| Communities of Practice are a key knowledge
management strategy many companies are using today. To many, they are critical
elements of their competitive advantage. This workshop has been developed
for anyone interested in establishing communities of practice. It will focus on
the process of developing one community, not a system of communities. Maybe you
are just starting out on a new assignment or you just want to know more about
community building. Or, maybe you have been at it for awhile and want to see what
others are doing. If any of these situations apply, this workshop is for you! This
workshop will focus on the practical aspects of developing, and supporting, and
leveraging a virtual and co-located community. It will consist of short presentations
followed by open dialogue and brainstorming. It will be organized like a community
of practice meeting: notes and insights generated in the session will be distributed
afterwards. This workshop is a great follow-up to the conference sessions
of Braintrust International 2001. From this workshop you will walk away with a
better understanding of what communities of practice are, why they are an important
part of your knowledge management strategies, where they fit, how you can get
one started, what you need to support it, and problems you might run into. You
will be led through this workshop by an individual who has lead communities and
implemented them in many different organizational settings, from a university
to a Fortune 500 high-tech company to across organizations. This tutorial
will cover:
- Working as a community-builder: what does that mean for
my career? What do I have to learn?
- What are Communities of Practice and how
they differ from other communities and organizational structures?
- Looking
at three example communities and comparing them to yours
- The difference between
growing and implementing
- How they grow and where to start
- Where do they
fit in the scheme of things
- What are the benefits - including the hidden ones
- What are some issues that arise
- How to cultivate communities and how they
evolve
- What resources are needed
- Facilitator / leader
- Software,
space, time
- A community for community builders
- Three more
examples of communities and the software they use
- Email lists
- Wiki
- Conversational spaces
- Static web sites
- Other software
needs
- Global communities and virtual teams
- Other resources for
learning
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