Knowledge sharing in SMART communities

Purpose – In a SMART community, individuals from different parts of the world and various hierarchical levels of the same or different organization are aware of their role in the community and help each other to solve problems, by sharing with others insights, experiences, emotions, beliefs, and know-how. As a result, they identify new perspectives, from which the problems could be approached, develop new tools. In other words, they start by disseminating a mix of emotional and cognitive knowledge and end up creating mainly cognitive knowledge, and secondary emotional knowledge. Within this framework, the research concentrates on describing how knowledge is shared within a SMART community. The focus is on the type of shared knowledge and also on the knowledge flow direction. Design/methodology/approach – Since SMART communities describe both the private and public entities, two case study units are selected. The first one belongs to the business environment and is represented by TripAdvisor, world's largest travel site while the second one belongs to the public environment and is represented by Barcelona City Hall. Further, the Facebook page of both units is analysed; these serve as a starting point in identifying what type of knowledge is shared among the SMART communities’ members and how knowledge flows in each community. Data are extracted using Netvizz App. The activity is tracked and synthesized from September 1, 2017 until February 1, 2018. Therefore, 469 posts with 150 users liking or commenting 38 119 times are extracted and processed based on social network analysis. Originality/value – This methodology puts in evidence the nexus between knowledge management, SMART communities, and social media; the last one may serve as an instrument for knowledge sharing and also as a transactive memory system. Furthermore, it proves that SMART communities foster the relationships developed among the members, and support the acquisition and dissemination of emotional and cognitive knowledge. Practical implications – At the policy-makers level, it offers a viable tool which can get the managers closer to their customers and can also improve the communication and collaboration between the firm and its external stakeholders. Using technology as driver for developing and breeding new knowledge helps processes of value creation and knowledge sharing in a digital world leading smart, online and virtual communities build forms of collaboration and co-create economic and social value involving all the stakeholders and actors living in the digital ecosystem