establishment of communities of practice. Examples of some of the reasons for their establishment are as follows, as can be established from the literature review to date:
i. Employees with functional expertise may create communities of practice as a way of networking with their peers.
ii. People may form CoPs as a way of dealing with strategy changes within an organisation,
iii. CoPs have been formed specifically to problem solve specific challenges within an organisation,
iv. Peer linked CoPs may be established to deal with issues within a specific industry.
As Wenger and Snyder explain further (2004, p. 127): "A community of practice can exist entirely within a business unit or stretch across divisional boundaries." Wenger takes this further (Wenger et al, 2002, p. 220) creating communities in an extended knowledge system by acknowledging that the complexity of markets and learning systems in the knowledge economy
"have sparked a trend toward communities that are not confined to the boundary of a single organisation". It is these communities that seek to add value by weaving broader webs created and maintained by relationships and engagement within and outside of the boundaries of the organisation, often aided by that other web, the worldwide web and internet based tools such as email and blogging, it can be argued. To understand really what CoPs are, it is necessary to look at them in comparison with other organisational structures:
Community of Practice
Formal Work Group Project Team
informal Network
Whafs the Purpose?
To develop members' capabilities; to build and exchange knowledge
To deliver a product or service
To accomplish a specified task To collect and pass on business information
Who Belongs?
Members who select themselves
Everyone who reports to the group's manager Employees assigned by senior management Friends and business acquaintances
What Holds It Together?
Passion, commitment, and identification with the group's expertise
Job requirements and common goals The project's milestones and goals
Mutual needs
How Long Does It Lost?
As long as there is inter- est in maintaining the group
Until the next reorgani- zation
Until the project has been completed As long as people have a reason to connect
TABLE 2-1: A SNAPSHOT COMPARISON (Wenger & Snyder. 2004. p. 128)
customers want, thereby identifying that the increasing demands of customers for integrated solutions in the supply chain; and for companies to create value for customers and suppliers in a global market where barriers for entry are higher than ever, thereby forcing co-operation in the creation of innovation. One of the most important points made by Wenger and Snyder (2004) is that communities of practice should not be created in a vacuum. They recognise that informal networks of people already exist who are capable, have the skills set as well as the drive and passion to develop an organisation's core competencies. The challenge is to identify such groups and encourage them to evolve communities of practice - without being overly interfering or imposing too many structures, strictures or boundaries. Communities of practice are emergent.
Wenger and Snyder explain that at global companies such as AMS and the World Bank, senior management stepped in to sponsor communities of practice. Support teams were also created to assist with the following: community development; annual talk shops for the communities to network; knowledge fairs, library services; technical and technology support. Another interesting development these communities spawned was the appointment of knowledge managers at both AMS and the World Bank who supported community leaders:
"At both AMS and the World Bank, communities of practice have brought together people and ideas, and they have spread knowledge throughout the companies' global operations. They have made demonstrable and significant contributions to the organisations' goals. These two cases show how different styles of formal commitment to communities of practice by senior managers can be very effective when aligned with the organisation 's culture," Wenger and Snyder explain (2004, p. 137).
Wenger et al recognised that in the supply chain, knowledge is increasingly an issue. In their focus on communities in business-to-business clusters, they describe relationships between suppliers, distributors and retailers where they are relevant to fostering the development of CoPs, as key to maintaining internal expertise while building on relationships with outsourced partners.
Some companies now invite suppliers to their meetings. Hallmark, for example, organises communities of practice with its retailers. What is a key point here of relevance to B2B media is that manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in common industry sectors "form natural clusters that provide fertile soil for the growth of inter-organisational communities of practice" (2002, p.
220-221). Different industries have organised various systems and processes to communicate with each other, developing purchasing networks, online networks, e-commerce systems, and other processes that impact on costs, quality, availability and give negotiating leverage to
participants in those communities. It is, however, not just on the transacting side where these communities are flourishing according to Wenger et al (2002), but also in the exchange of knowledge. Toyota, for example, has invested in a knowledge-sharing network among suppliers.
Toyota began with a supplier association to build relationships among all suppliers, followed by, lastly, volunteer study groups to create strong multilateral ties with suppliers which work in specific areas of interest. "This system has created strong norms of reciprocity among Toyota suppliers and has resulted in remarkable improvements in performance and productivity" (p.
221).
Where communities span firms, spawning inter-organisational partnerships, the competitive model of business is changing. Organisations are actually collaborating with competitors to take advantage of market opportunities that require complex knowledge, Wenger et al have found, as they are also building partnerships with civil society:
"What we are learning in businesses about organizing for learning and knowledge has important implications for the evolution of markets and for the challenges and opportunities associated with governance in society and the world... Firms that understand how to translate the power of communities into successful knowledge organisations will be the architects of tomorrow - not only because they will be more successful in the marketplace, but also because they will serve as a learning laboratory for exploring how to design the world as a learning system " (Wenger et al, 2002, p. 232).
Colleagues
7
/ Across Enterprises
FIGURE 2^; COMMUNITIES IN AN EXTENDED KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM fWeneer et aL. 2002.
p. 220)
Communities of practice matter as is demonstrated by the model above (Figure 2-3) because they are new tools for the learning organisation and if applied in business, can lead to business sustainability, economic growth and the capacity building of individuals. Which creative person would not want to know more? Which innovative organisation would not want to cultivate them?