The effect of advice network connectedness on problem-solving competence among software developers

Software development requires software developers to share knowledge and solve problems together. Although researchers have considered the business and technical knowledge germane to performing software development tasks, empirical studies investigating business and technical advice networks on problem-solving competence is scarce. Using social network theory, we argue that software developers must be embedded for knowledge brokering within and across business and technical advice connectedness for improving problem-solving competence. Moreover, we argue that contact quality matters in increasing or decreasing individual problem-solving competence. We present data collected via an online survey from 153 respondents in a professional software organisation. Our findings suggest that software developers who engage in knowledge brokering in business and technical advice connectedness will increase problem-solving competence in the software development effort. Our findings also reveal no significant effect of contact quality between these advice networks and problem-solving competence. We discuss our findings’ implications for theory and practice.