SUMMARY

These two CoPs (ESC and EE-AW) were different from WWITMan in that they were more distributed and the practice was extra to the everyday work. However, it was interesting to note that all three CoPs exhibited very similar characteristics, especially in respect of the active cores, how proximity and face-to-face interaction further enable participation, and the importance of a shared artefact. The process of creating and using the artefact was emphasised, and this was further illustrated by the fact the artefact was being designed to be used as a cross-boundary communication tool, not by itself but with a CoP member, thus attempting to retain a participation/reification balance.