Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have become incredibly popular today as they have billions of registered users who share millions of units of data with each other. Yet, only a miniscule part of it is recognized as leading to some form of organizational knowledge sharing and exchange, which is a critical component of every organization's success. Employees in organizations explore social media applications to disseminate their tacit knowledge. The present study is an attempt to investigate the role of social media networks in professional knowledge sharing and building the bridging social capital of employees. Data were collected from employees working in manufacturing units in India through an empirical research design. The study's major findings revealed that social media usage enhances employees' proficiency at work by enabling knowledge sharing. On the other hand, the data uncovered an important finding that social networking sites might not build employees' bridging social capital.
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Organizations of all kinds operate in a world that has become increasingly dynamic. This dynamism is largely fuelled by technological advancements or inventions, particularly in information and communication technologies (ICT). Organizations are constantly trying to innovate and attain a competitive advantage by adopting such technologies. The long-term value creation process is aided by the digital transformation technologies, which also help increase an organization's capacity for innovation and sustainability. Knowledge is a company’s most valuable asset, and knowledge management system (KMS), aided by digital innovation, can improve the chances of long-term value creation by steering company strategy towards novel, innovative business models (Friedrich, Becker, Kramer, Wirth, & Schneider, 2020; Vaio, Palladino, Pezzi, & Kalisz, 2021). Thus, organizations need to find a place for practices that strengthen the centrality of knowledge and knowledge management systems and the construction of shared and integrated systems capable of boosting company performance (Del Giudice & Della Peruta, 2016; Santoro, Ferraris, & Bresciani, 2019). Moreover, the digital transformation and increased use of the internet throughout time have ushered in a communication revolution (Massari, 2010; Moqbel, 2012) and enabled online collaboration in businesses (Franchi, Poggi, & Tomaiuolo, 2016), owing primarily to social networking, which is one of the most widespread internet activities (Hutchinson, 2017).
Furthermore, knowledge management is one of the most significant issues confronting modern businesses and their leaders. A significant portion of this knowledge is not incorporated into organizational information systems but kept by the individuals (Barros, Ramos, & Perez, 2015) as tacit knowledge. Some businesses flourish by exploiting the dynamic technologies and can sustain and prosper by developing new goods and business strategies. In contrast, others choose to ignore it or battle for a long period to adapt to it, frequently with disastrous repercussions (Sultan, 2013). Besides, for successful information exchange as well as the preservation of both strong and weak ties between persons, an accurate blueprint of communication between individuals or groups working in a firm, as well as the development of IT-based platforms, is vital (Hossain, Wigand, Atkinson, & Carlsson, 2012). Likewise, for integration of artificial intelligence with knowledge management and subsequent customer relationship management; leadership support, adequate funds and the support of other functional heads in organizations have been recognised as the most critical success factors (Chatterjee, Ghosh, & Chaudhuri, 2020).
Building on the Social Capital and Social Exchange Theory (SET), individuals are known to share their information and know-how in virtual communities to expand their knowledge, get help, or make friends. The anticipation of being perceived as skilful, informed, or respected is the fundamental motivation for people to share their knowledge (Andrews, 2002; Butler, Sproull, Kiesler, & Kraut, 2002; Zhang & Hiltz, 2003; Wasko & Faraj, 2005). The Social Exchange Theory (SET) has been used to describe the behaviour of knowledge sharing in various studies (Çetin and Şenturk, 2016). According to the SET, social exchange is a system made up of two-way exchanges, including social communication in public contexts (Blau, 1964). According to the theory, people are rational beings who seek to maximize their welfare; hence, one may say that individual behaviour is based on an appraisal of advantages versus costs (Homans, 1958). The relationships are known to mature through time into trusted, loyal, and mutual commitments, and to do so; participants follow particular “norms” of exchange (Emerson, 1976). There are alleged to be no specific mutuality restrictions for investments made as part of social exchange (Gefen and Ridings, 2002). Knowledge sharing via social media sites is considered a form of social exchange (Hall, 2003).