The cognitive selection framework for knowledge acquisition strategies in virtual communities

As a significant source of knowledge, virtual communities have stimulated interest in knowledge management research. Nonetheless, very few studies to date have examined the demand-side knowledge perspective such as knowledge acquisition in virtual communities. In order to explore the knowledge acquisition process within virtual communities, this study proposes the cognitive selection framework of knowledge acquisition strategy in virtual communities. The proposed framework takes a cognitive perspective, to identify how knowledge recipients select their strategy for acquiring specialized knowledge, emphasizing their cognitive goals (e.g., cognitive replication and innovation) and cognitive motivators (e.g., virtual community self-efficacy, heightened enjoyment, and time resources). Our results suggest that knowledge recipients’ cognitive motivators differentially influence their cognitive goals (cognitive replication and innovation), which, in turn, are related to their selection of knowledge acquisition strategy (static and dynamic acquisition strategy), respectively.