CommunityIntelligence Ltd.

Procter & Gamble, a consumer-goods giant, has created more than 20 “communities of practice” which bring together volunteers from different parts of the company and focus on a specific area of expertise, such as packaging, fragrances or skin science. These groups meet and share ideas, and other employees can put questions to them via the company’s intranet. Many of the company’s products have benefited from innovations brought about through internal co-operation and knowledge-sharing.

We have been advising leaders in the European Commission about the developing their strategy for working with CoP, as well as facilitating the learning community coordinators  since the Summer of 2006. CoPs in the Commission come in different forms, sometimes called "knowledge networks," or just simply "networks." No matter what their name is, their common denominator is: they exist because their members derive some value from participating in them.