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This paper aims to explore the relationships among several key constructs which link the individual’s motivation for knowledge acquisition to his affiliation with online knowledge networks, to further access the intellectual capital of the network as a prerequisite for organizational achievement.

An online survey with 227 members of higher education and research centers from 30 countries was carried out between July and September 2021. The data were analyzed by means of partial least squares structural equation modeling technique, using the statistics software package SmartPLS 3.0.

Individual motivation to acquire knowledge has a significant influence on the affiliation with online academic networks approached as online knowledge networks. Further, active engagement with the network’s intangible resources leads to a significant harnessing of the three-component intellectual capital, that is, human, structural and relational capital. Human and relational capital is proven to exert a significant effect on organizational achievements, whereas structural capital falls short of reporting a meaningful influence on the dependent variable.

This research adds new knowledge to the capitalization of online knowledge networks and its influence on organizational achievements via intellectual capital.

A novel perspective is advanced in which online knowledge networks are acknowledged as a pivotal bond and nonlinear integrator between the individual level of knowledge fields and organizational knowledge leveraged into organizational achievements.

In the context of resource scarcity, the affiliation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to strategic networks has emerged as a fruitful path towards knowledge sharing as a reaction to fierce competition and with a view to enhance their innovative performance. In this framework, this paper aims to investigate the influence exerted by a specific relational design (i.e. types of strategic networks) and methodology (i.e. channels and content) of knowledge sharing on SMEs innovative performance.

A questionnaire-based survey with 102 top managers of European SMEs in the industrial field was conducted from June to August 2019 and a partial least squares structural equation modelling technique was used. The database was initially filtered to ensure the adequacy of the sample and data was analysed using the statistics software package SmartPLS 3.0.

The results concluded that the structural model explains 38.5% of the variance in SMEs innovative performance, indicating the positive effects exerted by offline and online and by competitive knowledge sharing on the dependent variable.

The study has both theoretical and practical implications in that it sets out a reference point for the key performance indicators for strategic networks structure, formation and development and, implicitly, for the selection of the most efficient relational design and methodology.

The pivotal originality elements reside in the advancement of a more comprehensive conceptual and structural model combining a two-fold operationalization of SMEs strategic networks (founded on business abilities or on the personality of the partner) and in the investigation of knowledge transfer processes at the inter-organizational levels within a context-centric approach.

The study sets out to explore the mediating role of intellectual capital (IC) dimensions (i.e. human, structural and relational) between scholars' affiliation to online academic networks and institutional knowledge capitalization. Online academic networks are tackled through the lens of knowledge networks which have been of primary importance for new relevant knowledge acquisition during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A questionnaire-based survey of 305 academics from 35 different countries was conducted from July to December 2021, employing a partial least squares structural equation modelling technique. The database was initially filtered to ensure the adequacy of the sample, and data were analyzed using the statistics software package SmartPLS 3.0.

Evidence was brought forward that the proposed conceptual model accounted for 52.5% of the variance in institutional knowledge capitalization, the structural and relational capital availed by knowledge networks exerting strong positive influence on the dependent variable.

The study has both research and managerial implications in that it approaches a topical phenomenon, namely the capitalization of online academic networks in the COVID-19 context, which has dramatically altered the way that research and teaching are conducted worldwide.

The most important contribution of the paper resides in the comprehensive research model advanced which covers individual, organizational and network multifaced layers, starting with the personal and institutional motives to join a specialized network, continuing with the opportunities provided by knowledge networks in terms of intellectual capital harnessing, and ending with its influence on higher education organizations.

The present study aims to tackle SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) managers' awareness of coopetition benefits underpinning the process of knowledge sharing with a view to achieve innovative performance. The scrutiny of coopetition is placed within the context of SMEs strategic networks, which foster a fertile ground for competitive knowledge sharing and direct collaboration among members.

In total, 102 top managers and business owners of European steel SMEs were questioned regarding various issues related to coopetition, knowledge, collaboration and innovative performance strategies. The collected data were analyzed via the technique of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The obtained values confirm that intense competition in the field stimulates SMEs to become aware of the benefits of coopetition. This awareness directly influences the innovative performance of the SMEs, as well as their interest in competitive knowledge sharing and their willingness to engage in direct collaboration. Direct collaboration catalyzes more intense competitive knowledge sharing at the inter-unit level whereas both direct collaboration and competitive knowledge sharing lead to better innovative performance in the case of the studied steel SMEs.

A key theoretical contribution resides in revealing the influence of manifold factors in the overall equation of innovative performance, integrating competition, coopetition and knowledge sharing as antecedents.

The research advances a phenomenological view on SMEs networks in their strategy to leverage competitive knowledge and enhance system-driven innovation.

This article explores the connections between the entrepreneur's global mindset and entrepreneurial motivation in the quest for determining the underlying relationships among these constructs. The aim of the study resides in the advancement of various entrepreneurial profiles which imply specific configurations of the global mindset and motivational drivers, by also covering their correlations with the business outcomes.

Data were collected in 2022 from over 100 entrepreneurs operating in the Romanian SMEs sector, using a questionnaire-based survey.

