Modified Delphi techniques use in social media cognition and knowledge transfer

Abstract

Background: Knowledge transfer (KT) (awareness, disseminating and applying experiences for innovation or competitiveness) faces complex social and technical challenges across individual, organisational and international domains. Objectives: The purpose of this article was to explore social media (SM) factors offering some potential solutions to innovative environments, rooted in Social Technical Theory. Method: Expert opinions were gathered using a mixed Delphi technique and snowball sampling, resulting in 31 refined responses from an initial 51. Data analysis was conducted using International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. Results: The success of KT via SM depends on system design, tasks, and organisational factors like structure, leadership, technology and culture. Conclusion: Emphasising the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, the study highlights the fusion of expertise from diverse fields, fostering innovative solutions and addressing critical issues such as innovation through technological integration. In essence, this study provides a holistic understanding of KT using SM in navigating the intricate interplay of organisational structures, groups and interconnections, a complex network within which KT unfolds. Social media perspectives are a catalyst in shaping ethical technology innovation or advancements with societal values. Contribution: The study contributed by generating propositions in SM use in business collaboration tasks and KT. Key methodological contribution has been the application of the modified Delphi technique in the collection, analyses of data and interpretation of results.