Mapping as a way of expert communities development: essence, methods, range of applications in research and practice

The article discusses how to apply the method of intellectual resources mapping for formation of expert communities in a company. The key concepts of “mapping" and “knowledge map" (K-map) are defined. The authors describe an original method of intellectual resources mapping “KIRM Expert Locator ©", which allows to evaluate quantitatively the contribution made by existing expert communities in the solution of complex professional problems of staff, as well as to identify the employees having potential ability to function successfully in the company.