Communities of practice and value co-creation: the motivational engagement system of the Italian consortia

The research moves from the idea that there is a relationship between the motivation (engagement) to exchange knowledge in communities of practice, where the generation of knowledge is implemented in terms of solving common problems - and the value co-creation process planning along its three dimensions (social, economic and environmental). The aim was to investigate how the make-up of the motivational engagement system of the companies that allows to communities of practice to become an innovative process to reinforce relationships. We used a conceptual framework called CDI (Connection, Discussion and Influence), elaborated in previous studies, which has been tested in the protection consortia of the Italian agri-food sector. In these, the hypothesised virtuous circle among the CDI dimensions exists and is a driver to enhance their relational heritage through the knowledge exchange. The paper provides fundamental guidelines to enhance engagement in these virtual environments.