The concept of CWE is derived from the idea of virtual work-spaces, and is related to the concept of e-work. It extends the traditional concept of the professional to include any type of knowledge worker who intensively uses information and communications technology (ICT) environments and tools in their working practices.
Typically, a group of e-professionals conduct their collaborative work through the use of collaborative working environments (CWE).
CWE refers to online collaboration (such as virtual teams, mass collaboration, and massively distributed collaboration); online communities of practice (such as the open source community); and open innovation principles.