Determinants of participation in an Inuit online community of practice

Abstract

An online community of practice (OCoP) is an important tool for managing and disseminating knowledge within a community. Unfortunately, research shows that OCoPs are often unsuccessful due to lack of participation by members of the community. This paper describes a preliminary investigation of the determinants that impact participation in an OCoP within an Inuit community. An open-ended interview questionnaire was developed and members of the Inuit community were interviewed. Our results show lack of time as the main barrier to participation. Our study also reveals an interest by many members of the Inuit community in being involved in the development of the OCoP. The Inuit have a strong culture built on knowledge sharing, and this allows for open conversations and greater trust within the community. In a culture built and sustained by knowledge sharing, we strongly believe that an OCoP can be a valuable tool, provided the right steps are taken to facilitate and encourage participation.

Keywords:

• online community of practice
• knowledge sharing
• Inuit culture
• Web 2.0

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members of the Inuit cohort who took the time to participate in the interview. Without their valuable contribution, none of this would be possible. We would also like to acknowledge the financial support from a Discovery Grant of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Morad Benyoucef

About the authors

Candyce Hamel is a researcher with an international NGO. She was part of the development for the AMSTAR tool and specializes in online training materials for health research initiatives. Hamel has worked on the design of survey questionnaires, analysis tools, report development and systematic review methodology for national and international projects. She received her M.Sc. in E-Business Technologies from the University of Ottawa and her B.Comm. in Decision Science and Management Information Systems from Concordia University.

Morad Benyoucef, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Telfer School of Management of the University of Ottawa in Canada. He specializes in e-business and Management Information Systems. His research interests include online marketplaces, online trust, Web 2.0 and e-Health applications. He has published articles in several international journals including Group Decision and Negotiation, Supply Chain Forum and Electronic Commerce Research. He holds a Master's degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from the University of Montreal.

Craig Kuziemsky, Ph.D., is an associate professor and Director of the Master of Science Health Systems Program in the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. He joined the University of Ottawa in 2007. He completed his Ph.D. in Health Information Science from the University of Victoria in 2006. He also received Bachelor of Commerce and Science degrees from the University of Alberta in 1993 and 2000, respectively. His research interests include modeling and designing information systems to support collaborative healthcare teams. He has published his research in journals such as Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and International Journal of Medical Informatics and conferences such as the International Conference on Software Engineering and the American Medical Informatics Association annual symposium.