This article was downloaded by: [128.240.225.73] On: 10 January 2017, At: 01:57 Publisher: Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) INFORMS is located in Maryland, USA Information Systems Research Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://pubsonline.informs.org Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation: Toward a Theory of Communication Visibility Paul M. Leonardi To cite this article: Paul M. Leonardi (2014) Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation: Toward a Theory of Communication Visibility. Information Systems Research 25(4):796-816. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/isre.2014.0536 Full terms and conditions of use: http://pubsonline.informs.org/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used only for the purposes of research, teaching, and/or private study. 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For more information on INFORMS, its publications, membership, or meetings visit http://www.informs.org Information Systems Research Vol. 25, No. 4, December 2014, pp. 796–816 ISSN 1047-7047 (print) ISSN 1526-5536 (online) http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/isre.2014.0536 © 2014 INFORMS Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation: Toward a Theory of Communication Visibility Paul M. Leonardi Technology Management Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, [email protected] his paper offers a theory of communication visibility based on a field study of the implementation of a Tnew enterprise social networking site in a large financial services organization. The emerging theory sug- gests that once invisible communication occurring between others in the organization becomes visible for third parties, those third parties could improve their metaknowledge (i.e., knowledge of who knows what and who knows whom). Communication visibility, in this case made possible by the enterprise social networking site, leads to enhanced awareness of who knows what and whom through two interrelated mechanisms: message transparency and network translucence. Seeing the contents of other’s messages helps third-party observers make inferences about coworkers’ knowledge. Tangentially, seeing the structure of coworkers’ communication networks helps third-party observers make inferences about those with whom coworkers regularly communi- cate. The emerging theory further suggests that enhanced metaknowledge can lead to more innovative products and services and less knowledge duplication if employees learn to work in new ways. By learning vicariously rather than through experience, workers can more effectively recombine existing ideas into new ideas and avoid duplicating work. Moreover, they can begin to proactively aggregate information perceived daily rather than engaging in reactive search after confronting a problem. I discuss the important implications of this emerging theory of communication visibility for work in the knowledge economy. Keywords: social networking; innovation; knowledge sharing; metaknowledge; computer-mediated communication and collaboration; knowledge management; ethnographic research History: Chris Forman, John Leslie King, Kalle Lyytinen, Senior Editors; Jonny Holmström, Associate Editor. This paper was received July 1, 2013, and was with the author 4 months for 1 revision. Published online in Articles in Advance October 3, 2014. Introduction less interpersonal trust among coworkers (Cramton Most of the work conducted in today’s knowledge- et al. 2007). In addition, coordination suffers (Dey and intensive organizations is largely invisible. Workers de Guzman 2006), work duplication occurs (Lapré sit at computers typing reports, performing analyses, and Van Wassenhove 2001), and product and pro- writing copy, and performing other tasks that are dif- cess innovation are less likely (Majchrzak et al. 2004). ficult for observers to discern. As scholars have noted, Because of these negative consequences, scholars have work in the postindustrial economy is increasingly searched for technologies that might provide workers disembodied such that there are few physical mani- some visibility into the work of their colleagues. Tech- festations of activity for others to observe (Suchman nologies that make workflows (Kinnaird et al. 2012), 2007). Work is made even more invisible as organiza- activity status (Dourish and Bellotti 1992), and even tions increasingly rationalize it into smaller task units, worker location (Erickson 2010) visible to others pro- spreading them across workers in various groups and vide a means to learn about the work of colleagues departments, perhaps in different geographic loca- and, hopefully, to avoid some of the problems that tions. Even if there were some physical manifesta- occur when work is largely invisible to others. tion of work, there would be few relevant cowork- The past few decades have seen an increase in the Downloaded from informs.org by [128.240.225.73] on 10 January 2017, at 01:57 . For personal use only, all rights reserved. ers around to see it done. Consequently, Nardi and use of technology to make communication visible as Engeström (1999, p. 2) suggest that in a knowledge a work activity. Workplace communication by tele- economy “work is, in a sense, always invisible to phone or face-to-face encounters is largely invisible everyone but its own practitioners.” to all but the parties involved or those who may Work invisibility can have a number of negative be in proximity. The number of people who might consequences for organizations. Research has shown overhear an interpersonal conversation (even spoken that when people cannot see what others do, or loudly) is small relative to the size of most teams, when, with whom, and how they do it, there is departments, and organizations. More contemporary 796 Leonardi: Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, and Innovation Information Systems Research 25(4), pp. 796–816, © 2014 INFORMS 797 communication (e.g., email and instant messaging) is The findings demonstrate that the increased com- easily shared with others, and thus visible to a wider munication visibility associated with the social net- audience. Collaboration tools, decision support soft- working site enabled users to become more aware of ware, and worker databases have further increased what and whom their coworkers knew. This enhanced communication visibility by loosening the require- awareness allowed staff to avoid work duplication ment to select a target audience through email car- and to develop more innovative ideas for products bon copy features or the instant messaging forward and services. To realize these positive benefits, users feature. Instead, the sender can create a public com- had to enact fundamental changes in the way they munication platform that can be accessed by team worked. I conclude by discussing the implications of members. Still even shared communication platforms this emerging theory of communication visibility for limit visibility because membership in groupware research in information systems, management, and and other collaboration tools are normally limited to communication. specific team members. Shared databases and other repositories are often password protected and stored in a location unknown to most of the organization. Theoretical Background The introduction of social media tools, including Learning About Knowledge Through social networking sites, blogs, wikis, and microblogs, Communication into organizational contexts continues a long trend of Numerous studies conducted over the past two making workplace communication visible. However, decades have shown that successful organizations cre- as Treem and Leonardi (2012) show in their detailed ate the conditions under which employees can effec- review, social media are making routine communica- tively share knowledge with one another (Argote tions between coworkers even more visible to third et al. 2000, Hansen 1999, Tortoriello et al. 2012). parties than the many preceding communication tech- Most research on organizational knowledge sharing nologies. For example, the exchanges between two has focused on when, in the course of their work, people on an enterprise social networking site often appear on the wall or newsfeed of a third party not researchers should look for new knowledge (Katila involved in the communication (Hampton et al. 2011). and Chen 2008, March 1991) and what conditions That people can articulate their social networks and are likely to ease knowledge transfer (Reagans and tag documents and images produced by coworkers McEvily 2003, Szulanski and Jensen 2006). Clearly, within social networking sites gives outsiders further timing and knowledge transfer issues are important. visibility into the