Lesser and Storck of the IBM Institute for Knowledge Management argue that the social capital in communities, which may be virtual or co-located, lead to changes that positively influence business performance.
Resources and information for individuals and organizations who are developing expertise in the cultivation of communities of practice. Features educational resources, publications and contact details.
Homepage of the Community of Practice researcher and consultant who coined the term along with Jean Lave. Features links to his widely-read publications on the field, including an exhaustive survey of technologies that can be used to support Communities of Practice.
Global Gateways is currently facilitating Communities of Practice (CoPs) for Chief Information Officers (CIOs). We are also forming Communities for other management groups.
Lecture notes from a course taught by Chris Kimble at York University. Provides links to sources of information on knowledge management and communities of practice.
Overview of the lessons IBM Global Services have learned since 1995 implementing Communities of Practice. Focuses on people and organization behavior, supporting processes, and enabling technology factors.
Chris Kimble's research in CSCW and Knowledge Management, in particular, the representation and dissemination of knowledge in virtual team and in virtual environments. He is interested in the problems associated with cross-cultural or trans-national team and knowledge work in an international context.
Researchs and develops new architectures, ideas and internet software for collaborative knowledge development and learning. Features overviews, portals and contact information.
Helps groups and organizations build virtual teams and learning communities through organization development consulting, web-based conferencing, and facilitation services.
Paper argues that the transfer of a concept that is deeply rooted in the lived-in world to the virtual involves significant conceptual problems. By Christopher Lueg. [PDF] [PDF]
Although communities of practice develop organically, a carefully crafted design can drive their evolution. By Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder; published in Harvard Business School's "Working Knowledge." (March 25, 2002)
James B. Smethurst. For any member of a Community of Practice, there comes a time to interface with individuals and organizations which do not form part of the Community. The difficulty of this situation is the issue of language. Every Community of Practice has its own pattern language, its own way of expressing and discussing the unique qualities of its chosen art. (September 24, 1997)
