Creating value through communities: Contacts, content and critical mass

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine how to create value through communities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on the importance of contacts, content and critical mass in a community and the key role of embracing change.

Findings

The paper highlights the importance of network “reach” and of a strategic, transparent framework known to the community. It contends that, without a guiding vision, there is no direction, and rudderless communities wither and die.

Practical implications

The paper argues that those seeking to create and build a community need to design the environment in which it operates in a way that encourages and helps members easily to apply the most beneficial approach for all.

Originality/value

The paper defines the real value of a network as the extent to which people who do not know you are talking about you to other people you do not know.

Citation

Buist, W. (2008), "Creating value through communities: Contacts, content and critical mass", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 16 No. 7, pp. 37-39. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730810911413