Virtual Communities of Practice as a Support for Knowledge Sharing in Social Networks

2012 ◽  
pp. 374-387
Author(s):  
Yóris Linhares de Souza ◽  
Fernanda Farinelli ◽  
George Leal Jamil ◽  
Maria Celeste Reis Lobo de Vasconcelos ◽  
Gutenberg Marques Dias
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Knowledge as a result of people’s interaction is an essential factor for organizations facing actual business complexity. Social networks, whose creation and usage have been facilitated from the development of information and communication technologies, improved the conditions for interactive and collaborative answers at a very fast pace. In this sense, virtual communities of practice appear as an important way to share knowledge among groups of people joined by common interests, such as the search for solutions for problems, development of competences, professional relationship upgrades, growth of productivity, and general working quality. However, some barriers have emerged to the social network members, such as lack of trust, real incentives, and time to dedicate in order to contribute in these communities. In this chapter, aiming to evaluate such scenarios, a multiple case study methodology was conducted, starting from a literature review of main concepts, giving support for a final assessment of cases to provide better understanding and identification of the main benefits and barriers for the participation and collaboration in these new platforms. As a result of the present study, these reflections could lead to a better comprehension of the application of the social networks structured over virtual communities of practice in the business environment.

Virtual Communities of Practice as a Support for Knowledge Sharing in Social Networks

2014 ◽  
pp. 350-363
Author(s):  
Yóris Linhares de Souza ◽  
Fernanda Farinelli ◽  
George Leal Jamil ◽  
Maria Celeste Reis Lobo de Vasconcelos ◽  
Gutenberg Marques Dias
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Knowledge as a result of people's interaction is an essential factor for organizations facing actual business complexity. Social networks, whose creation and usage have been facilitated from the development of information and communication technologies, improved the conditions for interactive and collaborative answers at a very fast pace. In this sense, virtual communities of practice appear as an important way to share knowledge among groups of people joined by common interests, such as the search for solutions for problems, development of competences, professional relationship upgrades, growth of productivity, and general working quality. However, some barriers have emerged to the social network members, such as lack of trust, real incentives, and time to dedicate in order to contribute in these communities. In this chapter, aiming to evaluate such scenarios, a multiple case study methodology was conducted, starting from a literature review of main concepts, giving support for a final assessment of cases to provide better understanding and identification of the main benefits and barriers for the participation and collaboration in these new platforms. As a result of the present study, these reflections could lead to a better comprehension of the application of the social networks structured over virtual communities of practice in the business environment.

Domestic vs. International E-Shopping

2019 ◽  
pp. 24-39
Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Mobile Industry ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Shed Light

Contemporary commerce is completely different as regards features some years ago. Nowadays, a considerable number of individuals and firms take advantage of the information and communication technologies and conduct transactions online. In particular, the mobile industry along with the broad use of social networks and improvements in the internet bandwidth worldwide has created a completely different business environment. Consequently, the technology incited many consumers to cross-border e-shopping, allowing access to a wider variety of products and services, and in numerous circumstances, access to cheaper goods. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the perceptions internet users have towards e-shops focusing on Greece. More precisely, it aims to find out whether there are contingent differences on customers' perceptions regarding domestic vs. international e-shops, since a gradually augmented number of people have been expressing their preference on non-domestic e-stores for their purchases. Additionally, the chapter intends to shed light on the difficulty in understanding vital aspects of e-consumer behaviour.

Encouraging Participation in Virtual Communities of Practice within the United States Air Force

2011 ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Bowersox
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Air Force ◽  
United States Air Force ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

With the growth of information and communication technology (ICT) such as the internet, email, and video conferencing, the United States Air Force has become more efficient and productive in conducting its daily business. However, not only do computer technologies increase daily productivity rates among the employees; they also increase the Air Force’s capability to digest larger amounts of information while supporting an end goal of being able to share that information across the entire organization. Perhaps one of the most popular methods by which to share such large amounts of organizational information is through informal learning environments such as communities of practice. The Air Force has no doubt embraced the concept of communities of practice. However, as popular as these “communities” are among many employees, there is still a majority of Air Force employees who choose not to use them. The purpose of this chapter is to provide practical ways in which the United States Air Force can increase participation in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) among its workforce, as well as providing theoretical frameworks upon which further research can be conducted. Finally, this chapter will propose a set of testable propositions that may serve as the basis for future research.

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.

Domestic vs. International E-Shopping

2021 ◽  
pp. 1819-1834
Author(s):  
Vaggelis Saprikis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Mobile Industry ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Shed Light

Contemporary commerce is completely different as regards features some years ago. Nowadays, a considerable number of individuals and firms take advantage of the information and communication technologies and conduct transactions online. In particular, the mobile industry along with the broad use of social networks and improvements in the internet bandwidth worldwide has created a completely different business environment. Consequently, the technology incited many consumers to cross-border e-shopping, allowing access to a wider variety of products and services, and in numerous circumstances, access to cheaper goods. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the perceptions internet users have towards e-shops focusing on Greece. More precisely, it aims to find out whether there are contingent differences on customers' perceptions regarding domestic vs. international e-shops, since a gradually augmented number of people have been expressing their preference on non-domestic e-stores for their purchases. Additionally, the chapter intends to shed light on the difficulty in understanding vital aspects of e-consumer behaviour.

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.

The Fabrication of Networked Socialities

2009 ◽  
pp. 207-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Landri
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Social Studies Of Science ◽  
The Social ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Theoretical Frame ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Social Logics

This chapter is dedicated to analyse the fabrication of networked socialities, that is to address the complex interweaving of technologies of information and communication and the manifold instantiations of sociality. Networked socialities are digital formations being produced out of the intertwining of social logics outside and inside digital spaces and society. Such contribution is organized as follows: first, it will present the theoretical frame necessary to grasp the fabrication of sociologies in our information age, drawing on some concepts elaborated by the social studies of science and technology, together with the studies of the global digital worlds. Then, it will highlight the analytical fruitfulness of this perspective by describing some digital formations, such as social network sites, virtual communities of practice, and electronic markets. Finally, it will discuss the effects and the implications of such fabrication as a re-configuration of social, the emerging post-social relationships as well as the increasing fragility of knowledge societies.

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.

Virtual Communities of Practice

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Pender Greene
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Sociologists and social workers have long been invested in understanding the role of communities in shaping identities and influencing behavior; however, the study of virtual communities is still new despite the dramatic ways in which online social networks have replaced traditional, geographically bound conceptions of community. The present article briefly reviews some of the early theories of community that have influenced practically all scholars studying computer-mediated virtual communities. The focus then shifts toward an analysis of early, important theorists focusing on virtual communities. The article concludes by examining contemporary research and practices utilizing virtual communities in social work, with a particular emphasis on ways to integrate virtual communities into professional practice.

Virtual Communities of Practice

2005 ◽  
pp. 2991-2995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Kimble ◽  
Paul Hildreth
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Innovative Solution ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

When knowledge management (KM) began to emerge in the 1990s it was seen as an innovative solution to the problems of managing knowledge in a competitive and increasingly internationalised business environment. However, in practice it was often little more than information management re-badged (Wilson, 2002). More recently, there has been recognition of the importance of more subtle, softer types of knowledge that need to be shared. This raises the question as to how this sort of knowledge might be managed. Communities of practice (CoPs) have been identified as means by which this type of knowledge can be nurtured, shared and sustained (Hildreth & Kimble, 2002). Do CoPs offer a means of managing the softer aspects of knowledge and, if they do, are they applicable to today’s increasingly “virtual” world?

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