Collaboration and Communities of Practice

Fatih Oguz, Corrie V. Marsh and Cliff Landis wrote “Collaboration through Communities of Practice in the Digital Age” in the book, Technological Convergence and Social Networks in Information Management. This is in the book series, Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2010, Volume 96, Part 1, pp. 18-30. (Note that a subscription or purchase is required to read the full text.)

This paper aims to describe and explain the role of Communities of Practice (CoPs) as an informal communication mechanism in initiating, improving, and fostering collaboration in the digital age. CoPs play a critical role in the management of shared knowledge and create value for both their members and organizations. The advent of the Internet and specifically the World Wide Web (WWW) has forever changed the means of accessing and sharing data and information. With the inception of Web 2.0 technologies and social-networking sites in recent years, connections and relationships are now not only nurtured and sustained in an online environment, but also established through creating virtual communities.