Community of Practice (CoP)
Communities of Practice (COPs) share common issues, concerns, and interests and come together in meetings to deepen their knowledge and experience through interaction. It is one of the great advantages of MTAShare that manage this KM solution in form of intelligent forums. These associations are one of the most essential and efficient knowledge networks in the organization and are known as one of the best ways to share knowledge and experience between the organization's units and departments. In addition to their essential role in facilitating the exchange of individual experiences and their transformation into organizational knowledge, COPs are especially crucial in cases where the organization's challenges relate to several areas of expertise or organizational units. CoPs are formed voluntarily and based on the need felt by the organization's experts or managers, with a small core including the secretary of the association, primary experts, and knowledgeable writer and in a few sessions to discuss knowledge topics around an organization. These issues can revolve around a new service or product, a review of a previous action, the review of a corporate event, or the exchange of solutions to a challenge.
A Community of Practice can be easily formed and can be dissolved or changed after exchanging experiences during meetings. CoPs need to be easy to exchange and informal, value to the organization and individuals, and provide feedback to continue as a successful knowledge solution.
A Community of Practice can be easily formed and can be dissolved or changed after exchanging experiences during meetings. CoPs need to be easy to exchange and informal, value to the organization and individuals, and provide feedback to continue as a successful knowledge solution.
Leading companies in CoPs development
Companies are discovering that CoPs are critical to overcoming difficult and growing knowledge challenges. They now explore how to identify and grow these CoPs in person and also virtually by MTAShare. Moreover, as CoPs gain a legal foothold in the organization, they will create new opportunities, many of which are not yet known, connect people, solve problems, and create new business opportunities.
The World Bank, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and British Petroleum, Microsoft, BHP Billton, and Chevron are among the international organizations, institutions, and companies in various industries for which CoPs have become an integral part of their organization. In our country, companies such as Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company, Mobarakeh Steel, MIDHCO Holding, and Ayandeh Bank are among the domestic companies that are leading in the field of forming and leading CoPs.
The World Bank, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and British Petroleum, Microsoft, BHP Billton, and Chevron are among the international organizations, institutions, and companies in various industries for which CoPs have become an integral part of their organization. In our country, companies such as Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company, Mobarakeh Steel, MIDHCO Holding, and Ayandeh Bank are among the domestic companies that are leading in the field of forming and leading CoPs.
Methodology
With more than 15 years of experience in the implementation of a Knowledge Management Total Solution, MTA Company has experience in designing and managing knowledge networks in more than 80 companies in various industries and organizations. For the first time in a steel company in the country, MTA established the solution of the Community of Practice. Simultaneously, the translation of Communities of Practice as ANJOMAN-e-KHEBREGI (Experts Association) was suggested by MTA, which was accepted and later became a common term in the Iranian knowledge management literature. Many Iranian MTA clients now use hundreds of CoPs active in their organizations and their MTAShare platforms to solve problems and exchange knowledge. The tangible results of these actions are presented in the knowledge return reports and severe indirect results in learning.
CoP Development in MTA method
• Identify key knowledge areas• Relating key knowledge areas and key fields by MTAShare
• Identify experts in selected Areas by MTAShare
• Holding training and briefing sessions with experts in selected fields of knowledge
• Identify the topics of the meetings of the CoPs and formulate the goals of holding around the selected topics
• Holding leadership meetings of CoPs
• Designing and creating procedures and instructions for continuing to hold CoPs and forming in MTAShare
• Report generation by MTAShare
