Visualizing Knowledge Networks

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Visualizing Knowledge Networks

• Presentation by
• Andy Swarbrick
• TEClab
• Univeristy of Illinois

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Introduction

• In knowledge intensive firms much of the work is
  done via informal grouping. Knowledge workers
  rely on their contacts to gain access to
  knowledge and other resources.
• The virtualization of the knowledge work
  environment is in danger of hiding the very
  social networks that knowledge workers depend
  upon.

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Overview of Presentation

• The Underlying Academic Theories
• Knowledge and Social Capital
• Networks
• Introduction to I-KNOW
• Examples of I-KNOW in Action
• Benefits of Using I-KNOW
• Advantages of this approach

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Knowledge and Social Capital

• The Knowledge Creating Company
• Combination and Exchange
• The Role of Social Capital

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Knowledge Creating Company

• The Knowledge Based Enterprise
• A social community that specialises in the
  effective transfer and creation of knowledge.
• Knowledge within firms is created by two generic
  processes
• Combination where different types knowledge are
  combined in order to create new knowledge
• Exchange mechanism by which this takes place
  knowledge is transferred from one place to
  another through a social network

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The Role of Social Capital

• Social capital plays a central role in the
  creation of Knowledge.

• Dimensions of Social Capitals
• Structural
• Relational
• Cognitive

• Factors Effecting Knowledge Exchange and
  Combination
• Access
• Anticipation of Value
• Motivation
• Capability

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The Role of Social Capital in the Creation of
Knowledge Capital
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Networks

• Social Networks
• Cognitive Social Structures
• Knowledge Networks
• Cognitive Knowledge Networks
• Types of Work Related Network

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Social Networks

• Its not what you know, its who you know.

Nodes represent people. Links represent who knows
who.
Example How can I get in touch with person X?
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Cognitive Social Structures

• Its not who you know, its who they think you
  know.
• Example I understand that X is an expert in
  topic A. Whom do I know who knows X, and can
  introduce me to X?

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Knowledge Networks

• Who knows what?

• Links representing the shared knowledge could be
  
• skills,
• expertise
• activities,
• interest sets,
• interpretations of project goals
• work flow information.

Nodes represent the individuals, project teams,
organisations, physical locations

• Example I need to find out something about topic
  X. Where do I get this information?

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Cognitive Knowledge Networks

• Who knows who knows what?
• Example I need to know more about topic X. Who
  in my extended (direct or indirect) network can
  tell me more about topic X?

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Summary

• Social Structures are based on who knows who.
• Cognitive Social Structures are based on who
  knows who knows who.
• Knowledge Networks are based on Who knows what.
• Cognitive Knowledge Networks are based on who
  knows who knows what.

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Work Related Network

• Two basic kinds of work related network
• Networks of Practice
• This type of network links people together whom
  they may never get to know but who work on
  similar practices
• Communities of Practice
• A community of practice is a group of people who
  share information, ideas, insights and advice
  about a topic or domain. In the course of doing
  so they develop a common practice (a shared body
  of knowledge, process, rituals, approaches,
  thinking. Over time they build a common history
  and develop a shared identity.

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Main Roles within Social Networks

• The Central Connectors- who link most people in
  the social network.
• The Boundary Spanner who connect an social
  network with other parts of the organisation or
  with other similar networks.
• Information Brokers keep the different sub
  groups in a social network together
• Peripheral Specialists who anyone can turn to
  for specialised expertise
• Cross Prusak, 2002

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Six Myths of Informal Networks

• To build better networks, we have to communicate
  more
• Everyone should be connected to everyone else
• We cant do much to aid informal networks.
• How people fit into networks is a matter of
  personality (which cant be changed)
• Central people that have become bottlenecks
  should make themselves more accessible
• I already know what is going on in my network
• Cross, Nohria Parker , 2002

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I-Know Knowledge Network Analysis

• What is I-Know
• Example Knowledge Network Graph
• An actual I-Know
• Using I-Know
• Advantages of this Approach

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I-Know/ Network Visualisation

• Inquiring Knowledge Networks on the Web. A web
  based tool designed by the University of Illinois
  to analyse the co-evolution of knowledge networks
  and information networks.

