the role of social capital in formation of communities of practice (the contemplation on the components and dimensions of the concept of communities of practice)

in recent years, coinciding with the progress of research in the field of knowledge management and emphasis on the integrating processes of knowledge creation and sharing, global corporations working patterns change and new structures in them emerged.one of such structures, communities of practice that to form the fundamental with previous forms (working groups and working teams) is different.contrary to formal structures, communities of practice is an informal structure on a voluntary basis by a group of people with common interests and similar concerns was formed and specifically focused on the activities of the creation and sharing of knowledge.concept of the social capital is one of the most important components in the formation of communities of practice.without trust between members and common identity, the communities of practice will not be sustainable.this paper has two main aims. first, the introduction of the concept, dimensions and components of the communities of practice; andthe second objective is determine the relationship between communities of practice with social capital and social capital important role in the formation of informal structures.