Web-based Learning Solutions for Communities of Practice

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Conditions and Key Success Factors for the Management of Communities of Practice
trying to move them to achieve organizational
goals strategically defined.
Implementing and Operating CoPs
In this section authors tries to identify the factors
that the theory of CoP’s gives, in order to
emphasize its importanceduring the process of
cultivation of communities of practice, as well as
the strategies that can be adopted for the integration
of communities into organizations. Authors
thinks that only the fundamentals provide a sound
basis to do so, and that a honest use of CoPs requires
coherence with its basis. Not considering
the previous concepts, or using them opportunistly
or only formally will lead to a failure.
Considerations for the Cultivation of
Communities of Practice
The fact that communities of practice are created in
a neutral manner does not mean that organizations
should not influence their development (Wenger,
1998b). In fact, the existence of some communities
of practice depends on the recognition that the
organization awards them. A lot of communities,
some more than others, require the attention of the
organization for their development, even though
no interference should be made in the community’s
management or organization per se.
Normally, the development of communities
of practice depends fundamentally on internal
leadership. Depending on the actual case, there
are various types of leadership, such as:
• Inspiring leadership: Tries to lead to reflection
and to gratify experts.
• Everyday leadership: Tries to organize the
community’s activities.
• Interpersonal leadership: Balances the
community’s social web.
• Leadership based on limits: Interrelates
its own community with others.
• Institutional leadership: Tries to maintain
uniting ties to other organizational instances,
and to the hierarchy in particular.
• Vanguard leadership: Tries to promote
original initiatives.
These types of leadership can emerge in a
community either naturally or in a chosen manner,
and can be concentrated in the community’s
main group or extended throughout the entire
community. Regardless of these characteristics,
however, leadership must be legitimate and
intrinsic in the community. As a result, and in
order to be effective, managers must work on
communities of practice from the inside, rather
than manipulating them from outside.
The creation of communities of practice within
an organization includes the following aspects:
• Legitimizing participation: The introduction
of the term “community of practice”
into an organization’s vocabulary can have
a positive effect if the people who work in
it are given the opportunity of commenting
and sharing on how each of them contributes
to the organization through participation in
the communities.
• Negotiating the strategic context: Organizations
must be capable of developing the
way in which knowledge is linked to the
organizational strategy and therefore help
communities of practice articulate their own
strategies of value for the company.
• Becoming aware of the community’s real
practices: Knowledge that is necessary for
the organization is normally found within
the organization itself, which is why promoting
communities of practice that are able to
identify and use the company's potential is
an option worth pursuing.
• Reciprocating the community’s efforts
(from the organization): There are several
elements within an organizational environ-