Social networks versus technical networks： How different social interaction patterns effect information system utilization in the organizations？

Improvements in information and communication technologies have reshaped production and consumption relations during the post-modern era. Societies have tried to adapt themselves to the requirements of new knowledge-based economy. It has also become vital for the organizations to meet the needs of knowledge society. Whether they are public or private, organizations play key roles in the transformation processes of the societies and economies. It is important for the organizations not only to use the latest information technologies, but also create social structures, which can ease information flow throughout the organization. Social network studies that are quite different from traditional approaches in sociology can be very useful tools to understand arid manipulate organizational networks. The results of several research activities have shown that actors use their social connections to reach information, resources and possible opportunities （Garguilo ＆ Benassi, 2000）. It is not enough to use advanced information technologies in an organization to build an effective knowledge distribution system regarding the social network perspective, it is required to understand the patterns of social interactions between actors and to find a fit between technical structure and social structure for effective knowledge-based organizational design. Structural holes theory （Butt, 1992） emphasized the importance of brokerage roles of the actors in a social network. Structural holes are unconnected actors （individuals, groups or organizations） in a social network （Burt, 1992）. If there are numerous structural holes in an organization, there will also be quite a number of brokerage opportunities for some actors in the organizational networks. Brokers are the bridges and gatekeepers who are controlling information flow in the organizations. It is vitally important to explore brokerage patterns in an organizational network for an effective knowledge based design. This study is a conceptual framework aiming at bringing an explanation to socially created information flow structures in the organizations by using structural holes theory.