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The factors influencing CoP activities and their impact on relationship commitment and individual performance

Heeyoung Jang (Industrial Convergence Division, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Ansan-si, Republic of Korea)
Ilsang Ko (College of Business Administration, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea)

Journal of Knowledge Management

ISSN: 1367-3270

Article publication date: 4 February 2014

1044

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to identify the factors that affect CoP activation and performance variables obtainable through CoP activities, and to gain greater insight into their relationships and the mechanisms. In particular, this paper intends to illustrate the role of perceived risk factor for the loss of uniqueness of one's own knowledge in terms of their influence on CoP activities.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the human behaviours were divided into online and offline CoP activities and adopted affirmative affect and social norm from the Triandis model. In addition, the paper considered perceived expectation, perceived risk, and organization support as independent variables. These would accelerate online and offline activities in the community of practice. The paper considered relationship commitment and individual performance in the context of performance evaluations via CoP activities. A structural equation model was developed with research variables and hypotheses.

Findings

As the consequence of the empirical assessment of the variables influencing the on/offline activities of a CoP, social norm, perceived expectation, perceived risk, and organizational support showed significantly influential relationships with online activities, and affirmative affect, perceived expectation, and organizational support evidenced significantly influential relationships with offline activities. However, with regard to online CoP activities, affirmative affect was not shown to be significant. As to offline activities, perceived risk was not shown to be significantly influential, while it was determined to significantly influence online activities in a negative direction.

Originality/value

The results of this study demonstrated that on/offline CoP activities were significantly influential in terms both of relationship commitment and individual performance.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Received 21 June 2013 Revised 15 September 2013 20 September 2013 Accepted 25 September 2013

Citation

Jang, H. and Ko, I. (2014), "The factors influencing CoP activities and their impact on relationship commitment and individual performance", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 75-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06-2013-0233

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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