COPs and ‘robbers?’ Better understanding community energy and toward a Communities of Place then Interest approach

Walker, Colin; Poelzer, Greg; Leonhardt, Renata; Noble, Bram; Hoicka, Christina E.

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2022.102797

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 120 publications

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“…This aspect was also highlighted in our interviews, where the executive board in both cooperatives emphasized the distinction between prospective members and traditional financial investors. They aim to remain grounded in an institutional logic that prevents a shift of focus from the community's well-being to purely profit-driven motives in the market [51,69].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Energy Communities Foster Energy Citizenship? A Mixed‐Methods Study of Two Renewable Energy Communities

Dudka,

Magnani

2024

Preprint

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Energy citizenship is increasingly receiving attention and highlights the transformation from passive to active energy consumers who are aware of and responsible for the energy transition. The topic is often associated with energy communities, which are regarded as organizations that allow citizens to directly engage in energy and broader sustainability initiatives. The objective of the article is to examine the extent of public and private engagement in the energy transition among cooperative members as well as the propensity of energy communities to promote empowerment and inclusivity. To this end, we employ a mixed-methods approach, involving a sample of 5402 participants and 20 qualitative interviews in two prominent energy cooperatives in Europe, Ecopower in Flanders and è nostra in Italy. Our results show that although a small group of members demonstrate strong and active engagement, the majority of members prefer to engage informally, while still benefitting from the empowerment provided by their cooperative. Interestingly, one subset of members is more closely aligned with the role of financial investors. Eventually, flexibility in defining and framing expectations of member engagement can play a crucial role in promoting inclusivity within energy communities, especially by bringing closer those relatively less familiar with the issue.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Energy Communities Foster Energy Citizenship? A Mixed‐Methods Study of Two Renewable Energy Communities

Dudka,

Magnani

2024

Preprint

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“…Merging COPs and CoPs approaches can facilitate specific knowledge creation and sharing processes (Bouncken et al, 2023) and sustainability dynamic capabilities (Tiberius et al, 2021) necessary for the success of CRE projects in rural settings. Moreover, although COPs and COIs are assumed to pursue different objectives in distinct ways, recent literature recommends a hybrid approach, encouraging COPs to involve COIs to upscale CRE projects and make more significant progress toward climate change mitigation (Walker et al, 2022). Thus, in rural areas, CRE projects will be launched as COPs/CoPs, and then could consider getting non-local members also involved, retaining the ability to democratically decide which COIs join their project.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A relevant distinction is made in the academic literature between communities of interest (COIs) and communities of place (COPs) (Walker, 2008). The last are often seen as the ideal form of CRE since they are assumed to be run by locals and bring collective benefits into the local community (Walker et al, 2022). They have been also identified as communities of practice (CoPs) (Campbell et al, 2016).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable energy transition and circular economy: The heterogeneity of potential investors in rural community renewable energy projects

Castro

López‐Cabarcos

Viña

et al. 2023

Environ Dev Sustain

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Community renewable energy has been acknowledged as a necessary step in the transition toward a sustainable energy system. It can contribute to the achievement of energy autonomy by communities. In rural settings, it can be a driver of sustainable rural development. And it can be seen as a specific contribution to circular economy from the energy sector. The willingness to invest in community renewable energy has received some attention in previous research but needs further investigation at the local rural scale through quantitative approaches. Based on a survey in a small Galician village, this study contributes to the filling of this gap. The willingness to invest of its inhabitants is analyzed in relation to alternative financial, sociodemographic and sociopsychological features. Survey results show the heterogeneity of individual attitudes and concerns that condition the willingness to invest in rural community renewable energy and the different perceptions of risk and return related to these projects. Cluster analysis allows identifying four different investor profiles (skeptics, financial illiterate, enthusiasts, yield investors). These should be accounted for by project promoters and policymakers when designing incentives and strategies to foster community renewable energy in rural settings.

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“…Should senior executives impose conventional organizational mandates on Communities of Practice (CoPs), they risk diluting the essence of CoPs-namely, the spontaneous involvement of members and their unstructured character. For example, should leaders direct or compel membership in CoPs, these entities might begin to mirror targeted projects with selected members aligned to achieve specific goals (Walker et al, 2022). Such practices may diminish the natural diversity and openness of CoPs, conforming instead to managerial preferences and potentially leading to a reliance on habitual strategies.…”

Section: Practice Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While lacking explicit bureaucracy, they rely on members' enthusiasm for their practice and the connections within the community, posing a management challenge for top executives. To enhance CoPs' efficiency and differentiate them from conventional organizational structures, Walker et al (2022) proposed seven principles for their development: designing for evolution, fostering open dialogue, encouraging diverse levels of participation, creating spaces for both public and private community interaction, focusing on value, balancing familiarity with excitement, and establishing a community rhythm. However, these principles are more suited to the facilitators of CoPs rather than to top managers, since excessive managerial focus on these informal community structures could disrupt the regular operations of the organization.…”

Section: Practice Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Realizing potential: a real option perspective on communities of practice in organizational transformation

Wang

2024

IJRBS

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This research aims to explore the recognized advantages of Communities of Practice (CoPs) in enhancing knowledge sharing and spurring organizational transformation. Despite their acknowledged importance, CoPs often receive inadequate attention or representation in numerous organizations, likely due to leaders' unfamiliarity or insufficient skills to manage such groups. This study introduces the "Real Option Perspective" as the recommended approach for top executives to understand and leverage CoPs. Initially, it clarifies the concepts of CoPs and the Real Option Perspective, highlighting their significance. These concepts then lay the groundwork for developing a management model for CoPs. The proposed management trajectory for CoPs involves five phases: Investment in CoPs, Recognition of Stagnation, Re-engagement with CoPs, Transition of Value, and finally, Dissolution and Feedback. This research seeks to expand the applicability of the Real Options framework in managing CoPs, providing leaders with strategic insights to fully realize the potential of CoPs in line with organizational objectives.

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COPs and ‘robbers?’ Better understanding community energy and toward a Communities of Place then Interest approach

Cited by 20 publications

References 120 publications

Do Energy Communities Foster Energy Citizenship? A Mixed‐Methods Study of Two Renewable Energy Communities

Do Energy Communities Foster Energy Citizenship? A Mixed‐Methods Study of Two Renewable Energy Communities

Sustainable energy transition and circular economy: The heterogeneity of potential investors in rural community renewable energy projects

Realizing potential: a real option perspective on communities of practice in organizational transformation

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