Enterprise Knowledge Sharing In The New Media Context: An Information Ecology Perspective

With the development trend as mobility, interaction and individualization new media has become the new engine of China‘s social development that brings new opportunities and challenges to Chinese enterprises knowledge sharing. Mobile devices such as smart phones, tablet PCs and others provide convenient channel for enterprise knowledge interaction. We Chat public platform, corporate blog, twitter, Facebook and other new media have become the platform for information exchange and knowledge sharing among different enterprises and groups. All of these help achieve the interaction and communication between internal and external knowledge of enterprises. In the new media environment, enterprise needs to take advantage of new media to improve enterprise knowledge management level and accelerate enterprise’s knowledge innovation, further more can they improve the core competitiveness.Information ecology is the theory for the coordinated development of human, information, technology and society and it can provide a new frame for the explanation of the complex relationship between organization, information technology and information objects. Thus this thesis takes new media as the cut-in points and combines with the theory of information ecology to explore the problems of enterprise knowledge sharing in the new media environment. Based on the review of domestic and foreign research about new media, knowledge sharing and information ecology, this thesis uses literature research, empirical research and case analysis and other methods to make analysis of enterprise knowledge sharing mechanism, influencing factors, network structure and sharing model in the environment of new media from the perspective of information ecology. It aims to realize the coordinated development of knowledge, environment, technology and human in the process of knowledge sharing in the new media environment of enterprises.Firstly, based on the theory of information ecology, this thesis constructs a mechanism model of enterprise knowledge sharing in the environment of new media. This model takes information ecology as the theoretical basis and proposes enterprise knowledge sharing ecological factors model, enterprise knowledge sharing network formation and enterprise knowledge sharing information niche function model respectively from information ecological factors, information ecological chain and information niche. Knowledge sharing ecological factors model provides theoretical support for enterprise knowledge sharing. Knowledge sharing network structure model is the core power of enterprise knowledge sharing network. Knowledge sharing information niche formation model reflects the interaction of enterprise knowledge. The mechanism model of enterprise knowledge sharing in the new media environment is the overall framework of the theoretical research of full text.Secondly, based on the information ecological factor theory, this thesis takes UTAUT as the based model and constructs a model of influencing factors of enterprise knowledge sharing in the new media environment from harmonious development angle of knowledge, human, new media environment and new media technology. The model can make a deep explanation of the factors‘ influence on knowledge sharing intention and knowledge sharing behavior, the moderating effect of human‘s gender, age and education, and the mediating effect of the knowledge sharing intention. This thesis makes an empirical analysis based on the data of 425 valid questionnaires from 7 enterprises, using confirmatory factor analysis to test the reliability and validity of data and structural equation model to test the theoretical hypothesis. The results indicate that most of the hypotheses are supported by data: knowledge and new media environment have positive impact on knowledge sharing intention; new media technology and knowledge sharing intention have positive impact on knowledge sharing behavior; age and educational background of the human have a moderating effect on the relationship between the knowledge and the knowledge sharing intention; age and educational background also have a moderating effect on the relationship between the new media technology and knowledge sharing behavior; knowledge sharing intention plays an intermediary role in the behavior of knowledge sharing.Furthermore, based on the theory of information ecological chain, this thesis makes an analysis of enterprise knowledge sharing network structure. It puts forward the information ecological chains include ring link type, single chain type, single key point type and multiple key points type; the knowledge sharing network includes four elements, subject, object, platform and environment. This thesis uses Java to access to the Sina API data interface to get data of the Official micro-blog of THTF about the # Technology is interesting # topic. Also this thesis uses Gephi to make an analysis of network centrality, network density, clustering coefficient and average distance and other attributes, which reflects the characteristics and rules of the network structure of enterprise knowledge sharing and can guide enterprises to use new media for a better knowledge sharing. Research data shows that there are single key point types, link type, single link type and other forms of knowledge network structure in the network structure of enterprise knowledge sharing. The core structure of mobile terminal and non mobile terminal network is multiple key points type. Mobile users are the core strength of enterprise knowledge sharing in the new media environment. The non mobile terminal has not yet formed a network structure with absolute core function. But the sense of community and intimacy between mobile terminal members are weak, while a little stronger among non-mobile terminal network member groups.Finally, based on the information niche theory this thesis makes an analysis of enterprise knowledge sharing mode. According to the role of human in enterprises knowledge sharing, three models are proposed, namely function interaction mode, group interaction mode and real- time interaction mode. And three enterprises, Zhaohe, Qiming and Aolang are chosen as the research subjects to be compared of the similarities and differences. Case study results show that there are obvious interactive and real-time characteristics in the three modes, based on the openness and sharing, they use hyper text and multimedia to achieve individual and social knowledge sharing. However, the function interaction mode has informal enterprise knowledge sharing; the group interaction mode biases toward the formal enterprise knowledge sharing; the real- time interaction mode emphasizes timeliness of the enterprise knowledge sharing more.On the theory level, this thesis promotes the construction of new media theory system and deepens the application of information ecological theory in new media field that provides scientific methods and theoretical basis for the enterprises to share knowledge with new media. In practice aspect, combining with manufacturing industry, IT enterprise and service industry, it makes an empirical investigation and analysis of data with AMOS and Gephi. It provides a new perspective for enterprises to share knowledge with new media and practical guidance and case support for enterprise knowledge management. Future research will focus on the application of new media in mobile Internet, Internet public opinion, user privacy and mixed media application in enterprise knowledge management domain to improve enterprise knowledge management level and core competitiveness in the new media environment.