Motivation factors of knowledge collaboration in virtual communities of practice: a perspective from system dynamics

An Intelligent Digital Media Asset Management Model Based on Business Ecosystem

In the context of media convergence, it is of great significance to study and discuss the intelligent digital media asset management model and build a digital media asset management ecosystem model to carry out effective digital media asset management for media organizations and promote the value creation of digital media content assets. Based on the business ecosystem, this study adopts a system dynamics approach to construct a system dynamics model through theoretical research and simulation analysis. By studying the positioning of intelligent digital media asset management and service patterns, the basic framework of digital media asset management ecosystems is proposed. To explore the interaction between different factors, the system dynamics model of value creation in digital media asset management ecosystems is built in this paper. This study provides new insights for media organizations on building an intelligent digital media asset management model and promoting the development and utilization of media content resources.

The Impact of Different Internet Application Contexts on Knowledge Transfer between Enterprises

This paper investigates the effect of different Internet application scenarios on the forward and reverse knowledge transfer between architecture enterprises and component enterprises in the context of modular production in manufacturing enterprises. After dividing the Internet contexts into three the perspectives of Internet tools, Internet platforms, and Internet resources, this paper adopts a system dynamics approach to construct a causality model and a system flow diagram of the influence of different Internet contexts on the knowledge transfer between architecture enterprises and component enterprises, and uses Vensim PLE software to simulate and conduct a sensitivity analysis of the model. The results show that the three Internet contexts, namely Internet tools, Internet platforms, and Internet resources, can promote both positive and negative knowledge transfer between architecture enterprises and component enterprises, and exhibit a steadily growing trend of promotion; Internet tools and Internet resources are more conducive to positive knowledge transfer from architecture enterprises to component enterprises, and Internet platforms have a stronger facilitation effect on the reverse knowledge transfer from the component enterprises to the architecture enterprises. Our research offers useful recommendations for businesses on how to utilize various Internet settings to promote and assist effective knowledge transfer.

The role of members’ lived experience in the evolution of online communities toward online communities of practice

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how the lived experience of online communities’ participants makes these communities evolve into online communities of practice (CoPs).

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research design was used among backpackers. Data on backpackers’ lived experience and interactions were collected.

Findings

The results suggest a process of how online communities can become genuine online CoPs, thanks to participants’ lived experience. Their activities (information search, perceived benefits and electronic word-of-mouth) result in knowledge sharing and creation. The findings also emphasize the roles of expertise and offline interactions as process moderators.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on one specific practice to conduct the research (i.e. backpacking), which limits the generalizability of the results.

Practical implications

This study offers several implications for companies and stakeholders. First, it describes how the lived experience transforms online communities into CoPs and helps stakeholders obtain knowledge for customers to innovate. Second, it analyzes the processes of participation, interaction and promotion to share and create knowledge for customers to increase stakeholders’ competitiveness. Third, this study integrates members’ offline interactions by highlighting their potential effects on tacit knowledge loss in online CoPs.

Originality/value

The literature posits that online communities may evolve into online CoPs through a three-stage hierarchical path, but the underlying mechanisms and members’ contributions to the process have been largely neglected in the literature.

Environment, Business, and Health Care Prevail: A Comprehensive, Systematic Review of System Dynamics Application Domains

System dynamics, as a methodology for analyzing and understanding various types of systems, has been applied in research for several decades. We undertook a review to identify the latest application domains and map the realm of system dynamics. The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA methodology. We analyzed and categorized 212 articles and found that the vast majority of studies belong to the fields of business administration, health, and environmental research. Altogether, 20 groups of modeling and simulation topics can be recognized. System dynamics is occasionally supported by other modeling methodologies such as the agent-based modeling approach. There are issues related to published studies mostly associated with testing of validity and reasonability of models, leading to the development of predictions that are not grounded in verified models. This study contributes to the development of system dynamics as a methodology that can offer new ideas, highlight limitations, or provide analogies for further research in various research disciplines.

Exploring the Factors Influencing Consumers to Voluntarily Reward Free Health Service Contributors in Online Health Communities: Empirical Study

BACKGROUND

Rewarding health knowledge and health service contributors with money is one possible approach for the sustainable provision of health knowledge and health services in online health communities (OHCs); however, the reasons why consumers voluntarily reward free health knowledge and health service contributors are still underinvestigated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to address the abovementioned gap by exploring the factors influencing consumers' voluntary rewarding behaviors (VRBs) toward contributors of free health services in OHCs.

