ABSTRACT
Electronic networks of practice refer to information and communication technology (ICT)-supported social networks, similar to communities of practice. In today’s business organizations, the trend toward globalization and rapid advances in ICT has spurred the emergence of numerous electronic networks of practice, which allow individuals widely distributed across time and space to help each other, work together, and share information and knowledge around a common practice. Electronic networks of practice rely on a collection of modern information and communication technologies, including e-mail, video/audio-conferencing, instant messaging and chat, listserv, newsgroup and bulletin board systems, interactive white board, and collaborative technologies. By eliminating the spatial and temporal limitations of traditional networks, electronic networks of practice provide faster access to wider sources of knowledge by bringing otherwise dissociated actors into contact and expediting information flow in the networks. However, the availability of more knowledge resources does not necessarily translate to improved knowledge utilization within electronic networks of practice. This chapter focuses on the development of electronic networks of practice to promote effective knowledge transfer, sharing, and utilization in business organizations. Since electronic networks of practice consist of ICT-enabled network ties among individuals, this chapter aims to answer the following research questions: (1) How do the characteristics of ICT used for an electronic network of practice influence knowledge utilization within the network?; (2) How do the structural properties of an electronic network of practice affect knowledge utilization within the network?
