 21: 460–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasko, M.M. and Faraj, S. (2005). Why Should I Share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice, MIS Quarterly 29 (1): 35–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whelan, E. (2007). Exploring Knowledge Exchange in Electronic Networks of Practice, Journal of Information Technology 22: 5–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We appreciate the help of Hiroshi-Coen de Bruijn and Marc Leidner in the data collection for this study. We thank Janet Fulk, three anonymous reviewers and the editors of the Special Issue for their valuable comments on previous versions of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Bart van den Hooff, Maura Soekijad & Marleen Huysman

  2. Viadesk BV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Femke de Leeuw van Weenen

Authors
  1. Bart van den Hooff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Femke de Leeuw van Weenen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maura Soekijad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marleen Huysman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

van den Hooff, B., van Weenen, F., Soekijad, M. et al. The value of online networks of practice: the role of embeddedness and media use. J Inf Technol 25, 205–215 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1057/jit.2010.11

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jit.2010.11

Keywords

Search

Navigation