CHAPTER
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Discussion of raw data
In the previous chapter, chapter four, me raw data in this research study was analysed from 17 semi- structured interviews in the qualitative data analysis process. Five key categories were identified in this inductive process and analysed: 1) Specialised/Niche Communities - 'Building Knowledge Assets'; 2) Sustainability - 'Bytes of Change'; 3) Values - 'We Serve'; 4) Educational Role - 'The Facilitators'; 5) Communication Channels - 'The New Influentials'. Metaphor was used in an additional description of the categories to encourage reflection on the process and the emergence of a model to describe the relationship between communities of practice and business-to-business media, which could act as a roadmap for the sustainability of B2B media companies in the future. The data analysis will be discussed in this chapter and conclusions drawn as to the findings, juxtaposed against the research objectives of this study. Appropriate recommendations will be made in the final outcome.
The purpose of this study was to research, analyse, interpret and understand communities of practice and how business-to-business media could be an important part of the process of the emergence of communities of practice, as well as potentially generating knowledge to inform CoPs. The role of CoPs in the creation of knowledge assets in the business-to-business media industry was also considered. Whether business-to-business media can recognise and harness CoPs and other networks
to create knowledge assets and address sustainability issues in their industry, was a core question.
Qualitative research interviews were used to gather data for the study, with soft systems methodology serving as a theoretical basis for analytical and interpretive processes. The literature review outlined in chapter two and problem statement in the original proposal for this study, informed the research questions, refined through an iterative process. These questions covered three distinct but interrelated themes and will be addressed in conjunction with the research analysis findings. The problem statement acknowledged that communities of practice were unrecognised and poorly understood in the business-to-business media sector in South Africa and the potential for B2B media to utilise this knowledge management construct to harness CoPs for the positive influence on their businesses and the industries they operate in, was unknown. It was the researcher's contention that opportunities to create knowledge assets and resources for the industry were being missed as a result. The associated objective was to make recommendations based on the study and models to be conceptualised, as well as the associated identifying systemic features of CoPs, enriched for the benefit of business-to- business media in general for their continued sustainability, growth and transformation. Elements that were considered were the role and responsibility of the media to society, in particular B2B media that operate in the business context specifically, and potentially have an impact on the economy, having the potential to fuel business growth in the industry sectors each business-to-business media operates in/serves; as well as technology as an enabler; and a multi-media strategy for B2B media, i.e., not just relying on one medium, such as print or online, but instead working with their industries across a multitude of platforms available, whether events or other mediums facilitated by technological innovation such as user-generated content online (blogs) or communities of practice. In summary, the research questions and objective of this study, together addressed:
i. Emergence: whether CoPs were facilitated by business-to-business media and how CoPs indeed emerged within this media paradigm if that was the case, with specific emphasis on the characteristics and dynamics of B2B media, the role of technology and the internet in fostering patterns of interaction between B2B media and CoPs, and the principle systems features of both,
ii. Knowledge generation: the second objective, as to how knowledge was generated through B2B media, also considered the unique features of the knowledge being addressed,
iii. Sustainability: thirdly, the sustainability of B2B media and CoPs was considered with specific emphasis on the collaborative structures, processes, roles and incentives needed to support the renewal and application of knowledge. Specific emphasis was placed on knowledge generation, how it is used and renewed, and measures to support ongoing learning.
If B2B media facilitate CoPs, do CoPs create or contribute to the creation of knowledge assets that may be used for B2B media sustainability and the industry they serve, conversely also aiding the
sustainability of CoPs? It is the contention of this researcher that B2B media have a critical role to play in the creation and sharing of knowledge - also with CoPs. Knowledge is a core business asset in today's information-rich times and an essential driver in any business strategy. A business definition of knowledge clarifies the relationship amongst data, information, and knowledge, providing a foundation for effective knowledge management as put forward by Curley and Kivowitz (2001). We are said to be living in a 'knowledge economy' or knowledge-based economy' (Drucker, 1968) in which the management and use of knowledge produces economic benefits. This is the key reason business-to-business media are published in industry sectors: to share knowledge between businesses, to businesses, by businesses and for businesses (Freedman & Roll, 2006). hi fact, knowledge management is a key factor today in companies becoming innovation leaders, contributing to client success and the professional development of internal teams such as CoPs (Andreu, 2003). CoPs have been identified and documented in organisations, primarily in research, and there is no doubt that organisations, by virtue of the fact that there is an existing community, provide the catalyst for many CoPs. However, an important fact to note is that communities can span organisations, engaging with all stakeholders to create opportunities for everyone's advantage: trade partners, suppliers, customers, vendors, partners and so on (Curley & Kivowitz, 2001). The categories that emerged in the research analysis process, in conjunction with the literature review which informed the key constructs, were key in reaching the findings outlined in the discussions to follow in this chapter and addressing the research objectives (as mentioned above) contained within this study. This is in fact the map of the process - using systems theory and some modelling - to creating an eventual model for business-to- business media sustainability, incorporating communities of practice. The synergistic relationship between communities of practice and all media is a cohesive and continuous theme and one which needs to be explored further and built on in further studies. The issue of how CoPs are informed and how the media interact with stakeholders (clients, advertisers and loyal readers) and whether CoPs are a unique way to build loyal communities, share information, create knowledge and capacity building across a broad skills set, is one worthy of further study in this researcher's opinion.
