Social media and the design of an innovative enterprise

In the Knowledge era, innovation and knowledge are intertwined, being innovation a knowledge intensive process that firms must manage to become innovative. This study aims to analyze the relationships between the design elements required to build an innovative enterprise and the implementation of social media. It investigates how the practices of knowledge management are affected and continuously renewed under the pressure of internal/external forces like new technological tools/ habits and marketplace imperatives. The paper adopts a conceptual analysis approach, exploring different domains of the literature. A comparative analysis of short cases, based on a documentary research, illustrates theoretical hypothesis. In the effort to design an innovative enterprise, social media are useful as support to foster interpersonal interactions, restoring the human dimension to the core of organizational concerns. They do not create innovation but they may spur efficiency, agility and innovation if appropriate governance and strategic intent are at play.
JEL Codes: D89