The results posit that at least three statistically relevant clusters can be observed in the studied population, stemming from the particularities of the entrepreneurs' global mindset. The findings reveal that the levels of development of the entrepreneur's social capital, psychological capital and intellectual capital are linked to different entrepreneurial motivations and impact the company in specific manners.

The research offers useful cues to the entrepreneurs for identifying prospective partners for their local or cross-border operations.

The results foster a new topical framework for discussion on the motivational configurations of entrepreneurs and the global mindset.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the generation of civic and public (C&P) engagement as an integrative outcome of a proper balance between emotional, rational and spiritual knowledge, via the mediation of interpersonal competencies.

The empirical analysis relies on a questionnaire-based survey conducted with 294 respondents from two knowledge-intensive organizations. Structural equation modeling, using Smart PLS 4, is used to analyze the data.

Individual knowledge can be considered as the refined outcome of the underlying transformations of various knowledge sources and resources, which is apposite for the next level of knowledge workers’ acumen. Individual knowledge – which relies on a good balance of rational, emotional and spiritual knowledge – exerts a positive effect on interpersonal competencies, wherein the latter positively influences the C&P engagement of knowledge workers.

Policymakers should capitalize on the development of strong interpersonal competencies; they should be able to understand the social mechanisms of motivating people, of stimulating, harnessing and channeling individual knowledge toward higher C&P as a prerequisite of value creation.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first argumentative undertaking intended to explore the conversion of the three knowledge types into individual knowledge as a premise of interpersonal competencies development and as a relevant antecedent of C&P engagement. The results of this paper support that achieving balance in one's life is essential for increasing interpersonal competencies and C&P engagement. This study not only represents the first contribution to this debate but also helps managers and organizations to recognize that a good balance requires emotional, rational and spiritual knowledge.

The paper aims to investigate the standpoints and practices of university members from European developing countries regarding the harnessing of the intellectual capital (IC) within online academic social networks.

A questionnaire-based survey with 210 university members was conducted, with the indicators adopting prior measurement scales which were further adapted to a network framework.

The organizational policies and practices relate positively and highly significantly with the valuation of the network-based IC components. Moreover, 63 per cent of the professional and organizational competitiveness of higher education institutions is determined by the exploitation of the IC embedded in online academic networks.

All survey respondents were from the European developing countries, which may limit the general applicability of the findings. Also, the emphasis is laid solely on online academic networks.

This paper brings to the fore both the potential and the state-of-the-art in leveraging the IC of online specialized networks which are indicative of the academic field. When acknowledged as such, the network-based IC is liable to generate substantial competitive advantages at the professional and organizational levels at the same time.

This research adds to the extant literature in two main ways. First, it advances a new construct – network-based IC – in the context of the online academic social networks. Second, it proposes a research model for addressing the network-based IC from a competitive advantage perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of five dimensions of similarity (i.e. condition similarity, context similarity, catalyst similarity, consequence similarity and connection similarity) on Facebook social networks development.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 245 Romanian college students. SmartPLS 3 statistical software for partial least squares structural equation modeling was chosen as the most adequate technique for the assessment of models with both composites and reflective constructs.

More than 52 percent of the variance in social network development was explained by the advanced similarity model. Each dimension had a positive effect on Facebook social networks development, the highest influences being exerted by condition similarity, context similarity and consequence similarity.

The current approach is substantively based on the homophily paradigm in explaining social network development. Future research would benefit from comparing and contrasting complementary theories (e.g. the rational self-interest paradigm, the social exchange or dependency theories) with the current findings. Also, the research is tributary to a convenience-based sample of Romanian college students which limits the generalization of the results to other cultural contexts and, thus, invites further research initiatives to test the model in different settings.

Similarity attributes and mechanisms consistently determine the dynamics of online social networks, a fact which should be investigated in depth in terms of the impact of new technologies among young people.

This study is among the first research initiatives to approach similarity structures and processes within an integrative framework and to conduct the empirical analysis beyond US-centric samples.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influences of different types of knowledge and their inherent dynamics on the effectiveness of the decision-making (DM) process. Knowledge dynamics (KD) is envisioned through the lens of the knowledge fields theory while effective DM process is objectivised via organisational appreciation and reward, higher business performance, sustainable partnerships and managerial satisfaction with previous achievements.

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 275 middle managers from companies operating in the business consulting field. The conceptual and structural model was tested using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique.

The study advances novel insights into the significant positive influences of various knowledge fields on KD on the DM process within real-life business environments. Even though rational knowledge exerts a noteworthy effect on DM, its influence is exceeded by the KD, which proves that integrating emotional and spiritual knowledge in the decisional equation may become a pivotal input to making good managerial decisions regardless of the level of regulation and standardisation in the field.

The research relied on threefold knowledge fields as predictors for the DM process, thus providing a starting point for the development of more complex models.

The study emerges as a groundbreaking approach via the integration and application of the knowledge fields theory within a more comprehensive and empirical outlook on the DM process. Simultaneously, it places DM beyond the unidimensional outcomes of rationality and intuition by urging its intricate and interactional nature.