Anabel Quan-haase

Information Brokering in the High-tech Industry: Online Social Networks at Work Anabel Quan-haase

Despite the recent interest on how social networks contribute to the flow of information in organizations, there is little understanding about the positions of actors and the role technology plays. The aim of this book is to show how social network analysis can be employed to identify social roles, e.g. stars, team players, reaching and bridging actors. This book provides an overview of literature in information theory and technology, and social networks on- and offline. Then, a case study is outlined of a high-tech company that analyzes disconnections by looking at cliques, clusters, and gaps. We establish means to promote existing information and knowledge networks, and to help develop a beneficial knowledge sharing culture. This book will help managers, human resources departments, and professionals improve business processes by providing an assessment tool of the existing social networks and a model to improve information flows. This book is also a great resource for management, IT, and information courses as it provides a case study of a high-tech sector company helping identify critical pathways in the information networks and suggesting ways of strengthening them.