Abstract
The problems knowledge workers face today are dynamic, unstructured, highly complex, and often cannot be fully explicated. Such moving targets require different problem solving capabilities. Because abstract information is less valuable in this type of environment, knowledge workers have to utilize channels other than handbooks. Hence, corporate knowledge networks again are at the top of the research agenda. For a knowledge worker, access to knowledgeable colleagues, rather than access to large databases, becomes the important factor. In such networks, the question of which managerial actions are appropriate for successful community development ( i.e., supporting the actors) arises. Unfortunately, today’s community engineering practices are often characterized by a gross simplification and strong technological focus rather than modeling the impact of managerial actions before taking them. As part of a larger research project, this paper addresses topological structures as an action variable of community engineering. A computer-based simulation model is introduced and applied to real-life data from over 800 students and staff of the Economics and Business Administration Department at Frankfurt University, Germany.
Recommended Citation
Schrott, Gregor and Beimborn, Daniel, "Informal Knowledge Networks: Toward a Community-Engineering Framework" (2003). ICIS 2003 Proceedings. 77.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2003/77