What measures/metrics can organisations use to ensure that CoPs are generating a return on their investment?
There is no magic set of indices or metrics for ROI except the ones that make sense to the organisation. Capture the changes that come from the CoPs and collect the appropriate statistics. If the business goal is to expand market share, then the ultimate measure of any lesson from a CoP must relate, for example, to market share, market penetration or perhaps customer loyalty. If the business goal is to reduce costs, then the measures must relate, for example, to cost of production, speed of delivery, number of customers served through a unit. If the business goal is to change the living standards of people in the developing world, then the measures must eventually show economic changes, for example, of increases in annual income, enlargement of the middle income population, increases in local food production. It is therefore essential to be clear about the overall business goals at the beginning and to look at the management philosophy that supports the creation of CoPs. Both are neede
