Bridging communities of practice with information technology in pursuit of global knowledge sharing

This paper explores the use of information technology to support knowledge sharing within and between communities of practice. In so doing, it presents a case of a multi-national organization's efforts to implement an organizational knowledge management (KM) system. The case traces both the technological solutions and the KM strategy of the organization as it met with various challenges along a several year period of establishing KM as organizational practice. The study highlights several lessons, including the possibility of a flexible KM strategy, the necessity for multiple channels of knowledge sharing, the desirability of expanding communities of practice, and the evolution of the role played by information technology as KM strategies evolve. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.