Knowledge Sharing and Network Dynamics in a European Research Project Setting. The Case of Sobigdata+
This thesis project aims to expand the current knowledge about knowledge sharing and network theory through a practical example: the consortium behind the European project SoBigData++. SoBigData++ is a large-scale interdisciplinary social data mining platform consisting of 31 partners from 11 member countries of the European Union and Switzerland, with the goal of creating a Pan-European, multi-disciplinary research, and distributer infrastructure for big social data analytics. The thesis project focuses on studying and describing SoBigData++ consortium as a network of institutions exchanging knowledge using their nodes, using knowledge sharing and network literature as a lens to understand the dynamics underneath.
Data were collected through a survey regarding consortium knowledge management practices and network's linkage formation, and the timeline of data collection started in January 2020, with a first draft for the institutions, and ended with the elaboration of the survey results in the following months. Network analysis was done considering the centrality of the nodes, and two measures of centrality were created: the one coming from the role planned from the project and the one created from the impressions of the other participants. The participants were then put into four centrality categories.
The second part of the analysis regarded knowledge management processes, and using Nonaka's theory of knowledge creation, it was possible to create a clear picture of how participation in the project influenced internal knowledge management processes. Finally, the competences brought by each partner were also analyzed, and the findings will contribute to policymaking and creating partnerships with industries by codifying the contacts taking place within the network to foster knowledge sharing and enlarge the community with other institutions and firms sharing similar interests.
Read more here: https://alessandromarchesin.com/2021/10/18/do-we-perceive-connections-correctly-a-network-approach/