METHODS

On the basis of prior studies and the cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST), we incorporated two health service content-related variables (ie, informational support and emotional support) and two interpersonal factors (ie, social norm compliance and social interaction) and built a proposed model. We crawled a dataset from a Chinese OHC for mental health, coded it, extracted nine variables, and tested the model with a negative binomial model.

RESULTS

The data sample included 2148 health-related questions and 12,133 answers. The empirical results indicated that the effects of informational support (β=.168; P<.001), emotional support (β=.463; P<.001), social norm compliance (β=.510; P<.001), and social interaction (β=.281; P<.001) were significant. The moderating effects of social interaction on informational support (β=.032; P=.02) and emotional support (β=-.086; P<.001) were significant. The moderating effect of social interaction on social norm compliance (β=.014; P=.38) was insignificant.

CONCLUSIONS

Informational support, emotional support, social norm compliance, and social interaction positively influence consumers to voluntarily reward free online health service contributors. Social interaction enhances the effect of informational support but weakens the effect of emotional support. This study contributes to the literature on knowledge sharing in OHCs by exploring the factors influencing consumers' VRBs toward free online health service contributors and contributes to the CEST literature by verifying that the effects of experiential and rational systems on individual behaviors can vary while external factors change.

Wisdom of crowds: the effect of participant composition and contribution behavior on Wikipedia article quality

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the effect of participant composition and contribution behavior of the different types of participants on the quality of knowledge generation in online communities.

Design/methodology/approach

This study samples all the featured articles in Chinese Wikipedia and performs a Cox regression to reveal how participant composition and contribution behavior affect the quality of articles in different contexts.

Findings

The results show that an increase in the number of participants increases the possibility of either enhancing or reducing the article quality. In most cases, the greater the proportion of core members (people who frequently participate in editing), the higher the possibility of enhancing the article quality. Occasional participants’ editorial behavior hinders quality promotion, this negative effect weakens when such editorial behavior becomes more frequent.

Practical implications

The findings help to better leverage the role of online communities in practice and to achieve knowledge collaboration in a more efficient manner. For example, an appropriate centralized organizational form should be established in online communities to improve the efficiency of crowd contributions. And it is worth developing mechanism to encourage participants to frequently participate in editing the article.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the research on the organizational forms of online communities by showing the effect of participant composition and behavior in the new form of organizing on knowledge generation. This study also contributes to the research on wisdom of crowds by revealing who in a group of participants, in what context, and by what means influence knowledge generation.

Factors Influencing The Participation Of Nurses In Knowledge-Sharing Within Mobile Instant Messaging Based Virtual Communities Of Practice: A Qualitative Content Analysis

INTRODUCTION

The emergence of mobile instant messaging (MIM) based virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) has provided new opportunities for nurses to share their knowledge and promote collaborative learning. This study was conducted with the aim of exploring the factors influencing nurses' participation in knowledge-sharing within MIM-based VCoPs.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a qualitative study conducted in Tehran, Iran, between April 2017 and July 2018. The participants were 18 nurses that selected through purposeful sampling technique; then, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. Data was analyzed using conventional content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman (2004). Accordingly, all interviews were transcribed and read several times; then, meaning units were identified from the transcribed text based on the aim of the study and codes were extracted from them. Finally, the codes were classified into categories and themes.

RESULTS

A total of 26 sub-categories, seven categories, and two themes were extracted. Motivations for nurses' participating in knowledge-sharing activities within MIM-based VCoPs included the theme "Stimuli for professional interactions" with three categories: "The individual drives", "Attractive interactive environment", and "User-friendly media". On the other hand, participation barriers included the theme "Impediments for professional interactions" with four categories of "Individual hindrances", "Social harm", "Unprofessional interactive environment" and "Undesirable media".

CONCLUSION

The findings of this exploratory study indicated that individual, social and technological factors as well as factors associated with the virtual-community interactive environment could influence nurses' participation in knowledge-sharing within MIM-based VcoPs as motivations and barriers. The insights obtained from this study can be a guide for administrators and educators in the nursing profession to facilitate and enhance nurses' participation in knowledge-sharing within MIM-based VCoPs by strengthening motivations and minimizing barriers.