Online Communities of Practice for innovation and knowledge transfer: A case study in the U.K.

Although the concept of online CoPs using Web 2.0-enabled applications has been very successful within a social context, it is not yet prevalent amongst organisations or universities specialising in knowledge transfer. Indeed, both concepts (i.e. Web 2.0 and knowledge flow) are still emergent in nature. This paper details the successful implementation of an online Community of Practice (CoP) for an innovation and knowledge transfer (KT) application. Using a case study online CoP from the UK, the paper details how the online CoP was developed, the functionality and user types offered by the online CoP, the governance methods used, the technology selected and finally the benefits it brings to its members.