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Knowledge Management and International Communities of Practice

The Research

The aim of the research was to explore how less structured knowledge may be shared in distributed environments. CoPs had already been identified as group environments that nurture the creation and sharing of softer (less structured) knowledge. However, most research into CoPs has failed to address how they would function in a distributed environment.

The general method that was used was an adaptation of Beyer and Holzblatt's Contextual Design. This is primarily a work analysis and re-design method which has its roots in Grounded Theory but it was felt that the data gathering and analysis techniques were well-suited (with minor adaptations) to the case study. The data is gathered using ethnographically based techniques. The researcher undertakes a contextual interview in which (s)he observes and interviews the subject. The interview is not a structured interview but is based in the context of the subject's work. The questioning, however, does not follow an apprentice/master role. It is more the case that subject and interviewer are partners in the interview.

The Findings

The two most important findings to arise from the research were:

The importance of a shared artefact.
In this case, it was a planning document. Interestingly it was not the artefact itself, which helped sustain the group but the work that went on around it.

The importance of relationships.
The group felt that face to face interaction is essential in the development of a relationship. E-communication helps to maintain it but it gradually decays to the point where another visit is necessary. It was felt that the relationship does not decay to the same point each time - i.e. there is an upward trend curve.

Presentations and publications associated with this research


Authors	Reference	ISBN	DOI	Google
C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	Dualities, Distributed Communities of Practice and Knowledge Management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 9(4), 2005a, pp. 102 - 113.	ISSN: 1367-3270	DOI: 10.1108/13673270510610369	Citations
C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	How to Facilitate On-line Knowledge Networks. Presented at: Innovation through Communities of Practice: A One Day Training Course, Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire UK, SoftCapital, March 2005.	-	-	Citations
C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	Facilitating Knowledge Networks. Presented at: A Two Day Residential Training Course, National Physical Laboratory, Middlesex, UK, SoftCapital, June 2005.	-	-	Citations
C. Kimble, P. Hildreth and L. Kimball.	How to Facilitate On-line Knowledge Networks. Presented at: Innovation through Communities of Practice: A One Day Training Course, Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire UK, SoftCapital, 20 January 2005.	-	-	Citations
C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	The Limits of Communities of Practice. Encyclopaedia of Communities of Practice in Information and Knowledge Management. E. Coakes and S. Clarke. Hershey (USA)/London (UK), Idea Group Publishing, pp 327 - 335, 2005d.	ISBN: 1591405564	DOI:	Citations
C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	Virtual Communities of Practice. Encyclopaedia of Information Science and Technology. K.-P. Mehdi. Hershey (USA)/London (UK), Idea Group Publishing, pp 2991 - 2996, 2005e.	ISBN: 159140553X	DOI:	Citations
C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	Communities of Practice: Going One Step Too Far?. Proceedings 9e colloque de l'AIM, (May 2004), Evry, France, 2004.	ISBN:	DOI:	Citations
P. Hildreth and C. Kimble.	The Duality of Knowledge. Information Research, 8(1), 2002.	ISSN: 1368-1613	DOI:	Citations
P. Hildreth, C. Kimble and P. Wright.	Communities of Practice in the Distributed International Environment. Journal of Knowledge Management, 4(1), 2000, pp. 27 - 37.	ISSN: 1367-3270	DOI: 10.1108/13673270010315920	Citations
L. Brooks, C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	Understanding Managerial Cognition: A Structurational Approach. Organisational Cognition: Computation and Interpretation. T. Lant and Z. Shapira. New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp 327 - 344, 2000.	ISBN: 0805833331	DOI:	Citations
C. Kimble, P. Hildreth and P. Wright.	Communities of Practice: Going Virtual. Knowledge Management and Business Model Innovation. K.-P. Mehdi. Hershey (USA)/London (UK), Idea Group Publishing, pp 220 - 234, 2000.	ISBN: 1878289985	DOI:	Citations
P. Hildreth and C. Kimble.	Communities of Practice in the Distributed International Environment. Presented at: 2nd Workshop on Understanding Work and Designing Artefacts: Design for Collaboration, York, UK, March 1999.	-	-	Citations
P. Hildreth, P. Wright and C. Kimble.	Knowledge Management: Are We Missing Something?. Proceedings of 4th UKAIS Conference, (April 1999), York, UK, McGraw Hill, 1999, pp. 347 - 356.	ISBN: 0077095588	DOI:	Citations
L. Brooks, C. Kimble and P. Hildreth.	The Crisis of Managerial Cognition: A Structurational Approach. Presented at: Stern Management School Conference on Managerial and Organisational Cognition, New York, USA, May 1998.	-	-	Citations
P. Hildreth, C. Kimble and P. Wright.	Computer Mediated Communications and Communities of Practice. Proceedings of Ethicomp'98, (March 1998), Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1998, pp. 275 - 286.	ISBN:	DOI:	Citations
C. Kimble, P. Hildreth and D. Grimshaw.	The Role of Contextual Clues in the Creation of Information Overload. Proceedings of 3rd UKAIS Conference, (April 1998), Lincoln, UK, McGraw Hill, 1998, pp. 405 - 412.	ISBN: 0077094549	DOI:	Citations

Ongoing work

Paul's work has now taken him in other directions, although he still continues to write papers and produce books.

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