Effective knowledge sharing within communities of practice in a financial institution

M.Comm. (Business Management)This research paper is a study of the effectiveness of knowledge sharing within the communities of practice (CoPs) in a financial institution in South Africa. Specifically, the focus is on investigating the requirements for establishing CoPs that share knowledge effectively within this organisation. This was achieved through understanding the current state of knowledge sharing within the CoPs, identifying critical factors for effectively sharing knowledge and thereafter determining reasons for a CoP not being effective in sharing knowledge. The results showed that there is still a long way to go to ensure the effectiveness of knowledge sharing through CoPs. The CoPs within this financial institution are informal in nature, and therefore not necessarily given the attention that they deserve. Time used for CoPs is not maximised effectively, which reduces the chances of their effectiveness and improvement of productivity. Lack of effective system infrastructure to support knowledge sharing is also a massive challenge for the CoPs, as is not having virtual Cops to reduce challenges faced in the use of face-to-face CoPs. The literature review in chapter 2 of this paper covers the importance of the role of technology in supporting knowledge sharing, which is supportive to this finding