Identifying 'Hidden' Communities of Practice within Electronic Networks: Some Preliminary Premises

TL;DR

This paper explores methods to identify and develop 'hidden' Communities of Practice within electronic networks, aiming to transform them into fully functional Virtual Communities of Practice to enhance knowledge management.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for discovering 'hidden' CoPs in electronic networks and discusses strategies for nurturing them into active VCoPs, supported by preliminary empirical findings.

Findings

Preliminary interview results highlight characteristics of 'hidden' CoPs.

Methods for detecting 'hidden' CoPs are proposed and discussed.

Strategies for transforming 'hidden' CoPs into VCoPs are outlined.

Abstract

This paper examines the possibility of discovering 'hidden' (potential) Communities of Practice (CoPs) inside electronic networks, and then using this knowledge to nurture them into a fully developed Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP). Starting from the standpoint of the need to manage knowledge, it discusses several questions related to this subject: the characteristics of 'hidden' communities; the relation between CoPs, Virtual Communities (VCs), Distributed Communities of Practice (DCoPs) and Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs); the methods used to search for 'hidden' CoPs; and the possible ways of changing 'hidden' CoPs into fully developed VCoPs. The paper also presents some preliminary findings from a semi-structured interview conducted in The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network (UK). These findings are contrasted against the theory discussed and some additional proposals are suggested at the end.