White papers and articles published by Miguel Cornejo Castro for Macuarium Network. More texts (in Spanish) can be found on the page «Publicaciones«.

Los textos en español (y la explicación en español de los que siguen) están en la página «Publicaciones«.

March 2008

Knowledge Wave – Visions of Knowledge Management in practice 2

Also known as «Visions of KM 2», this paper has been describes as «Enterprise 2.0 from a knowledge management perspective». I fact it tries to be a management book(let). Managing knowledge is a practical part of business management, an essential good practice. Every organization does it, at least by default, and it can bring great benefits if done well. This paper aims to deliver a business-friendly view of what KM is about, what it is good for, and (in very broad lines) how to go about it. It’s no rehash of literature: it reflects my opinions and experience, and while there is a basic theorethical layer, it’s as practical as it gets… but it’s not a complete manual, of course :-). 27 pages can only serve as a primer.

May 2007

Visions of knowledge management in practice – An introduction to KM, IT and organization, 98% fad free

The more practical issues of knowledge management from an organizational perspective. In other words: what is KM good for, what does it deliver, how does it fit in the organization, what are the roles of management and IT, and what does all that “2.0″ buzzwording amount to. (Draft).

September 2006.

Revisiting Communities of Practice (IV): Leadership and the dance of stakeholders

Fourth part of the series, dealing with the interplay between the parties involved in the work and success of the community, and the role and characteristics of community leadership.

July 2006.

Revisiting Communities of Practice (III): Layers and levers of motivation

Third installment of the series; this time looking into the motivations and rewards of participation by Community members.

June 2006.

Revisiting Communites of Practice (II): The honourable lurker and the institution

This is the second installement in the revision of CoP theory. Here we deal with value generation, reciprocity, the CoP as an institution, the origin of legitimacy, and the ever-interesting subject of lurking.

May 2006.

Revisiting Communities of Practice (I): From fishermen guilds to the global village

A revision of some concepts of Communities of Practice with new nuances and elements, adapting the theories of Lave, Wenger, McDermott and company to the current state of affairs, regarding professional organization as much as the digital revolution. A basic familiarity with the subject is expected.

March 2006.

The Macuarium Set of Community of Practice Measurements (aka The Book of Measurements)

Gathering and explanation of metrics used to monitor the activity and the relevance of Communities of Practice, based on those used for the management of the CoP system at  Macuarium.com (with examples). Apparently, many of them were described for the first time here.

March 2005.

Victory and Death of KM

Article on the UE’s Knowledgeboard: the real sign of KM’s adoption is that it’s no longer contentious.

Since the fall of the KB, it’s available here.

September 2004.

Friendship vs objectivity in KM: the challenge of sustainable socialization

Article on the UE’s Knowledgeboard (republished on several media) about the conflict that community managers face between creating narrow networks and pursuing community goals.

Since the fall of the KB, it’s available here.

July 2004.

The Community of Practice Ecosystem

An exploration of the (sometimes competitive) dynamics between communities of practice and other resources; presenting the concept of «conversation space». And looking into the role of blogs in that environment.

April 2004.

In the name of Free Speech: the role of free thought and manners in KM

Article on the UE’s Knowledgeboard. It deals with the importance of building an environment that allows innovation and debate without breaking the users’ trust.

Since the fall of KB, it’s available here.

January 2004.

The Mechanics of Human Trust

Article on the UE’s Knowledgeboard. Explores the way to create (and earn) the confidence of users in a knowledge management initiative.

Since the fall of KB, it’s available here.

October 2003.

Relevance and participation in Communities of Practice – relaunching a CoP

A thematic interview on the EU’s KnowledgeBoard.

Since the fall of the KB, the page can be found here and the PDF here.

July 2003.

Explaining and Capturing CoP value

Presentation at the European Knowledge Management Summer School in Sebastián, about types of community, value generation in each of them, and the ways in which it (theoretically) can be captured.