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Example Network Graph
Clicking on the link brings up the details of the
relationship
Rectangular Boxes represent individuals/ actors
within the network
Clicking on the rectangles brings up the details
of individual/ actor
Links represent relationships between the actors.
The number of the link represents the strength of
the link.
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Locating Communities

• The following diagrams show the links based on
  both reported contacts and shared interest.
• The following images of maps of the social
  networks are screenshots taken from the a version
  of I-KNOW customised for the communities of
  practice online group, hosted on the Yahoo!
  Groups platform.

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Overlapping Sub Communities Based on Reported
Contact Data
This diagram only shows links between people that
contact each other at least once a week From this
diagram it is clear that group 1 acts as the hub
joining all the groups except for group 8
together.
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Identifying Roles within Networks

• Central Connector

• Boundary Spanner

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Sub Communities of Interest
Using a minimum link strength of one a similar
pattern of overlapping communities begins to
appear.
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Latent Communities of Interest
This diagram shows the network of people based
solely the number of interests shared. This give
a different context of a constellation of
different interest areas within the knowledge
network
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Benefits of Using I-KNOW

• Expertise Location
• Identify areas of potential collaboration
• Identifying sub-communities
• Identifying the different role players
• Identifying networks of practice
• Improve an individuals understanding
• Identify areas of potential collaboration

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Expertise Location

• Being able to identify sets of individuals that
  have certain core competencies, allows
  organisation to manage the development of their
  intellectual capital and personnel by
• ensuring that their experts are well linked into
  the organization and each other.
• enabling people within the network to identify
  links to people who are subject experts, this
  enables the organisation to manage key knowledge
  resources more effectively

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Identifying areas of potential collaboration.

• Being able to identify where people are currently
  engaged in similar tasks, but not connected
  through the social network or chain of
  organisational reporting, allows organisations to
  stop the reinvention of the wheel syndrome,
  where effort is needlessly duplicated. This can
  be achieved by -
• integrating individuals into existing sub
  communites, in order to try and encourage the
  formation of social ties, which will allow the
  two areas to collaborate, and
• identify potential knowledge brokers, between the
  two parties, in order to invoke a dialogue.

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Identifying Sub-Communities

• By being able to identify and ascertain the
  nature of value-adding sub communities,
  organisations and communitys leaders are able
  to -
• encourage and nurture communities. Promoting
  social ties with the wider organisation and
  encouraging links to similar communities to
  improve knowledge sharing
• allocate resources, such as collaboration and
  communication technologies, more appropriately.

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Identifying the different role players

• By being able to identify the types of roles that
  people are taking in the network, individuals,
  community leaders, and organisations are able to
  -
• identify individuals who are well placed to
  distribute information, and improve the
  dissemination of information through the network
• identify individuals who can access distributed
  sources of knowledge.
• identify individuals with needs for additional
  resources to allow them to deal with large
  amounts of information,
• develop personal networking skills, and provide
  them with support for these activities.

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Identifying networks of practice

• Being able to identify people that are engaged in
  the same, or similar tasks, allows organisations
  and community leaders to -
• identify where resources should be directed to
  set up communication networks, which will return
  the highest benefits, in terms of improving
  knowledge transfer.
• leverage investment in existing strategic/ sub
  communities , by ensuring that communities are
  well linked into the wider social networks and
  practice areas. This allows the knowledge
  created in the communities to flow through the
  organisation, in a way that can be more easily
  assimilated.

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Improve an individuals understanding

• Being able to reduce the time it takes to
  understand the underlying social networks allows
  individuals to
• integrate more quickly, when first joining an
  organisation, by being able to identify, and
  being identifiable, to relevant sub communities
  and practice groups.
• move more easily to different areas of the
  organisation, by being able to leverage their
  existing social and knowledge capital to gain
  access to new communities

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Advantages of this Approach

• Return on investment
• Far simpler and cheaper to implement than
  existing KM toolsets based on data warehousing
  and business intelligence technologies
• Ability to integrate in to into wider KM and
  intellectual capital strategies.
• Well suited to low cost pilot and proof of
  concept projects, possible to get a number of
  quick wins.

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Questions

• For any additional questions please contact the
  TEClab
• _at_ swarbric_at_uiuc.edu
• Website http//iknow.spcomm.uiuc.edu