Understanding the Benefits and Impact of Communities of Practice

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly providing Communities of Practice with resources to improve the exchange and flow of knowledge and information. However, as with any other significant investment, managers are naturally interested in, and are frequently called upon to justify, the impact that these communities have on individual performance, overall productivity and the bottom line. In this chapter, we present the results of work with thirteen Communities of Practice, focusing on how managers can collect community benefits via serious anecdotes and measure the impact that communities have on time use in knowledge work activities and on individual, community and organizational benefits.