Successfully maintaining participation in virtual communities of practice

Abstract

Virtual communities of Practice (VCoPs) - the 'networked structures of the online world' - are increasingly built around experts for them to discuss, redesign and share their most efficient and effective work practices. The popularity of VCoPs reflects the fact that experts are using new online technologies to fulfil both social and economic goals. Their interactions are supported and/or mediated by technology and guided by some facilitators, protocols and norms. A study conducted in eight VCoPs in two multinational organizations (Oracle, IBM) revealed the five most salient success factors to sparkle and sustain personalized interactions between experts in VCoPs. More dense one-to-one interactions between these experts means an increased opportunity to share implicit knowledge contained in the best practices they use in their daily work. To conclude, I propose a set of measures that managers should take to improve members' participation in VCoPs both at a structural and technological level. © 2010 Gabler Verlag | GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden.