Classifying emerging knowledge sharing practices and some insights into antecedents to social networking: a case in insurance

Purpose The paper aims to explore a case of early adoption of the use of social media tools for the purposes of knowledge and information sharing across a supply chain in the UK home insurance market. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used includes genre and content analysis to analyze empirical data from blogs and posts via a customized social extranet [Engaging in Knowledge Networking via an interactive 3D Social Supplier Network (KNOWLEDGE NETWORK)] involving 130 users over a 13-month period. Findings The results uncover a set of emerging practices which support both information and knowledge exchange, but which are mainly driven by organizational factors such as buyer power and supplier competitive influencing. Research limitations/implications This study has contributed an overall conceptual understanding of reasons behind social media adoption by identifying organizational attributes of buyer power and supplier influence as key antecedents to knowledge sharing within a supply chain. Originality/value This paper builds on current thinking in social media theory by providing a window into organizational and supply chain attributes that can explain social media adoption within the context of knowledge sharing supply chains. A systematic classification of user posts over an extended period enabled this work to illuminate not only emerging knowledge sharing practices across a buyer-led supply chain but also the effects of buyer power on users in an online community.