Case Summary

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration developed a series of online communities of practice (CoPs) that have served as an effective means for employees to collaborate and disseminate information. Already CoPs have proved successful in addressing critical organizational needs such as streamlining regulatory processes and mitigating customer service challenges.

Business Challenge

The Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sought to facilitate knowledge exchange among its staff, partners, and customers.

Approach Taken

FHWA established a number of online communities of practice (CoPs), each of which is dedicated to a specfic subject area of interest to the highway community. The CoPs are virtual home bases, providing members with a means to discuss, collaborate, and share information. They also offer group e-mail lists, e-mail notification of new information, online meeting spaces, and community member information. FHWA provides management support for their CoPs, in order to help create an environment that supports and encourages them.

Results Achieved

FHWA's 15 CoPs have allowed stake-holders to contribute to valuable discussions concerning today's top transportation issues.

Lessons Learned

The communities with the most success have focused on addressing pressing needs, such as difficult customer challenges or the streamlining of regulatory processes. It has also worked well to have FHWA play a management role. By providing structure, support, and tools, FHWA has allowed its CoPs to function far better than their informal predecessors.