An integrated academic community of practice model (ACoPM)

2016

This article examines the potential of a community of practice (CoP) to generate the dynamic capability of organisations in an academia–industry collaboration. This empirical qualitative case study was carried out within the Northern Research and Innovation Platform (NRIP), a university-led CoP with the aim of intensifying academia–industry collaboration in the field of environment, energy and natural resources. This article offers a conceptual framework which could be applied in order to understand the antecedents needed for successful academia–industry collaboration to use community as an engine for the knowledge development and dynamic capability of the organisations. The study explains who the participants are and why they are participating as well as what their expectations are and how they are willing to participate. The utilisation mechanism is also explored from the knowledge management point of view.

Journal of Business Strategy

Purpose – To provide managers, researchers, and consultants with practical insights on using Communities of Practice to support innovation in organizations. Design/methodology/approach – The research design is based on a four-year longitudinal case study of five Communities of Practice (CoPs) within a Specialty Chemicals division of a multinational company Alpha. Primary (interviews, direct observation) and secondary (internal documents) data were collected and analysed resulting in several conclusions about the role of Communities of Practice in supporting organizational innovation. Findings – The main conclusion drawn from the study is that supporting innovation involves switching between different degrees of managerial involvement in Communities of Practice, namely step-in and step-out modes. The step-in mode results in knowledge expansion, which supports incremental innovation while the step-out mode leads to knowledge probing which supports radical innovation. Research limitati...

International Journal of Technology Management, 2008

This paper aims to develop actionable knowledge to support management in designing and developing a business Community of Practice (CoP) in order to create value for both the organisation and its members. After a two-year field research, with seven case studies performed and three best practices chosen from secondary sources, a six-stage roadmap has been proposed, where both managerial guidelines and actionable models are provided.

The emergence of the Web has brought proximity and favored partnership among different groups viewing to cooperate in the generation of knowledge and in the process of innovation. Among the organizational forms of cooperation, the communities of practice (COPs) have been notable as a propitious activity for joining work groups aiming at creating and sharing knowledge as well as problem solving (Wenger et al., 2002). For some authors, communities of practice have always been part of the informal structure of any organization. However, IT has made it possible to exchange knowledge and ideas at an unprecedented pace. The aim of this paper is to analyze the formation and performance of communities of practice as a tool for enterprise innovation. The methodology used in this paper is based on a case study of a multinational company whose performance as an innovative enterprise has been outstanding. La aparición de la Web ha traído la proximidad y ha favorecido la asociación entre diferen...

Management Learning, 2002

The notion of 'community of practice' has achieved prominence in the context of wider debates on knowledge, learning and innovation in organizations. It has played a crucial role in highlighting the extent to which knowledge and learning is situated in collaborative work practices and has provided an important counterpoint to alternative views focusing, more narrowly, on the role of cognition. A community of practice is defined as ' an activity system about which participants share understandings

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education,, 2021

Purpose-The study's purpose was to examine the faculty-driven organization's design and development that supports faculty research needs, track the emergence of the community of practice (CoP) and provide greater insight into continued organizational design iterations. Design/methodology/approach-In this longitudinal design case study, the authors employed different methods to collect and analyze archival, quantitative and qualitative data to capture the phenomenon's complexity. Findings-The findings challenge the assumption that only formal organizational structures and top-down management approaches stimulate research and build research capacity in universities and propose a new sustainable and agile informal organizational structure and strategies to respond to faculty members' various research needs. Research limitations/implications-Future research is needed to investigate the tension between the individual researchers' and organizational needs, formal and informal organizational structures in universities, and the creation of a culture that would stimulate research. Practical implications-Some of the recommended strategies and activities already have been implemented by the Research Consortium Committee (RCC), and faculty engagement in the RCC initiatives has increased. The practical implications are not limited to a College of Education (COE) context. The findings and the developed strategies could apply to many universities and colleges that desire to support their researchers. The research development officers, university administration and policymakers can consider the results of the present study to develop a comprehensive framework for research capacity and infrastructure building from not only organizational but individual perspectives. Originality/value-This study provides one of the rare empirical investigations of the design, development and evolution of researchers' needs-driven informal organization in a higher education (HE) setting.

Journal of Knowledge Management, 2009

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to put forward a model to map the evolution of a business Community of Practice (CoP) in terms of learning and knowledge management processes.

2002

The presented work describes the case of setting up a pan-European community in the area of Knowledge Management. The paper will firstly provide a brief overview about how the idea was born and why it was felt that it is about time to set up a "European KM Forum". Secondly, it will give detailed information about the approach and the major steps that have been taken to ensure a successful launch. Finally, it will present and discuss the identified findings and obstacles on this way in a self-critical reflection in the context of present achievements for allowing other community builders and networks to capitalize on the experience.

International Journal of Contemporary Management

Background. Contemporary challenges motivate academics to look for forms of activities stimulating creative processes, releasing creativity, and supporting cooperation between universities and their socio-economic environments, including the expansion of knowledge with the active participation of these environments. Such effects are brought about by cooperation within the framework of a community of practice -a traditional form of academics' organizing themselves that is currently being rediscovered. Methodology. A case study has been conducted on the basis of statements made by British and Polish researchers and practitioners involved in communities of practice. The result of the conducted research is the identification of a theoretical basis necessary for understanding various types of voluntary cooperation within an academic community. The research results show that communities of practice are an effective way of working thanks to the stimulation of creative processes, academics' individual development, and advantages gained by institutions. Their key strengths are the absence of formalization and the joy of creation. They constitute a renaissance of the traditional forms of work compatible with academics' styles of living.

Proceedings of Multi-Conference Business …, 2004