scholarly journals It is rotating leaders who build the swarm: social network determinants of growth for healthcare virtual communities of practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1218-1239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Antonacci ◽  
Andrea Fronzetti Colladon ◽  
Alessandro Stefanini ◽  
Peter Gloor
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Growth ◽  
Web Platform

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors influencing the growth of healthcare virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) through a seven-year longitudinal study conducted using metrics from social-network and semantic analysis. By studying online communication along the three dimensions of social interactions (connectivity, interactivity and language use), the authors aim to provide VCoP managers with valuable insights to improve the success of their communities. Design/methodology/approach Communications over a period of seven years (April 2008 to April 2015) and between 14,000 members of 16 different healthcare VCoPs coexisting on the same web platform were analysed. Multilevel regression models were used to reveal the main determinants of community growth over time. Independent variables were derived from social network and semantic analysis measures. Findings Results show that structural and content-based variables predict the growth of the community. Progressively, more people will join a community if its structure is more centralised, leaders are more dynamic (they rotate more) and the language used in the posts is less complex. Research limitations/implications The available data set included one Web platform and a limited number of control variables. To consolidate the findings of the present study, the experiment should be replicated on other healthcare VCoPs. Originality/value The study provides useful recommendations for setting up and nurturing the growth of professional communities, considering, at the same time, the interaction patterns among the community members, the dynamic evolution of these interactions and the use of language. New analytical tools are presented, together with the use of innovative interaction metrics, that can significantly influence community growth, such as rotating leadership.

Cultivating virtual communities of practice in KAFKA

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Sartori ◽  
Riccardo Melen ◽  
Stefano Pinardi
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Knowledge Modeling ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Modeling Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for cultivating virtual communities of practice in distributed environments. The framework is based on the integration of knowledge artifacts and wearable technologies. Design/methodology/approach The proposed knowledge artifact is based on the correlation between conceptual and computational tools for the representation of different kinds of knowledge. Findings In this way, it is possible to make deeper the collaboration between knowledge seekers and contributors within the community, given that seekers and contributors share, at least in part, design choices at the knowledge modeling level. Originality/value A practical application of the framework has been described, to show its originality with respect to traditional knowledge management systems. In particular, it has been demonstrated how lurking phenomenon inside communities of practice can be significantly reduced. To this aim, opportune indexes have been defined from existing ones in literature.

Motivation factors of knowledge collaboration in virtual communities of practice: a perspective from system dynamics

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 466-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Ruilin Zhang ◽  
Jin-Xing Hao ◽  
Xuanyi Chen
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivation Factors ◽  
Knowledge Collaboration ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Sd Model

PurposeAlthough researchers have demonstrated a significant interest in motivation factors of knowledge collaboration, previous studies have seldom explored the dynamic interrelations in virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) over time that involve the iteratively melding of knowledge collaboration motivations and behaviours. Therefore, this study aims to unveil the interactive dynamics amongst motivation factors of knowledge collaboration in VCoPs from a perspective of system dynamics (SD).Design/methodology/approachAccording to the SD method proposed by Forrester, this paper develops an SD model of motivation factors of knowledge collaboration in VCoP by identifying interactions of motivation factors based on behavioural theories, validating the proposed model by structural tests and behaviour tests involving historical data from 939 Wikipedians and analysing the impacts of policy regulations on knowledge collaboration behaviours in Wikipedia.FindingsIn accordance with current literature, this study categorises intrinsic, extrinsic and community motivation factors of knowledge collaborations in VCoPs. According to the SD method, this study develops and validates an SD model to reveal interesting non-linear dynamics of these motivation factors which are neglected by prior studies. This study also conducts dynamic what-if analyses to suggest policy regulations to promote knowledge collaborations in the context of Wikipedia.Originality/valueDifferent from prior empirical studies which normally take on a snapshot of motivation factors, this study discloses a dynamic picture of their interrelations by unfolding their behaviour patterns over time. The main contribution of this paper is to develop and validate an SD model of motivation factors of knowledge collaboration in VCoP and to reveal and elaborate their dynamics for policy regulations in VCoPs based on simulation results.

scholarly journals #Migrantcrisis: “tagging” the European migration crisis on Twitter

