Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

Maurizio Massaro and Roland Bardy
within <strong>the</strong> firm” (Birkinshaw, 2001), we think that we have to focus on <strong>the</strong> process perspective (Bijaya
and Uday Bhaskar, 2011). The literature review shows multiple approaches on KM processes
distinguishing several phases (a short review is given by Bijaya and Uday Bhaskar (2011). In this
paper we use and refer to <strong>the</strong> knowledge chain model developed by Holsapple (2004, 2005) who
describes five major classes <strong>of</strong> knowledge manipulation activities that take place in a variety <strong>of</strong>
patterns within KM episodes, and four secondary KM classes. Nold (2011) pointed out that this goes
beyond <strong>the</strong> SECI model (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization, developed by
Nonaka and Takeuchi) and <strong>the</strong> Knowledge Chains ”are more robust than many o<strong>the</strong>r models because
<strong>the</strong>y attend to identify enabling factors that drive KM influence and integrate <strong>the</strong> process”. Thus, this
paper focuses on <strong>the</strong> five major classes developed by Holsapple, which, in <strong>the</strong> perspective <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
author, are as follows:
knowledge acquisition, which refers to activities <strong>of</strong> acquiring knowledge form external sources and
making it suitable for subsequence use. The acquisition process involves <strong>the</strong> phases <strong>of</strong>
identification <strong>of</strong> knowledge in <strong>the</strong> organization’s external environment; capturing and organizing
<strong>the</strong> identified knowledge;
knowledge selection, which refers to activities <strong>of</strong> selecting required knowledge from internal
sources and making it suitable for subsequence use. The selection process refers to <strong>the</strong> activity
<strong>of</strong> identifying needed knowledge within an organization’s existing knowledge resources and
providing it in an appropriate representation to an activity that needs it. The process involved <strong>the</strong>
following activities: identifying appropriate knowledge; capturing and organizing <strong>the</strong> identified
knowledge;
knowledge generation, which refers to activities <strong>of</strong> discovering new knowledge from existing
resources. Sub activities involved are: monitoring <strong>the</strong> organization and environmental sources <strong>of</strong>
knowledge, selecting and/or acquiring it; evaluated selected knowledge in terms <strong>of</strong> its usability for
<strong>the</strong> generation task;
knowledge assimilation, which refers to activities <strong>of</strong> altering <strong>the</strong> state <strong>of</strong> an organization’s
knowledge resources by distributing and storing acquired selected or generated knowledge. A
processor performing knowledge assimilation receives knowledge flows from <strong>the</strong>se activities and
procedures knowledge flows that impact <strong>the</strong> organization’s state <strong>of</strong> knowledge. Sub activities are:
screening, filtering knowledge to be assimilated, targeting knowledge resources that are to be
impacted by assimilation, structuring and representing resources <strong>of</strong> knowledge and delivering <strong>the</strong>
targeted knowledge;
knowledge emission, which refers to activities <strong>of</strong> embedding knowledge into organizational
outputs to be released into <strong>the</strong> environment. Some activities involved are: targeting <strong>the</strong> output,
producing, applying embodying, controlling and leveraging knowledge that it is supposed to
transfer.
Within <strong>the</strong>se lines <strong>of</strong> research, a wide variety <strong>of</strong> KM systems have been created for a variety <strong>of</strong>
purposes such as knowledge repositories, corporate directories and general knowledge networks
which support <strong>the</strong> knowledge process (Nold, 2011). This paper tries to demonstrate how BNSs affect
<strong>the</strong> Knowledge Management Process using <strong>the</strong> Holsapple’s model.
3. Methodology
In order to analyze <strong>the</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> BNS on KM process we have decided to use a qualitative case
study (in <strong>the</strong> denomination <strong>of</strong> Yin 1994). Empirical analyses were conducted using <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> ”kids’
space” which is an alliance <strong>of</strong> several Italian companies with <strong>the</strong> aim <strong>of</strong> creating a web 2.0 buzz
network where consumers, architects and designers, inventors and o<strong>the</strong>r experts can talk about
products and services for kids such as : bedding and décor, toys, strollers, cribs, feeding, etc..
Within <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> study, we adopted a multi-method approach that involved collection <strong>of</strong> information
through interviews and o<strong>the</strong>r sources. We analyzed public company reports in order to acquire
general data about <strong>the</strong> firms (turnover, number <strong>of</strong> employees, etc.)and about <strong>the</strong>ir market positioning,
business fields and so on. A qualitative approach was also used through several semi-structured
interviews with 10 managers involved in <strong>the</strong> project. A preliminary interview was developed in order
to acquire information about <strong>the</strong> buzz network strategy and to widen <strong>the</strong> information retrieved from
public sources. Four CEOs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> major companies involved in <strong>the</strong> project were interviewed in person.
A second round <strong>of</strong> interviews was developed within a selected company in order to acquire specific
information about <strong>the</strong> knowledge management process within <strong>the</strong> selected company before and after
<strong>the</strong> adoption <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> buzz network project. Six line managers were interviewed in this company
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