Knowledge management in distributed environments: roles of informal network players

In today's globally, hyper-competitive marketplace, generation and dissipation of knowledge can no longer be understood from within the boundaries of formal organizational mechanisms. Previously, researchers have studied distributed knowledge management in global contexts based on these formal mechanisms; however, few have examined the role played by informal mechanisms. In this paper, we will examine the role played by informal networks on knowledge management and will devise propositions describing how informal roles can affect knowledge management activities.