A case of sharing competences via a Collaborative Digital Network

Based on a successful implementation of a Collaborative Digital Network (CDN) the West Midlands Collaborative Commerce Marketplace (WMCCM, http://www.wmccm.com), this paper presents a breeding environment to enable stakeholders to innovate and gain competitive advantage in the global market. Stakeholders in a CDN form Communities of Practice (CoPs) and they collectively belong to an Electronic Network of Practice (E-NoP) formed via ICT. Business opportunities are gained via sharing of resources and core competences, including innovative ideas and capabilities. Three cases from the WMCCM are presented to illustrate the concept. Though aimed at rejuvenating failing SMEs in the UK, the WMCCM concept can be applied to other regions of the world. Current work involves developing theories for CDNs as well as extending the WMCCM concept to other regions of the world.