In this book, the authors illustrate how social networks can play a very significant role in the technological catch up process in moderate innovative countries. Using an innovative approach to the study of entrepreneurship in knowledge-intensive sectors, the book analyses the role of social networks in the access and deployment of the variety of competences and resources required for the successful creation of knowledge-intensive companies, which has not yet been studied sufficiently in this context.

The social dynamics of innovation networks captures the important role of trust, social capital, institutions and norms and values in the creation of knowledge in innovation networks. In doing so, this book connects to a long-standing debate on the socio-spatial context of innovation in economic geography, which is usually referred to as the Territorial Models of Innovation (TIMs) literature. This present volume breaks with the TIM literature in several important ways. In the first place, this book emphasizes the role of individual agency because individuals and their networks are increasingly recognized as the principal agents of knowledge creation. Secondly, this volume looks at space as a continuous field of opportunity rather than as bounded territory with a set of endowments, such as knowledge base and social capital. Although individually these elements are not new to the TIM literature, it has thus far failed to grasp their critical implication for studying the social dynamics of innovation networks. The approach to the socio-spatial context of innovation in this volume is summarized as Knowledge Economy 2.0. It emphasizes that human creativity is now the main source of economic value and that human creativity and knowledge creation is not an organized process within organizations, but happens bottom up in formal and informal professional and social networks of individuals that cut across multiple organizations.

This is an authoritative reference source for the latest scholarly research on the application of social networking platforms to enhance knowledge sharing and innovative practice within organisations. This title highlights pertinent theories and techniques for improving communication and ensuring successful product development.

Creativity can be viewed as the first stage of the overall innovation process, an important dimension of the entrepreneurship and new venture creation processes, and as such, it is considered to be a cornerstone of organizational competitiveness in this global, knowledge-based economy. Research on creativity has increasingly become multilevel, with most work conducted at the individual or team level of analysis. At the same time, there is a large body of research being conducted at the organizational level of analysis on innovation, and there has been a significant amount of entrepreneurship research at the individual level, with an increasing focus on organizational entrepreneurship. However, these three research streams have developed independently, and there has been very little knowledge transfer between the three areas. Because entrepreneurship is often said to be a process that is required to convert innovation into business ventures that will deliver benefits to stakeholders, it is typically driven by an individual or small group of individuals. Creativity research, innovation research, and entrepreneurship research have the potential to inform each other, enriching our knowledge of each area, particularly with regard to the cognitive processes and behaviors that are most effective. This Handbook includes contributions from the leading scholars in these three research areas, who integrate contemporary research findings on organizational creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship and provide fruitful new research directions."

Social entrepreneurship is on the rise and social enterprises are solving some of the most critical and enduring social problems by using innovative, pragmatic and sustainable business models. Access to knowledge thanks to the Internet and rapid expansion of the knowledge economy are opening new opportunities for social ventures. With knowledge-based social entrepreneurship where knowledge is the primary resource, more pressing social problems can be addressed by using advanced technologies. This book investigates this emerging concept, possibilities that it holds, its place in today’s economy, and links bridges between knowledge, innovation, and social entrepreneurship. Academics, entrepreneurs, students, and NGOs will find the theoretical and practical information presented in this book extremely valuable.

In this book, the authors illustrate how social networks can play a very significant role in the technological catch up process in moderate innovative countries. Using an innovative approach to the study of entrepreneurship in knowledge-intensive sectors, the book analyses the role of social networks in the access and deployment of the variety of competences and resources required for the successful creation of knowledge-intensive companies, which has not yet been studied sufficiently in this context.

In today's de-layered, knowledge-intensive organizations, most work of importance is heavily reliant on informal networks of employees within organizations. However, most organizations do not know how to effectively analyze this informal structure in ways that can have a positive impact on organizational performance. Networks in the Knowledge Economy is a collection of readings on the application of social network analysis to managerial concerns. Social network analysis (SNA), a set of analytic tools that can be used to map networks of relationships, allows one to conduct very powerful assessments of information sharing within a network with relatively little effort. This approach makes the invisible web of relationships between people visible, helping managers make informed decisions for improving both their own and their group's performance. Networks in the Knowledge Economy is specifically concerned with networks inside of organizations and addresses three critical areas in the study of social networks: Social Networks as Important Individual and Organizational Assets, Social Network Implications for Knowledge Creation and Sharing, and Managerial Implications of Social Networks in Organizations. Professionals and students alike will find this book especially valuable, as it provides readings on the application of social network analysis that reflect managerial concerns.