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Knowledge Sharing and Communities of Practice 161

However, it is important to keep in mind that in most communities, readers outnum-
ber posters by 10:1 or more. People who visit a community regularly but who do not
post anything typically represent 90 percent or more of the total community partici-
pation. Passive members are not really passive in most cases as they may be actively
using and applying the content they have accessed online.
Kim (2000) lists the key roles as:
• Visitors
• Novices
• Regulars
• Leaders
• Elders
Visitors may visit once or twice and may or may not join. At this point, they are
merely curious and seeking to fi nd out what the community is all about. Novices are
new members who typically stay on the periphery until they have learned enough
about the community and the other members. At this point, they become regulars,
members who provide regular contributions and who interact with other members on
a sustained basis. Leaders are members who have the time and energy to take on more
offi cial roles such as helping with the operation of the community. Elders are akin to
subject matter experts: they are familiar with the professional theme and the com-
munity and have become respected sources of both subject matter knowledge and
cultural knowledge. Elders maintain the community history and agree to be consulted
from time to time by other community members.
Communities of practice require a number of key roles to be fi lled. These need not
necessarily be a single individual working full-time — more often, they are revolving
roles much like everyone taking a turn at being a scribe at business meetings today.
However, there is real work to be done in order for the community to succeed, and
this translates into real time. Depending on the type of organization, the number of
members, and other scope variables, a good rule of thumb is to budget 10 – 20 percent
of a knowledge worker ’ s time as being devoted to CoP work.
Nickols (2000) defi nes more offi cial community roles. The major CoP roles include
a champion, a sponsor, a facilitator, a practice leader, a knowledge service center or
offi ce (KSO), and members. The champion ensures support at the highest possible
level, communicates the purpose, promotes the community, and ensures impact. The
sponsor serves as the bridge between the CoP and the rest of the formal organization,
communicates the company ’ s support for a CoP, and may remove barriers such as
time, funding, and other resources. The sponsor is instrumental in establishing the