The Search for the ’Hidden’ Virtual Communities of Practice

2011 ◽  
pp. 2395-2411
Author(s):  
Richard Ribeiro ◽  
Chris Kimble
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Electronic Networks ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Seci Model ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Fully Functioning

This chapter examines the possibility of discovering a “hidden” (potential) Community of Practice (CoP) inside electronic networks, and then using this knowledge to nurture it into a fully functioning Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP). Starting from the standpoint of the need to manage knowledge and create innovation, the chapter discusses several issues related to this subject. It begins by examining Nonaka’s SECI model and his notion of Knowledge Transfer; the authors follow this by an investigation of the links between Communities of Practice (CoPs) and Knowledge Management; the chapter concludes by examining the relation between Nonaka’s Communities of Interaction and CoPs. Having established this the authors start their examination of the characteristics of “hidden” Communities of Practice. Following on from the previous discussion, they look at what is meant by “hidden” CoPs and what their value might be. They also look at the distinction between Distributed CoPs (DCoPs) and Virtual CoPs (VCoPs) and the issues raised when moving from ‘hidden’ CoPs to fully functioning VCoPs. The chapter concludes with some preliminary findings from a semi-structured interview conducted in the Higher Education Academy Psychology Network (UK). These findings are contrasted against the theory and some further proposals are made.

The Search for the 'Hidden' Virtual Communities of Practice

2010 ◽  
pp. 42-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ribeiro ◽  
Chris Kimble
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Electronic Networks ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Seci Model ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Fully Functioning

This chapter examines the possibility of discovering a “hidden” (potential) Community of Practice (CoP) inside electronic networks, and then using this knowledge to nurture it into a fully functioning Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP). Starting from the standpoint of the need to manage knowledge and create innovation, the chapter discusses several issues related to this subject. It begins by examining Nonaka’s SECI model and his notion of Knowledge Transfer; the authors follow this by an investigation of the links between Communities of Practice (CoPs) and Knowledge Management; the chapter concludes by examining the relation between Nonaka’s Communities of Interaction and CoPs. Having established this the authors start their examination of the characteristics of “hidden” Communities of Practice. Following on from the previous discussion, they look at what is meant by “hidden” CoPs and what their value might be. They also look at the distinction between Distributed CoPs (DCoPs) and Virtual CoPs (VCoPs) and the issues raised when moving from ‘hidden’ CoPs to fully functioning VCoPs. The chapter concludes with some preliminary findings from a semi-structured interview conducted in the Higher Education Academy Psychology Network (UK). These findings are contrasted against the theory and some further proposals are made.

A Social Informatics Framework for Sustaining Virtual Communities of Practice

2008 ◽  
pp. 610-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Ruhi
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Group Decision Support Systems ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Reminiscent of the present-day Web vogue and the emergence of a myriad of e-enabled business models, virtual communities of practice are fast emerging as the next logical extension of traditional communities of practice. Virtual communities of practice exemplify the components of most contemporary communities of practice, which incorporate elements of physical social interactions, in combination with distributed virtual connections. These communities utilize technology applications to better manage their routine pursuits. More specifically, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used to facilitate the operations of a community of practice by providing tools for managing content (explicit knowledge) and a means for sharing expertise (tacit knowledge) through cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. The enabling technologies for institutionalizing a virtual community of practice range from simple user tools such as e-mail, teleconferencing, and groupware, to the more complex software applications, including group decision support systems (GDSSs) and corporate portals.

A Social Informatics Framework for Sustaining Virtual Communities of Practice

2011 ◽  
pp. 466-473
Author(s):  
Umar Ruhi
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Group Decision Support Systems ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Reminiscent of the present-day Web vogue and the emergence of a myriad of e-enabled business models, virtual communities of practice are fast emerging as the next logical extension of traditional communities of practice. Virtual communities of practice exemplify the components of most contemporary communities of practice, which incorporate elements of physical social interactions, in combination with distributed virtual connections. These communities utilize technology applications to better manage their routine pursuits. More specifically, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used to facilitate the operations of a community of practice by providing tools for managing content (explicit knowledge) and a means for sharing expertise (tacit knowledge) through cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. The enabling technologies for institutionalizing a virtual community of practice range from simple user tools such as e-mail, teleconferencing, and groupware, to the more complex software applications, including group decision support systems (GDSSs) and corporate portals.

Social Informatics Framework for Sustaining Virtual Communities of Practice

2009 ◽  
pp. 193-201
Author(s):  
Umar Ruhi
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Group Decision Support Systems ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Technology Applications ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Reminiscent of the present-day Web vogue and the emergence of a myriad of e-enabled business models, virtual communities of practice are fast emerging as the next logical extension of traditional communities of practice. Virtual communities of practice exemplify the components of most contemporary communities of practice, which incorporate elements of physical social interactions, in combination with distributed virtual connections. These communities utilize technology applications to better manage their routine pursuits. More specifically, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used to facilitate the operations of a community of practice by providing tools for managing content (explicit knowledge) and a means for sharing expertise (tacit knowledge) through cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. The enabling technologies for institutionalizing a virtual community of practice range from simple user tools such as e-mail, teleconferencing, and groupware, to the more complex software applications, including group decision support systems (GDSSs) and corporate portals.

