The influence of social interaction on knowledge creation

Examines the influence of social interaction on the process of knowledge creation. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an Institute of Higher Education to determine the relationship between the level of social interaction and the quality of the knowledge created. The knowledge creation process was operationalised for the curriculum development process while the quality of the knowledge created was operationalised for the quality of the modules developed. The findings show a positive correlation between the level of social interaction and the quality of the modules developed. Among the three dimensions of social interaction, the relational dimension was shown to be the strongest predictor to the quality of the modules developed. Practitioners are, therefore, advised to prioritise the development of the relational dimensions of the social interaction. In addition, the findings confirm the difficulty associated with knowledge measurement. Suggests that in measuring knowledge, meaningfulness and context take greater importance over objectivity.