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Ferra ◽  
Dennis Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Hierarchical Structures ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Crisis Events ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transnational Discourse ◽  
Migration Crisis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how the transnational discourse on the migrant crisis materialized on Twitter; it analyses how different stakeholders make use of online platforms to engage in the transnational digital public sphere in a crisis context. Design/methodology/approach The case study combines insights from research on transnational public discourses with web sphere theory for the methodological angle; it also applies social network and semantic analysis as empirical methods for data analysis. Twitter data related to #migrantcrisis and published on the 26 of February 2016 were collected, processed and visualised with NodeXL. Findings The social network and semantic analysis of 4,277 tweets identified the key actors/stakeholders who dominated the transnational web discourse and the main topics subsumed under the #migrantcrisis. The results suggest that the hierarchical structures that shaped the “offline” public sphere resonate in the digital public sphere. Simultaneously, strong links with general EU politics and other crisis events that caused turmoil in the transnational public sphere emerged as well. Research limitations/implications The paper provides an exploratory mapping of noticeable tendencies in a data set that is limited to the 26 of February 2016, which marked the closing of borders along the so-called “Balkan Route” to Europe. Originality/value This paper examines the usage of Twitter and the formation of the transnational web discourse by focusing the examination of a key date and event as regards to the unfolding of the migrant crisis in Europe.

The Challenge of Evaluating Virtual Communities of Practice: A Systematic Mapping Study

10.28945/4505 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 039-064
Author(s):  
Rogerio Ferreira da Silva ◽  
Itana Maria de Souza Gimenes ◽  
José Carlos Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Systematic Mapping Study ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Systematic Mapping ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Selection Of

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents a study of Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) evaluation methods that aims to identify their current status and impact on knowledge sharing. The purposes of the study are as follows: (i) to identify trends and research gaps in VCoP evaluation methods; and, (ii) to assist researchers to position new research activities in this domain. Background: VCoP have become a popular knowledge sharing mechanism for both individuals and organizations. Their evaluation process is complex; however, it is recognized as an essential means to provide evidences of community effectiveness. Moreover, VCoP have introduced additional features to face to face Communities of Practice (CoP) that need to be taken into account in evaluation processes, such as geographical dispersion. The fact that VCoP rely on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to execute their practices as well as storing artifacts virtually makes more consistent data analysis possible; thus, the evaluation process can apply automatic data gathering and analysis. Methodology: A systematic mapping study, based on five research questions, was carried out in order to analyze existing studies about VCoP evaluation methods and frameworks. The mapping included searching five research databases resulting in the selection of 1,417 papers over which a formal analysis process was applied. This process led to the preliminary selection of 39 primary studies for complete reading. After reading them, we select 28 relevant primary studies from which data was extracted and synthesized to answer the proposed research questions. Contribution: The authors of the primary studies analyzed along this systematic mapping propose a set of methods and strategies for evaluating VCoP, such as frameworks, processes and maturity models. Our main contribution is the identification of some research gaps present in the body of studies, in order to stimulate projects that can improve VCoP evaluation methods and support its important role in social learning. Findings: The systematic mapping led to the conclusion that most of the approaches for VCoP evaluation do not consider the combination of data structured and unstructured metrics. In addition, there is a lack of guidelines to support community operators’ actions based on evaluation metrics.

scholarly journals Virtual communities of practice to improve clinical outcomes in healthcare: protocol for a 10-year scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e046998
Author(s):  
Louise Shaw ◽  
Dana Jazayeri ◽  
Debra Kiegaldie ◽  
Meg Morris
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Falls Prevention ◽  
Support Network ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Relevant Stakeholder ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

IntroductionVirtual communities of practice (VCoPs) use a common online platform to provide healthcare professionals with the opportunity to access highly specialised knowledge, build a professional support network and promote the translation of research evidence into practice. There is limited reporting of how best to design and administer VCoPs within healthcare organisations. The primary aim of this scoping review is to identify the best methods used to establish and maintain VCoPs. Findings shall be used to develop a flexible framework to guide the establishment and facilitation of a VCoP for healthcare professionals to ensure the translation of falls prevention clinical guidelines into practice.Methods and analysisA five-stage scoping review process will be followed based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology. An initial limited search of PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature will identify relevant studies and assist with search term development. This will be followed by a search of five online databases to identify papers published from January 2010 until November 2020. Papers will be independently screened by two reviewers, and data extracted and analysed using a reporting framework. Qualitative data will be analysed thematically and numerical synthesis of the data will be conducted.Results and disseminationThe results of this scoping review will highlight the best ways to design and manage VCoPs in healthcare organisations. The findings will be presented at relevant stakeholder workshops, conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document