Knowledge development and advice networks in professional organizations

Abstract

In this paper, social network analysis techniques and regression models are used to explain the impact of the level of knowledge development on ego-network redundancy in a community of hospital physicians. Our findings document that the level of knowledge development and the extent to which knowledge is homogeneously distributed amongst collaborating physicians are related to the redundancy of their advice networks, albeit with opposite effects. Our results highlight also that the impact of these relationships on network redundancy is moderated based on whether partnering individuals belong to different professional groups. Our results provide valuable input for the management of knowledge networks within professional organizations.

Keywords:

• Knowledge development
• social networks
• professional organizations
• hospitals

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mats Magnusson, Jennie Bjork and seminar audiences at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm), Department of Integrated Product Development, for their helpful comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this paper.