ABSTRACT
This chapter clarifies the characteristics of dynamic IT-enabled knowledge communities such as the IT-enabled CoP and IT-enabled SC mentioned in Chapter 2, from the viewpoint of the knowledge-based view. The chapter shows how collaboration systems, which are at the core of collaborative IT tools, create, maintain and develop IT-enabled knowledge communities within and between companies, including customers, and are strategic IT applications that strengthen competitiveness for companies. The chapter also clarifies that the strategic and organizational dynamics of IT-enabled knowledge communities facilitate the formation of communities of practice (CoP) for routine upgrading and improvement activities of existing businesses and the formation of strategic communities (SC) for new innovation for new product development, etc. The new proposition that leading companies achieve long-term sustainable growth by combining exploitation and exploration through the process of integrating IT-enabled ordinary capabilities (OC) and IT-enabled dynamic capabilities (DC) is also presented.
