WWW/Internet - Portal do Software Público Brasileiro

ISBN: 978-972-8939-25-0 © 2010 IADIS1996; Woodman et al. 1993). Differences lead to an increase in shared knowledge and to differentapproaches to face a problem (Kanter 1988, Andrews & Smith, 1996).Following this logic, some authors focused on benefits arising from the involvement of external actors(Kimberly & Evanisko, 1981), activating inter-organizational learning processes. Firms can maximize theeffectiveness of their inter-organizational learning processes by reaching the so-called “optimal cognitivedistance” (Nooteboom & Gilsing, 2004, 2006). Cognitive distance is the difference between cognitivepatterns and knowledge shared among the individuals involved in learning process. This level is a function oftwo different dimensions (in ‘trade off’): the level of absorption of exchanged knowledge shown byindividuals involved in learning processes (absorptive capacity) and the variety of exchanged knowledge.The level of cognitive distance explains what Nooteboom & Gisling (2004) call “network forexploration” and “network for exploitation”. Within networks for exploitation there is an effort to combineand to improve knowledge provided by members. This strategy is based on the research of synergy andcomplementarities. The focus is on the absorptive capacity level. In these networks there are predominantlystrong ties among members that show many similarities (Lincoln & Miller, 1979; Ibarra 1992). On thecontrary, ‘networks of exploration’ aim at reaching upper levels of innovation, investing more on variety ofknowledge shared. Ties among different members tend to be weak: this means also low affinity levels amongthem (Granovetter, 1982; Perry-Smith & Shalley, 2003).WC is a particular kind of network based on Web based technologies. It can be seen as the evolution ofCommunities of Practice (CoPs) (Wenger, 1998; Micelli, 1999; Hasan & Crawford, 2003). CoPs are createdin order to find common answers to problems related to the work of its members, sharing knowledge andexperiences. Also within WCs we can distinguish between ones in which learning is made by the valorizationof different knowledge (as in network for exploration) and ones in which people have similar knowledge (asin network for exploitation).The moderation process of the WC can be fundamental for the creation of a community more focused onexploiting knowledge (Pedersen, 2008). In other situations uniformity is caused by a strong social pressure,sometimes expressed in a very specific language shared by WC members, e.g. in forums about finance,engineering, medicine etc. Nevertheless, WC can be more similar to network for exploration when they areless cohesive such as in the case of members that have weaker ties to each other, changing more frequentlyand without leadership roles well defined. The huge number of individuals, variety and dynamism of sharedknowledge are really important for the creation of new knowledge, as in WCs like Wikipedia and YahooAnswer.3. THE CASE STUDY: ROLAND DG MID EUROPERoland DG Mid Europe srl (Roland), based in Italy, is a subsidiary of Roland DG Corporation 1 , a world classmanufacturer of computer peripherals on visual communication and digital graphics. Roland has 45employees and attends to the Italian market, the French and Balkan area, with a revenue in 2009 of about 26million Euros 2 and a market share of about 50%. We analyzed our case-study through 7 interviews toRoland’s Community Manager and Communication Manager - the 2 key figures in managing Roland WC -and document analysis.Firstly, we identified Roland’s strategies for community’s creation and development, both on-line andoff-line (table 1). We found that tools and applications are conceived to create a cohesive community basedon strong connections or to increase visibility, thus drawing users, and enhancing the variety of sharedknowledge. This strategy combines the benefits of networks for exploitation and exploration.1 Roland DG Corporation, has more than 560 employees. Its head office is in Japan but it works also in USA, Belgium, Austria, UK,Spain, Italy and Denmark.2 It is decreasing compared with 2008 because of financial crisis (33m Euros), but it will be recovering in 2010.294