Knowledge co-creation in online stakeholders relationships

The management of knowledge as well as that of stakeholder relations both have crucial importance for a company’s competitiveness. This paper analyses the importance of the stable interactions that an enterprise can have with different professional figures by considering; 1) the contribution that each individual can offer in terms of cognitive ability as well as in terms of intuition and emotions, 2) the importance of exchange and sharing among individuals to enhance knowledge from individual collective, and 3) the importance of a relationship approach for firms wishing to face demands for higher flexibility that direct them towards network configuration decisions. The network is the most appropriate venue in which to exchange knowledge and skills as well as organise each business’ various activities in order to connect them in convenient, efficient ways. In this context, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) demonstrates the importance of a relational view, as ICT is a tool to generate knowledge and reconfigure relations in a virtual environment in which different actors, including consumers, work to cocreate value. To make to such a network work not only investments in technologies are required but also the stimulation of knowledge-sharing and the emotional involvement of individuals in order to discipline their behaviours and encourage the development of trust in relationships.