A social network scorecard to monitor knowledge flows across communication media

This paper describes the application of a scorecard, based on social network analysis, to monitor the evolution of knowledge flows. Three case studies were conducted: one within an Italian research center, and two within US-based research and education centers. The interactions of members of these business communities were observed by monitoring multiple communication media over time. This is a departure from the common practice of using only email communications to describe social networks. The goal of this paper is to answer the following question: does e-mail alone represent an accurate approximation of the social network? The results suggest that a better approximation can be found by monitoring multiple media: e-mail, chat, telephone, social networking websites, and face-to-face interactions. In conclusion, e-mail and then face-to-face communications are chosen mainly for developing and maintaining new business relationships, while e-mail and chat are preferred by knowledge workers who know each other.