Search the Scientific and Technical Knowledge: Informal Interorganizational Network Analysis

Abstract

This study analyzes the pursuit of knowledge among actors in social networks in an informal inter-organizational Agricultural Research Center of Embrapa, in order to understand how it works as a process while sharing of technical and scientific knowledge. The fundamental question in this research seeks to answer how the social network of researchers at Embrapa cattle unit, as it is presented in terms of structural and relational, can be considered a facilitator of the knowledge generation process. The research uses quantitative, qualitative and descriptive methods. The approach of Social Network Analysis (ARS) requires the measurement of the quantitative relationships. Data collection involves 52 researchers whose data were processed by software Ucinet 6.0 for Windows, which allowed visualization of the characteristics of the analyzed networks. The results demonstrate that the network has low density potential of their ties, inferring actions on people management policies and incentives for knowledge sharing.