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

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.