Collaboration through Communities of Practice in the Digital Age
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Fatih Oguz, Assistant Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: 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. The authors also assert that the inception of Web 2.0 technologies and social-networking sites is a great advancement in providing a rich learning, communication, and collaborative environment, especially through the transfer of tacit knowledge that we take for granted in our face-to-face interactions. These reflections are based on personal communications with members of virtual CoPs and literature on the impact of CoPs on decision-making and knowledge management.
Collaboration through Communities of Practice in the Digital Age
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Created on 2/28/2012
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Communications in Computer and Information Science (Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Information Management in a Changing World), 96, 18-30
- Language: English
- Date: 2010
- Keywords
- communities of practice, community information, social capital, social networks, social media, virtual communities, Web 2.0 technologies