Intentionally Creating a Community of Practice to Connect Dispersed Technical Professionals

摘要

This paper chronicles a managerial intervention in a major technology organization. Senior executives identified that significant expertise was distributed throughout a large number of project management offices, yet there was no mechanism for colleagues to share that expertise or even find one another. A project to initiate an intentional, virtual, community of practice (CoP) was launched to connect project management staff across the organization. We present our two-year study in which we investigated the essential mechanisms for establishing and sustaining such a CoP and motivations for participation by busy, dispersed professionals. Our findings will have relevance for other organizations facing similar challenges and who are considering a similar intervention strategy.