An Exploratory Analysis of Factors Affecting Participation in Air Force Knowledge Now Communities of Practice

<p>As the Air Force continues to lose its knowledge base through retirements and downsizing the need to get maximum use from the remaining knowledge base becomes increasingly important. In their efforts to help the Department of Defense and the Air Force Chief Information Officer (AFCIO) meet their knowledge management goals Air Force Material Command (AFMC) has been working to implement the use of communities of practice. A primary goal of AFMC/DRW the Air Force Knowledge Now (AFKN) program office and the office of the AFCIO is to increase effectiveness and participation within communities of practice (CoPs). The goal of this research is to identify factors from the literature that may affect knowledge transfer information sharing and technology acceptance and compare those factors with AFKN hosted CoPs exhibiting high and low levels of participation. Additionally factors of interest identified in interviews with AFKN personnel were researched. This research used a cross-sectional research instrument to survey CoP members within all AFKN hosted CoPs containing 20 or more members. This research suggests these factors positively correlate with high use CoPs: Trust Willingness to Share Security Constraints and Facilitator. Additionally factor analysis confirmed the Security Constraints factor and produced a Job Performance factor that also positively correlated with high use CoPs. The results of these findings may allow AFKN to focus on these factors when the goal is to improve participation in future CoPs.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>