Social media technologies: a waste of time or a good way to learn and improve technological competences?
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
Emerald
Materia
Social media technologies Organizational learning Technological knowledge competences Organizational performance
Date
2022-08-22Referencia bibliográfica
Lardón-López, M.E., Martín-Rojas, R. and García-Morales, V.J. (2022), "“Social media technologies: a waste of time or a good way to learn and improve technological competences?”", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 26 No. 11, pp. 348-377. [https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2022-0130]
Sponsorship
Excellence Unit "Advanced Research in Economics and Business" of the University of Granada (Spain); Andalusian Regional Government B-SEJ-042-UGR18 A-SEJ-192-UGR20 P20_00568Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to deepen understanding of the effects of using social media
technologies to acquire technological knowledge and organizational learning competences, of
technological knowledge competences on organizational learning and finally of organizational learning
on organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach – The study was performed by analyzing data from a sample of 197
technology firms located in Spain. The hypotheses were tested using a structural equations model with
the program LISREL 8.80.
Findings – This study’s conceptual framework is grounded in complexity theory – along with dynamic
capabilities theory, which complements the resource-based view. The study contributes to the literature
by proposing a model that reflects empirically how business ecosystems that use social media
technologies enable the development of interorganizational and social collaboration networks that
encourage learning and development of technological knowledge competences.
Research limitations/implications – It would be interesting for future studies to consider other
elements to conceptualize and measure social media technologies, including (among others)
significance of the various tools used and strategic integration. The model might also analyze other
sectors and another combination of variables.
Practical implications – The results of this study have several managerial implications: developing
social media technologies and interorganizational social collaboration networks not only enables the
organizational learning process but also encourages technological knowledge competences. Through
innovation processes, use of social media technologies also contributes to strengthening companies’
strategic positioning, which ultimately helps to improve firms’ organizational performance.
Social implications – Since social media technologies drive information systems in contemporary
society (because they enable interaction with numerous agents), the authors highlight the use of
complexity theory to develop a conceptual framework.
Originality/value – The study also deepens understanding of the connections by which new experiential
learning contributes to the generation of coevolutionary adaptive business ecosystems and digital
strategies that enable development of interorganizational and social collaborative networks through
technological knowledge competences. Only after examining the impact of socialmedia technologies on
organizational performance in prior literature, did the authors underscore that both quantity and
frequency of social media technology use are positively related to improvement in knowledge processes
that lead to employees’ creation and acquisition of new metaknowledge.