Virtual community of practice
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To some a virtual community of practice is a misnomer as the original concept of a community of practice (CoP) was based around situated learning in a co-located setting. However, with increasing globalization and the continued growth of the Internet many now claim that virtual CoPs do exist. For example, some claim that a wiki (such as wikipedia.org) is a virtual CoP.
There is also debate on the very term VCoP as the community is real though the form of communication is mostly, if not entirely, via ICT. Few believe that a community of practice may be formed without any face to face meetings whatsoever. In fact many leading CoP thinkers stress the importance of such meetings. However some researchers argue that a VCoP's high use of ICT, changes some of its characteristics and introduces new complexities and ambiguities, thus justifying the creation of the term and area of study (Kim, 2004; Zarb, 2006).
Some of the other terms used have been (in chronological order) on-line (Cothrel & Williams, 1999), computer-mediated (Etzioni & Etzioni, 1999), electronic (Wasko & Faraj, 2000) and distributed (Wenger et al., 2002; Kimble & Hildreth, 2005). As the mode of communication can involve face-to-face, telephone and letter, and the defining feature is its distributed nature. For a comparison between Virtual Learning Communities (VLCs) with Distributed Communities of Practice (DCoP), see Couros & Kesten (2003)(website)
Recent research has produced evidence that increases in the sharing of Tacit knowledge, which is very much inherent within CoP theory, may take place, albeit to a lesser degree, in a VCoP scenario even though such systems make use of written word (Zarb, 2006). This is spurring interest in what is sometimes referred to as Community-driven knowledge management or Community Based Knowledge Management, where CoP and VCoP theory is harnessed, nourished and supported within the broader organisational setting.
[edit] See also
- Community of practice
- Network of practice
- Virtual community
- Virtual Ethnography
- Virtual team
- Community-driven knowledge management
[edit] External links
- Communities of Practice: Going One Step Too Far? A critical review of virtual CoPs
- Where is the Action in Virtual Communities of Practice? Another critical review of virtual CoPs
- Communities of Practice: Going Virtual
- Distributed Design Teams as Communities of Practice
- Virtual Communities of Practice: Differentiated Consequences for Individuals in Two Organisational Contexts
- Knowledge Networking: Structure and Performance in Networks of Practice
- Modelling Participation in Virtual Communities of Practice
[edit] References
Etzioni, A., & Etzioni, O. (1999). Face-to-face and computer-mediated communities, A comparative analysis. The Information Society, 15, 241-248.
Cothrel, J., & Williams, R.L. (1999). On-line communities: helping them form and grow. Journal of Knowledge Management, 3(1), 54-60.
Kim, A.J. (2004). “Emergent Purpose.” Musings of a Social Architect. January 24, 2004. Retrieved April 4, 2006
Kimble, C., & Hildreth, P. (2005). Dualities, Distributed Communities of Practice and Knowledge Management, Journal of Knowledge Management, 9(4), 102 - 113.
Wasko, M.M., & Faraj, S. (2000). “It is what one does”: why people participate and help others in electronic communities of practice. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 9, 155-173.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W.M. (2002). Cultivating Communities of Practice. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Zarb, M.P (2006). "Modelling Participation in Virtual Communities-of-Practice". LSE MSc ADMIS Dissertation: Distinction, Accessed from www.mzarb.com.
