Beyond answers: dimensions of the advice network

Cross, Rob; Borgatti, Stephen P.; Parker, Andrew

doi:10.1016/s0378-8733(01)00041-7

Cited by 290 publications

(214 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…57,58,60,61 Several authors discuss the nature of knowledge created, focusing either on the particular role of tacit knowledge [66][67][68] or on the nature of relational ties in knowledge networks. 69,70 These papers point to the range of information and ideas that can be integrated into collective problem-solving processes, echoing the points made in Chapter 1.…”

Section: The Main Themesmentioning

confidence: 93%

The role of informal networks in creating knowledge among health-care managers: a prospective case study

Ward

West

Smith

et al. 2014

Health Services and Delivery Research

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BackgroundHealth and well-being services, in common with many public services, cannot be delivered by a single organisation and require co-ordination across several organisations in a locality. There is some evidence, mostly from other sectors, that middle managers play pivotal roles in this co-ordination by developing networks of relationships with colleagues in other organisations. These networks of relationships, established over time, provide contexts in which managers can, collectively, create the knowledge needed to address the challenges they encounter. Relatively little is known, however, about how these knowledge-creation processes work in a health-care context.AimThis study focuses on how health and well-being managers collectively create knowledge. Our objectives were to develop a better understanding of the way that knowledge is created within and between health-care organisations, across different managerial levels, and of the role played by informal networks in those processes.MethodsThe study was undertaken in health and well-being services in three sites in northern England, employing a case study design. The field methods used were landscape mapping, structured data collection for network analysis and latent position cluster analysis, and semi-structured interviews for narrative analysis. Our network modelling approach used the concepts of latent position network models and latent position cluster models. We used these models to identify clusters of people within networks, and people who acted as bridgers between clusters. We then interviewed middle managers who – on the evidence of our cluster models – occupied similar positions in our graphs. The latter were used to produce practice-based narratives of knowledge creation.ResultsOur narrative results showed that middle managers were synthesisers, in three different senses. First, they draw on different types of information, from a range of sources – quantitative routine data about populations and services, reports on progress against contractual targets, research evidence, and intelligence from colleagues in other localities. Second, they are able to link national policies and local priorities, and reconcile them with local operational realities. They are not always successful, but can integrate the different approaches and working practices of NHS, local authority, private and voluntary organisations. Third, they are able to link ideas, negotiation and action. We found that the network results were most usefully represented asclusters, explaining relationships between actors. Actors within clusters had common attributes, and as a result we were able to interpret the broad purpose of each of the clusters in the graphs for each site. The most useful number of clusters was three or four for both network types, and for both sampling periods, at each of the three sites. The clusters at all three sites had a mix of organisations represented within them. There was a mix of seniorities of managers in all clusters. Relationships were simultaneously formal and informal: formal contracts were managed in a context of ongoing conversations and negotiations. Relationships were simultaneously stable and fluid, with stable ‘cores’ of managers but memberships that varied substantially between two periods of data collection.ConclusionsOur theory about knowledge creation was broadly supported. Managers of health and well-being services develop and maintain knowledge collectively. Their collective efforts are typically manifested either in projects requiring multiorganisational inputs or in taking ideas from genesis to the delivery of a new service. The cluster modelling suggests that networks of managers are able to maintain relationships, and hence conserve technical and prudential knowledge, over months and years. Priorities for future work include establishing the value of latent cluster modelling in understanding the work of groups and teams in other health and social care settings, and studying knowledge creation in the context of the interorganisational co-ordination of services.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

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Section: The Main Themesmentioning

confidence: 93%

The role of informal networks in creating knowledge among health-care managers: a prospective case study

Ward

West

Smith

et al. 2014

Health Services and Delivery Research

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“…For a community to be vibrant there should also be an active participation on the demand side: numerous members should be visiting the CoP web site, using online search tools or posting questions when they search for advice or information (Cross et al, 2001). Therefore, the second requirements (willingness to share knowledge and willingness to use a CoP as a source of knowledge) apply to any community of practice, be it face-to-face or virtual.…”

Section: Virtual Knowledge Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Service Oriented Application in Agent Based Virtual Knowledge Community

Yusuf¹,

Folorunso²,

Akinwale³

et al. 2011

CIS

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With the availability of the Internet, virtual communities are proliferating at an unprecedented rate. In-depth understanding of virtual community dynamics can help us to address critical organizational and information systems issues such as communities-of-practice, virtual collaboration, and knowledge management. The biggest challenge in fostering a virtual community is the supply of knowledge through services and the willingness to share knowledge with other members. This paper integrates the Service Oriented Architecture and Agent Based Theory to construct a Reinforced Concrete design (RCD) model for Reinforced Concrete Analysts and Designers in virtual communities. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the sharing of knowledge in virtual community from the perspective of RCD serviceability service. Results confirm that RC Designers will share knowledge; if their perceive benefit exceed the cost of their sharing behaviour. This study is useful for the developers of Service oriented Applications for virtual communities to insight into knowledge sharing in cyberspace for RCD.

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“…In understanding the advice network, one seeks to know "Who consults who on work related matters?" (Cross et al, 2001). This allows for the identification of the individuals consulted when one faces specific problems related to ones' tasks; from an individual standpoint, this can be seen as one's "personal network of experts".…”

Section: Instrumental and Expressive Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Brass, 1992;Brass and Burkhardt, 1992;Brass et al, 1998;Cross et al, 2001;Ibarra, 1993a;Krackhardt and Brass, 1994;Saint-Charles, 2001). For example, in her study on innovation involvement, Ibarra (1993a) showed that the correlation between status and centrality was higher in instrumental network than in expressive networks.…”

Section: Different Situations Call For Different Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different relationships for coping with ambiguity and uncertainty in organizations

Saint‐Charles

Mongeau

2009

Social Networks

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a b s t r a c tThis study seeks to shed light on the relationship between the situation and the activation of specific relationships. We hypothesized that the type of uncertainty present in a situation would prompt people to call upon different relationships based on different types of trust: cognitive trust for expertise and affective trust for friendship. We elaborated vignettes as name generators to test whether the colleagues called upon in different situations were perceived as being more friends or more experts. The perceived level of expertise and friendship were evaluated with Likert-style scales. The results support our theoretical argument to the effect that the "activation" of a relationship is influenced by the type of uncertainty a person is confronted to. Situations of information uncertainty elicit recourse to relationships based on expertise while ambiguous situations call for friendship.

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Beyond answers: dimensions of the advice network

Cited by 290 publications

References 25 publications

The role of informal networks in creating knowledge among health-care managers: a prospective case study

The role of informal networks in creating knowledge among health-care managers: a prospective case study

Service Oriented Application in Agent Based Virtual Knowledge Community

Different relationships for coping with ambiguity and uncertainty in organizations

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