Informal social networks and knowledge diffusion: a modeling proposal applied to a software development environment

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the development of a computational model based on agents, to portray the dynamics of the creation and dissemination of organizational knowledge process, aiming to explore new ideas about this process in a development environment for software projects. The investigative nature of the research sought to identify and understand the role played by informal social networks in the process of creation and dissemination of knowledge in a public company for the provision of information and communication technology services, during the time devoted to software development projects. The model was build with the support of Netlogo software (2015). The building process of the final model enabled the generation and aquisition of knowledge, visualization and analysis of the different variables considered when studying the dynamics of organizational knowledge based on theory as well as the inclusion of behavioral rules built from this theory and reflected in the model. This theory has formed the basis for the construction of knowledge strategies represented in the model.

Keywords:
Organizational learning; Informal social networks; Agent-based modeling; Knowledge management applications; Methodologies and tools