The Knowledge Spiral in Communities of Practice: Using Information Technology for Structuring the Collectivized Intelligence

2014 ◽  
pp. 249-285
Author(s):  
Jefferson David Araūjo Sales ◽  
Jairo Simião Dornelas
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Knowledge Spiral

Teleworker's Security Risks Minimized with Informal Online Information Technology Communities of Practice

2009 ◽  
pp. 1387-1390
Author(s):  
Loreen Marie Powell
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
The United States ◽  
Discussion Groups ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Security Risks ◽  
Organizational Benefits ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Informal Information

The advancements of technology have altered the way many small businesses operate in the United States of America (USA) (Butcher-Powell, 2006). Small businesses have been forced to embrace technology or lose valuable employees and business. As such, many small businesses have merged to wireless networks and adopted various forms of telework. Today, it is estimated that more than 60% of the workforce are teleworkers (Butcher-Powell, 2006; DecisionOne, 2002). While moving to a remote workforce is good for small businesses, it also places a substantial amount of security risks upon the small business. Butcher-Powell (2006) documented some of the security risks associated with corporations employing a remote workforce, indicating that teleworker’s lack of information systems and security training can compromise the corporation’s network. The study investigates one particular method for aiding teleworker’s: informal information technology communities of practice in cyberspace. One hundred and forty four teleworker’s were surveyed on what sort of IT-related activities they devote time to, how much problem-solving they attempt via technology discussion groups with respect to those activities, and their perceived community and organizational benefits to participating in such discussion groups. The study found significant differences in perceived value of technology discussion groups among teleworkers.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management Practices and the Focus on the Individual

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Rechberg ◽  
Jawad Syed
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The Individual

This paper reviews the current knowledge management (KM) practices to examine the attention (or lack thereof) paid to the individual in managing knowledge in organisations. It identifies and reviews four key practices of KM - i.e., information technology, organisational culture and structure, communities of practice, and human resource practices - to examine how knowledge is interpreted, processed and managed, and the role individuals play in such interpretations, processing and management. The review shows that existing KM practices may be improved through an increased focus on the role of individuals (an individual-centric approach) in designing and implementing KM in organisations.

scholarly journals Improving professional IT doctorate completion rates

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Kisalay Burmeister
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Career Management ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
It Professionals ◽  
Successful Completion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Professional Doctorates

Professional doctorates in Information Technology (IT) have been a relatively recent phenomenon, giving IT professionals career management choices not previously available to them. However, successful completion rates are the lowest of all disciplines. Completed doctorates rate in quality equivalent to PhDs, and retention has been identified as a major obstacle to completion. This qualitative study, involving 44 semi-structured interviews with students, supervisors and institutional support personnel, investigated the obstacles. Amongst the strategies discovered to improve completion rates were retention, student engagement with supervisors, feedback on progress, student engagement in the course, and student involvement in institutional communities of practice.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management Practices and the Focus on the Individual

2016 ◽  
pp. 1539-1556
Author(s):  
Isabel Rechberg ◽  
Jawad Syed
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The Individual

This chapter reviews the current knowledge management (KM) practices to examine the attention (or lack thereof) paid to the individual in managing knowledge in organisations. It identifies and reviews four key practices of KM - i.e., information technology, organisational culture and structure, communities of practice, and human resource practices - to examine how knowledge is interpreted, processed and managed, and the role individuals play in such interpretations, processing and management. The review shows that existing KM practices may be improved through an increased focus on the role of individuals (an individual-centric approach) in designing and implementing KM in organisations.

IT Perspective on Supporting Communities of Practice

2011 ◽  
pp. 257-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fefie Dotsika
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Software Tools ◽  
Organisational Performance ◽  
Customer Responsiveness ◽  
It Support ◽  
Common Interests

An increasing number of organisations have come to recognise the fact that encouraging and maintaining communities of professionals with common interests, aims, and objectives can reduce costs and increase profits. From enhancing customer responsiveness to increasing innovation and preventing reinvention, communities of practice (CoPs) are seen as an important vehicle to the improvement of organisational performance. Even as the role of CoPs has been gaining momentum, the information technology (IT) community has become aware of the evolving opportunities and is consequently involved in attempting to provide the relevant software tools. This article investigates the requirements for the efficient IT support of CoPs, explores the advantages and pitfalls of supporting ‘computerised’ versions of these communities, reviews a number of existing software tools, and looks into emerging technologies considering their role and appropriateness.

Communities of Practice in Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 76-93
Author(s):  
Celina M. Olszak ◽  
Ewa Ziemba
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Organisational Learning ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Populated Region ◽  
Spiral Model ◽  
Knowledge Spiral ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Network Organisation

It is believed that communities of practice (CoPs) more and more frequently become a critical success factor for contemporary organisations. This article, following the network organisation paradigm, identifies the most important properties of CoPs, presents CoPs capacities in the socialisation, externalisation, combination, internalisation (SECI) knowledge spiral model, and suggests information technologies that support the work of CoPs. Theoretical considerations are contrasted against empirical research results obtained in 2008 while examining 160 organisations in Upper Silesia, the most industrialised and densely populated region in Poland.

scholarly journals Major transitions in information technology

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1701) ◽  
pp. 20150450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergi Valverde
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Technological Change ◽  
Value Of Information ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Major Transitions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Equal Importance ◽  
History Of

When looking at the history of technology, we can see that all inventions are not of equal importance. Only a few technologies have the potential to start a new branching series (specifically, by increasing diversity), have a lasting impact in human life and ultimately became turning points. Technological transitions correspond to times and places in the past when a large number of novel artefact forms or behaviours appeared together or in rapid succession. Why does that happen? Is technological change continuous and gradual or does it occur in sudden leaps and bounds? The evolution of information technology (IT) allows for a quantitative and theoretical approach to technological transitions. The value of information systems experiences sudden changes (i) when we learn how to use this technology, (ii) when we accumulate a large amount of information, and (iii) when communities of practice create and exchange free information. The coexistence between gradual improvements and discontinuous technological change is a consequence of the asymmetric relationship between complexity and hardware and software. Using a cultural evolution approach, we suggest that sudden changes in the organization of ITs depend on the high costs of maintaining and transmitting reliable information. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The major synthetic evolutionary transitions’.

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