Introduction to Part II—Knowledge Integration in Networks

Abstract

In order to achieve the needed competence and knowledge in the business world, companies more and more today need and indeed must depend on their external knowledge sources. In this section of the book, we examine networks as external knowledge sources, from a focal company’s and network node’s point of view. Knowledge integration in this context means learning the processes, in other words, the needed knowledge collected from network parties that is performed for a specific purpose to accumulate existing knowledge of the organization. Our examination is based on epistemological assumptions. We understand that knowledge sharing and utilization of a company’s external knowledge are not self-evident processes. They are both strongly related to individual learning; that is, different forms of knowledge (tacit or explicit) are needed for different learning or knowledge acquisition methods that in turn lead to different ways of examination. Further, according to cognitivist epistemology, when an individual gathers information from an external environment (from his/her own organization or a network partner’s organization), the person stores and interprets the received information based on his or her own existing experiences. On the other hand, connectionist epistemology emphasizes the large number of integrating units (e.g., network) more than the individuals. According to this epistemology, units have the possibility to affect one another using stimulus connections. Both epistemological assumptions do examine information processing as the basic activity of the system. However, the connectionist assumption emphasizes the system itself, and then relationships and communication become the most important issues of cognition.