5.2 Synergistic systems of interest
Before discussing how each category relates to the study at hand, it is important to note the systems features of the two key themes of this study: communities of practice and business-to-business media.
If one takes into account how CoPs and B2B media 'fit' into organisations and industry (Spray Diagram, Figure 3-5, p. 71), connections and relationships between the two become more obvious, particularly when attributes are cross-referenced across models and tables with the findings of this research study and available literature. Due to the fact that there was so little research available on business-to-business media in the context of knowledge creation and no research on the B2B media
sector in South Africa, it was imperative that the research findings be tested. Comparisons are made in the table below (Table 5-1) between the findings and what existed as reference in the field of research using various tools and models to surface as many hidden meanings as possible.
CORE CHARACTERISTICS DOMAIN: definition of area of shared inquiry, common purpose or interest
COMMUNITY:
defined by artifacts, jargon, relationships
(element of 'belonging')
PRACTICE: the body of knowledge,
methods, stories, cases, tools, documents
STRATEGIC:
context, legitimacy
VALUE: meaning units for community, organisation, industry
CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS: activities, relevance, structural, resources, attitude
COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE (COPS)*
Body of common knowledge/
practice: Bound by common interest and brought together to share learning and improve knowledge, problem solve, share resources.
Sense of shared identity: Informed by the organisation (formal) and the learning of individuals (informal).
Place where situational learning occurs among the members.
Relationships are key to success to create a climate of trust to enable capacity building and innovation.
Clear artifacts and jargon are present.
Knowledge generation:
Knowledge is the currency they generate: they need information to exist. Members share stories, history, skills, resources, experience, capacity.
Organisation/community hub:
Organisational efficiencies are increased, creating cost savings, collaboration, consensus and problem solving, level of service or sales, skills and know-how.
Common or overlapping values:
Personal development of
individuals, professional identity, increases organisational capabilities, innovation, strategy, knowledge capacity building, business synergies
Knowledge generation:
Knowledge creation Knowledge sharing
K n o w l e d g e u s e (Saint-Onge etal, 2003)
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MEDIA (B2B)**
Specialist media bound by common subject/industry: Bound by common industry and vocation, established as a revenue generation business, witii the primary aim of informing and educating its stakeholders, contributing to creation of knowledge.
Business community joined by specialist interest/skills ('Special Interest/Niche Communities'): Informed bv organisations wanting to promote services, advertisers (formal) and peer networks such as CoPs (informal) and professional bodies (formal).
Business-to-business media have their own artifacts, jargon peculiar to their industry and each industry they operate in will also define itself by its particular terminology and ritual of business culture.
Knowledge focus CSustainability'):
Focused on communicating between buyers and sellers of sophisticated business solutions. Information is the currency they trade in, enabling knowledge to be generated.
Industry hub ('Communication Channels'): Facilitates trade and builds businesses through providing thought leadership and specialist information, advertises services to industry, information on tenders, new services, threats,
opportunities and generic business
information to improve skills & knowledge within industry.
Common purpose ('Values'):
Develop industry by providing information they can use to build capacity, increase business revenue, business growth, empower and upskill individuals, while retaining content excellence, integrity and ethics in publishing.
Knowledge generation ('Educational Role'):
To upskill stakeholders
To create knowledge assets in the industry Aid business success with relevant information.
* CoP core competencies drawn from Fontaine & Millen (2004); Hislop (2004); Saint-Onge & Wallace (2003); Wenger (2002).
**B2B core competencies and characteristics surfaced from this research study's respondents.
TABLE 5-1: CORE CHARACTERISTICS COMPARISON BETWEEN COMMUNITIES PRACTICE AND BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MEDIA
OF
From the comparison table above (Table 5-1), it can be noted that the components of a CoP system of interest contain individuals armed with specialist knowledge or a common purpose; who meet to share knowledge and build capacity, solve problems, address issues, innovate, plan. Communities of practice are defined by the usable knowledge they create, while business-to-business media are defined by the quality of information they generate in order to contribute to knowledge in the marketplace they serve, which includes organisations with CoPs and CoPs which span organisations.
How B2B media integrate their services with the industry they operate in is a key definer of success, in terms of revenue and credibility, according to respondents to this study. This information collated and disseminated by B2B media across multimedia platforms is key in informing individuals and organisations and creating knowledge which can be used to problem solve and create solutions and key learning.
FIGURE 5-1; SYSTEMS MAP OF COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE WITH FEEDBACK LOOPS INDICATING INFLUENCE AND RELATIONSHTPS
FIGURE 5-2; SYSTEMS MAP OF B2B MEDIA WITH FEEDBACK LOOPS INDICATING INFLUENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS
As per the earlier comparison table (Table 5-1) and the figures above (Figures 5-1 & 5-2) the core characteristics and the principle systems features of both communities of practice and B2B media are aligned with the categories surfaced in the final research recommendations and have many similar characteristics. Based on the research findings of this study and the literature review, as well as taking cognisance of the researchers' own world experience in this industry, it is proffered that the business- to-business media system consists of the following: individuals informed by the specialist information generated by B2B media; peer networks; industry associations and professional bodies; advertisers;
and individuals with specialist industry knowledge which in turn inform B2B media. The influence that a B2B media system can exert on a CoP is significant in informing individuals and organisations of specialist information and a platform in which to debate their views to assist with learning, according to respondents to this study. Within each system, there are clear linkages between the relationships within the system and behavior of the system, including feedback loops to indicate continuous learning (Senge, 1994).