Learning through ICT-enabled social networks

Liqiong Deng and Marshall Scott Poole in International Journal of Information Technology and Management (Volume 7 Number 4 (2008))

Abstract
Utilising Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to build effective learning networks in organisations has received attention from both practitioners and researchers in recent years. Going beyond the limited focus on the structural characteristics of networks in prior research, this paper develops a theoretical model that specifies how the structural properties of network ties and the quality of interaction influence the occurrence of single- and double-loop learning within ICT-enabled social networks. It provides insights into how ICT can be utilised to bring people together and form a productive environment conducive to learning. The model is expected to have theoretical and practical implications for the development of ICT-enabled social networks for individual learning.