A practice-based approach to understanding participation in online communities

The take up of online communities in organisations is often patchy. Previous studies, mainly within the cognitive tradition of thinking, explain such non-participation either through features of technology or through individuals' motivational structures, and look at participation as a static, individualistic and functionalistic phenomenon. The aim of this article is to explore the insights on participation from a practice-based approach (PBA). The paper draws upon empirical data from the use of collaborative technology in a Mexican University. The adoption of community technology is shown to be shaped by dynamic, collective, historical and contextual forces. Based on these findings, the value and the limits of the PBA, and a series of contributions and practical implications are discussed.