Some success factors for the communal management of knowledge

2008

Abstract: This paper explores the links between Knowledge Management and new community-based models of the organization from both a theoretical and an empirical perspective. From a theoretical standpoint, we look at Communities of Practice (CoPs) and Knowledge Management (KM) and explore the links between the two as they relate to the use of information systems to manage knowledge.

After a short historical review of the development of the concept of "Communities of Practice" (CoP) we present examples of organisational Knowledge Management (KM) in which Etienne Wenger's CoP model has been applied. In the main part we focus on the business orientated CoP framework that Wenger, Snyder and McDermott proposed in 2002 for KM by extending the original approach of 1998. Finally we conclude with a critical reflection over the necessity - within KM frameworks - to explicitly emphasize participation in stewarding knowledge as a condition for bridging the gap between knowledge and its management.

2006

The knowledge management (KM) literature emphasizes the impact of human factors for successful implementation of KM within the organization. Isolated initiatives for promoting learning organization and team collaboration, without taking consideration of the knowledge sharing limitations and constraints can defeat further development of KM culture. As an effective instrument for knowledge sharing, communities of practice (CoP) are appearing to overcome these constraints and to foster human collaboration.

IGI Global eBooks, 2011

The aim of this chapter is to link communities of practice to the knowledge creation and dissemination in the specific context of knowledge intensive organization. This is done by pointing out the role that CoPs may have in relation to knowledge sharing and innovativeness in the knowledge intensive context. CoPs can fulfill numerous functions in respect to the creation, accumulation, and diffusion of knowledge. Thus, Wenger's (1998) clarifying categorization of those knowledge-related functions has served as a foundation and inspiration in this context-specific description: exchange and interpretation of information; retaining knowledge; steward competencies and provide homes for identities. However, it is worth noting that while communities of practice are traditionally seen as the creators of knowledge and innovations, it is also important to acknowledge the challenges and even obstacles of these tightly-coupled groups may bring to the organizational knowledge sharing and learning processes. These issues are mainly defined through our empirical case examples we have linked to the theoretical review.

2001

With knowledge increasingly regarded as the most important asset for organizational success, knowledge management is gaining wider acceptance by many organizations. This paper takes a community perspective, emphasizing communities of practice and networks of practice . In this paper, we report on a case study with the information technology group at Texas A&M University and discuss how people (learning in the group) and an organization (learning by the group) actually learn. Finally, we discuss ways of utilizing information technology in communities and networks of practice.

Problems and perspectives in …, 2004

European Business Review, 2006

In today's competitive environment, it is widely accepted that knowledge is a key strategic resource. Nevertheless, to be a source of competitive advantage, the knowledge embedded in individuals must be transformed into organizational knowledge. This process is called knowledge management. To achieve this goal, organizations should provide a context of shared identity that favors this process, which is possible by developing communities of practice. From a review of the literature, this paper defends the idea that this process can also happen in work teams, but only if they have the necessary characteristics to be considered communities of practice. Thus, our first objective is to identify the characteristics of the work team that favor knowledge management from a revision of existing literature about communities of practice. Secondly, by means of an empirical study of 363 individual working in permanent teams, we obtain empirical confirmation that these characteristics (self-management, leadership, individual autonomy, climate of trust, common understanding and the members' heterogeneous and complementary skills) exercise a favorable influence on knowledge management that is conceptualized as a process of creation (C), transfer (T) and integration (I) of the work team members' knowledge.

After a short historical review of the development of the concept of "Communities of Practice" (CoP) we present examples of organisational Knowledge Management (KM) in which Etienne Wenger's CoP model has been applied. In the main part we focus on the business orientated CoP framework that Wenger, Snyder and McDermott proposed in 2002 for KM by extending the original approach of 1998. Finally we conclude with a critical reflection over the necessity -within KM frameworks -to explicitly emphasize participation in stewarding knowledge as a condition for bridging the gap between knowledge and its management. 1 Contribution to TACONET Conference on Self-regulated Learning in Technology Enhanced Learning Environments, introductory talk of 23 September 2005, Lisbon, Portugal.

Journal of Knowledge Management, 2011

Purpose -Communities of practice (CoPs) have been found to support knowledge creation by enabling knowledge sharing among experts in firms. However, some perform better than others. This paper seeks to explore what incentivizes employees to share knowledge in intra-firm CoPs.