Online Communities of Practice: Beyond Organizational Boundaries

Abstract

It is becoming increasing common for organizations and professional associations to examine the potential of online communication networks to enable members to share knowledge and engage in continuing workplace learning and professional development (Gray, 2004; Wasko & Faraj, 2005). Holding face-to-face interactions on a regular basis can be costly and time consuming, and online communities of practice supported by Internet technologies are among the few viable alternatives to live conversation and knowledge sharing (Ardichvili, Page, & Wentling, 2003; Dub, Bourhis, & Jacob, 2005). However, little documented research categorizes the different types of knowledge that workers share with one another in online environments. Recently, several studies have addressed knowledge sharing. For example, Wasko and Faraj (2000) examined why people contribute to the provision of knowledge as a public good in online communities of practice, although they stopped short of investigating the types of knowledge that were shared. A similar trend was noted in other studies (e.g., Ardichvili et al., 2003; Hendriks, 1999). More importantly, previous studies have not addressed the types of knowledge or factors that can help sustain knowledge sharing in online communities.