Facilitating Social Learning in Virtual Communities of Practice

2008 ◽  
pp. 1155-1176
Author(s):  
Rosanna Tarsiero
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Human Computer Interaction ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

This chapter introduces communities of practice as a means to explore human computer interaction in online collaborative environments. Through a wide review of the literature on communities of practice and their virtual counterparts, it argues that the focus for successful interaction design in these communities lies on those sociability and usability aspects that allow greater participation in social learning. It also argues that the facilitator assumes a fundamental role in guiding a virtual community of practice to accomplish work-related informal learning activities in a climate of trust and collaboration. The author hopes that understanding the special opportunities provided by virtual communities of practice will advocate for their widespread routine use.

Facilitating Social Learning in Virtual Communities of Practice

2007 ◽  
pp. 87-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Tarsiero
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Human Computer Interaction ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

This chapter introduces communities of practice as a means to explore human computer interaction in online collaborative environments. Through a wide review of the literature on communities of practice and their virtual counterparts, it argues that the focus for successful interaction design in these communities lies on those sociability and usability aspects that allow greater participation in social learning. It also argues that the facilitator assumes a fundamental role in guiding a virtual community of practice to accomplish work-related informal learning activities in a climate of trust and collaboration. The author hopes that understanding the special opportunities provided by virtual communities of practice will advocate for their widespread routine use.

Virtual Communities of Practice

2010 ◽  
pp. 32-51
Author(s):  
Jens Gammelgaard
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Exchange Process ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Virtual Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

This chapter investigates the phenomenon of virtual communities of practice, and proposes them to be efficient for individual’s knowledge retrieval, when they work in a geographically dispersed organization, such as a multinational corporation. The virtual community of practice is likely to reduce the contextual gaps that typically exist between senders and receivers of knowledge, as it includes the possibility of feedback loops in the information exchange process. However, the organization must provide a knowledge-sharing friendly culture, and an institutional protectionism, in order to establish the required level of trust, being the foundation for knowledge exchanges within the virtual community.

Facilitator Toolkit for Building and Sustaining Virtual Communities of Practice

2011 ◽  
pp. 202-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Kimball ◽  
Amy Ladd
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Over Time

The boundaries of a Community of Practice (CoP) have changed significantly because of changes in organizations and the nature of the work they do. Organizations have become more distributed across geography and across industries. Relationships between people inside an organization and those previously considered outside (customers, suppliers, managers of collaborating organizations, other stakeholders) are becoming more important. In addition, organizations have discovered the value of collaborative work due to the new emphasis on Knowledge Management—harvesting the learning and the experience of members of the organization so that it is available to the whole organization. This chapter offers a practical toolkit of best practices, tips and examples from the authors’ work training leaders to launch and sustain a virtual CoP, including tips for chartering the community, defining roles, and creating the culture that will sustain the community over time.

The 'Social Experience Factory' and the Fabrics of Collaboration in Virtual Communities of Practice

2010 ◽  
pp. 101-124
Author(s):  
Demosthenes Akoumianakis
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Social Experience ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
The Social ◽  
Technical Details ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Automated Software ◽  
Product Assembly

This chapter proposes and discusses the “social” experience factory (SEF). The SEF provides a general model and architecture supporting information-based product assembly by cross-organization communities of practice using interactive toolkits and practice-specific technologies. In terms of engineering ground, the SEF builds on two prevalent research tracks, namely experience-based and reuse-oriented proposals for the management of virtual assets and automated software assembly as conceived and facilitated by recent advances on software factories. Our account of the SEF focuses on functions facilitating electronic squads (i.e., cross-organization virtual community management) and workflows (i.e., practice management) which collectively define the scope of collaboration using the SEF. Further technical details on operational aspects of the SEF as deployed in the tourism sector to facilitate vacation package assembly are presented in Chapter XXI in this volume.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Development of Virtual Communities of Practice that Support Evidence Based Practice

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Urquhart ◽  
Anne Brice ◽  
Janet Cooper ◽  
Siân Spink ◽  
Rhian Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Objective – The aim of this paper is to examine how virtual community of practice principles might be used by information professionals with emphasis on the work of the Specialist Libraries for health professionals in England, UK. An evaluation conducted in 2004-2005 examined the operation of the Specialist Libraries, which the National Library for Health had contracted out to various organisations, and assessed their stage of development as communities of practice. Methods – Evaluation methods included observation of a meeting of information specialists, interviews with clinical leads and information specialists, and evaluation of the content and format of the Specialist Library websites. The evaluation framework was based on a systematic review of the literature to determine the critical success factors for communities of practice and their role in supporting evidence based practice. An updated literature review was conducted for this paper. Results – Operational structures varied but were mostly effective in producing communities of practice that were at an “engaged” stage. Some Specialist Libraries wished to move towards the “active” stage by supporting online discussion forums, or by providing question and answering services or more learning activities and materials. Although the evidence from the literature suggests there are few clear criteria for judging the effectiveness of communities of practice, the evaluation framework used here was successful in identifying the state of progress and how information professionals might approach designing virtual communities of practice. Conclusions – Structuring library and information services around community of practice principles is effective. Careful and participative design of the information architecture is required for good support for evidence based practice.

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