Title: Knowledge exchange in a virtual team – exploring the relationship between virtual communication and social capital generation

Authors: Rashmi H. Assudani

Addresses: Department of Management & Entrepreneurship, Williams College of Business, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio 45207, USA

Abstract: In the current digital knowledge economy, virtual communication is often used as a medium for knowledge exchange. Research has demonstrated that knowledge exchange is a complex social process which, at least in part, relies upon the social capital between exchange partners. The question of research interest is to examine whether virtual communication can generate and support social capital, thus enabling knowledge exchange across space and time boundaries. I use the literatures in the knowledge-based view of the firm, virtual work, and social capital theory to develop some hypotheses that explore the relationship between virtual communication and social capital generation in virtual teams.

Keywords: virtual communication; knowledge exchange; social capital; virtual teams; virtual organisations; knowledge-based view; virtual work.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2007.015167

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2007 Vol.4 No.3, pp.304 - 317

Published online: 19 Sep 2007 *

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