Web-based Learning Solutions for Communities of Practice

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Conditions and Key Success Factors for the Management of Communities of Practice
Therefore, in order for the organization to get
its employees to share their knowledge so that they
cam improve their competitiveness and maintain
existing communities, it should take the employees’
interests into account 11 . The organization
could then align its interests with those of people
in the following manner (Lee, 2003):
• Initial recognition: By definition, communities
of practice consist of people
with similar interests, but the actual level
of knowledge and experience can vary,
depending on the people that form them.
The organization can use a plan to effect
formalized recognition by notifying members
of communities of acknowledgments
based on the contributions that they make
to the organization. This recognition can
initially consist of appreciation for people
who sustain the community's base and its
knowledge. If the organization abstains
from this recognition, it is possible for contributors
to the community’s generation to
end up feeling frustrated, since they could
think that the work done is not useful for
the community.
• Subsequent recognitions and rewards:
Once communities have been consolidated,
the organization must ensure that there are
subsequent recognitions and rewards. Contributors
of knowledge that is important for
the community and the organization must
be recognized for their contributions both
within the community itself and within the
organization.
• Inclusion in action and revision plans:
Another important incentive can be acknowledgment
on behalf of the organization
by including the members of communities in
action plans in order to have them share different
points of view and knowledge, which
can lead to the creation of new knowledge
and its spreading, which, in turn, can lead
to innovation.
• Participation in feedback on the organization’s
actions: Requesting an evaluation
of the organization’s actions from communities’
means closing the loop that is necessary
for maintaining communities in the long
term by means of (necessary) recognition.
This way, both the organization and the
members of communities perceive the benefits
of the creation and maintenance of communities
of practice, cushioning the drain of intellectual
capital and creating an environment that allows
people to share their knowledge in order to carry
out tasks efficiently. This increase in efficiency, in
turn, provides the organization with a significant
advantage over other competitors.
Key Success Factors in the Cultivation
of CoP
McDermott (2000) makes a valuable contribution
regarding the main challenges in the cultivation
and nourishing of communities of practice. He
highlights 4 challenges, listed as follows:
• The management challenge: In order to
show that communities of practice are truly
important for business management, it is
essential to make sure that they are formed
around subjects that are important to the
organization, so that the development of
knowledge regarding these subjects will
have an important impact on the company.
If it’s not the case, of course the CoP can
continue existing, but will not be a priority
for the organization and so, it would not
receive organizational support. It is also
necessary to take into account the fact that
the success of a community of practice
depends on the coordinator of it, as well
as on its members. Therefore, and as far as
the steward is concerned, it is necessary to
make sure that the leader has the experience
and prestige enough, as well as the social