Premises for a new way of knowledge management: the collaborative work in a community of practice in the field of coaching

Abstract

The aim of this work is to present the principles and methods that have been applied to create and design a knowledge management system in the field of coaching in a virtual environment (ECC Network). It is about a collaborative working plataform (CWP) for practice and learning coaching and trying to develop an ecological collective intelligence for everyone’s profit. It is collaborative working group which tries to stimulate creativity among members and, above of all, a place where everyone feels very comfortable and in confidence. The CWP of ECC Network is a virtual/ physical space (hardware), structured in working microspaces where anyone can collaborate and share his/her knowledge—from his/her own experiences or from the collective knowledge itself. Consequently, members find their personal and professional interests about practice and knowledge of coaching. On the other side, The CWP of ECC Network is software in the sense members that belong to this Community of Practices share the same principles of Web 2.0 such as shared knowledge, collective participation, collective ingelligence, permanent beta, searching for horizontal management better than vertical management style, coaching as a tool to personal and organizational development. Besides, a coach’s attitudes are also demanding—agents for change, developing strong points, positiveness, good communicators and solution-focused approach.