Internet Communities and Open innovation: an Information System Design Methodology

Over the last 10 years in academic literature there has been a growing interest in communities of practice (CoPs) as a method for transferring and generating knowledge. The MySpace phenomenon and increased use of CoPs by large international organisations such as IBM and Procter and Gamble confirm the importance of CoPs in today´s global economy. The collaboration between teams within communities increases the likelihood of combining knowledge in novel ways. In teams, the amount and diversity of information available to members is amplified, enabling a richness of perspectives when problems, ideas or products are discussed. However, the real impact of information technology infrastructures in supporting knowledge transfer is not yet fully understood and thus worthy of further investigation. Within these broad research objectives, this paper intends to introduce a specific design methodology and architecture that would leverage on Internet technologies whilst at the same time seek an alignment with new emerging open innovation models. The empirical study presented focuses on the facilitation of knowledge flows within a research community.