Previous literature has highlighted that SMEs face particular knowledge sharing challenges and claim that networks allow SMEs to overcome such limitations. Prior studies investigate the role of SMEs as active knowledge participants in networks. Nevertheless, scant empirical evidences are provided about the usefulness of networking among SMEs for knowledge sharing purposes and the literature calls for further investigate such phenomena. This research aims to provide an empirical analysis of whether and how networks enhance the knowledge sharing in SMEs. To this aim the following research question is investigated: how and in what extent networks can enhance knowledge sharing in the SMEs context? The empirical investigation is based on a survey questionnaire submitted to a sample of Italian SMEs. Preliminary empirical evidences about the benefits in term of knowledge sharing from network participation are provided. Beyond the aknowledgment of the importance of network belonging in order to share knowledge, the evidences allow to understand that different type of network serve SMEs for multiple objects and different benefits are achived depending on the type of network. Opportunities for future research are identified in the field of knowledge sharing in SMEs.
Networking SMEs for knowledge sharing: Preliminary evidences from a survey
Francesca Rossignoli
2017-01-01
Abstract
Previous literature has highlighted that SMEs face particular knowledge sharing challenges and claim that networks allow SMEs to overcome such limitations. Prior studies investigate the role of SMEs as active knowledge participants in networks. Nevertheless, scant empirical evidences are provided about the usefulness of networking among SMEs for knowledge sharing purposes and the literature calls for further investigate such phenomena. This research aims to provide an empirical analysis of whether and how networks enhance the knowledge sharing in SMEs. To this aim the following research question is investigated: how and in what extent networks can enhance knowledge sharing in the SMEs context? The empirical investigation is based on a survey questionnaire submitted to a sample of Italian SMEs. Preliminary empirical evidences about the benefits in term of knowledge sharing from network participation are provided. Beyond the aknowledgment of the importance of network belonging in order to share knowledge, the evidences allow to understand that different type of network serve SMEs for multiple objects and different benefits are achived depending on the type of network. Opportunities for future research are identified in the field of knowledge sharing in SMEs.
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