An emerging global knowledge management platform: the case of iBridge

Abstract

Purpose This paper seeks to serve as an introduction to a networking platform called iBridge, recently launched by the administrative office of Zhongguancun Haidian Science Park (HSP) in Beijing, China. With the goal of enabling knowledge sharing and collaboration between members and businesses across the world, iBridge has evolved to include features such as communities, blogs, search, recommendation and content customization. The emergence of iBridge is viewed in the context of China's national innovation policy, paying specific attention to the role that collaboration plays as a means of fostering the exchange of ideas and innovation. The paper also aims to discuss the challenges involved in adopting this approach. Design/methodology/approach The information for this paper was gathered through visits by the author to HSP in 2006 and 2008, as well as through secondary written and web‐based sources. Findings The paper finds that, since its inception in 2006, the iBridge platform has incorporated many new features and increased its membership substantially. It is anticipated that Web 2.0 features, such as blogs and community forums, will encourage greater levels of innovation as iBridge membership increases. Research limitations/implications No empirical evidence is presented in this paper to support the claim that iBridge has increased innovation. However, a greater exchange of ideas is expected, as a “network effect” takes hold and the platform grows in terms of functionality and usage. Originality/value The iBridge platform is still in its infancy, having a very limited member base. While it has started to gain notoriety in the high‐tech community within China, it has still not received much international attention. With this paper the iBridge platform will be known to a wider audience.

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