Virtual Communities of Practice

View Sample PDF

Author(s): Chris Kimble (University of York, UK)and Paul Hildreth (K-Now International Ltd., UK)
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 5
Source title: Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, First Edition
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. (Information Resources Management Association, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59140-553-5.ch532

Keywords: Information Resources Management / Information Science Reference / Library & Information Science

Purchase

View Virtual Communities of Practice on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

When knowledge management (KM) began to emerge in the 1990s it was seen as an innovative solution to the problems of managing knowledge in a competitive and increasingly internationalised business environment. However, in practice it was often little more than information management re-badged (Wilson, 2002). More recently, there has been recognition of the importance of more subtle, softer types of knowledge that need to be shared. This raises the question as to how this sort of knowledge might be managed. Communities of practice (CoPs) have been identified as means by which this type of knowledge can be nurtured, shared and sustained (Hildreth & Kimble, 2002). Do CoPs offer a means of managing the softer aspects of knowledge and, if they do, are they applicable to today’s increasingly “virtual” world?

The IRMA Community

Research IRM

Virtual Communities of Practice

Purchase

Abstract

Related Content

IRMA Sponsors