ToMiC

Development of a typology for the life-cycle orientated management of business internal communities of knowledge-intensive service providers

The aim of the research project ToMiC is the development of a typology for the life-cycle orientated management of business internal communities of knowledge-intensive service providers. This will enable small and medium sized enterprises (SME) to identify the current stage of life of their own social software based community for the first time. Based on this, individual management instruments can be identified and recommendations for action which maximise the use of the community for the company and prevent its failure can be derived.

With the research project ToMiC a methodology which allows SME to identify the current stage of life of their own social software based business internal community is developed for the first time. To do so, characteristics whose values change in accordance to their stage of life are identified as a first step. Based on the combination of these characteristic values, different types are formed and defined (as a way of presenting the different life-cycle stages). They describe the ideal-typical temporal course of development of the community. Furthermore, instruments for the management of the community are identified and their impact on the earlier defined characteristics is researched. By doing so, it is possible to derive phase-orientated recommendations of action which address the individual tasks of community management in companies. In addition to this, prerequisites which have to be considered during the implementation of the IT are identified during the project. In regarding to this, best practice examples are also identified in order to prevent an early failure of the community.