Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge

Citation

Cuddy, C. (2002), "Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge", The Bottom Line, Vol. 15 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2002.17015bae.001

Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge

Edited by Kay Ann Cassell and Marina I. Mercado

Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge

Wenger, E., McDermott, R. and Snyder, W.Harvard Business SchoolBoston, MA2002Keywords: Groups, Knowledge management, Organizational change, Organizational development, Organizational learning

The idea of providing a guide for cultivating communities of practice seems to go against the very nature of communities of practice. There is no prescription for success, or hard-set rules to follow. Different organizations require different approaches. Nonetheless, the authors provide just such a guide. One that succeeds at giving practitioners guidelines to follow to establish and cultivate communities of practice in a single organization or across multiple organizations.

The book begins with a description of communities of practice, "groups of people who share a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis" (p. 4) and the importance of communities of practice in developing an organization-wide knowledge strategy. The structural elements of communities of practice, domain, community and practice, are then discussed. Seven design principles for developing communities of practice are suggested: designing for evolution, opening dialogues, inviting levels of participation, developing public and private community spaces, focusing on value, combining familiarity and excitement, and creating a community rhythm (p. 52).

Chapters 4 and 5 are devoted to the stages of community development and how to support each of the five stages. The early stages of development, potential and coalescing are given a lengthy treatment, which shows their importance in planning and launching communities of practice. Three stages are identified as the mature stages of development, in which communities of practice grow and are sustained, i.e. maturing, stewardship, and transformation. The role of a "community librarian" is explored in the maturing stage, as the need for the organization of materials generated by communities grows. Librarians may be particularly interested in reviewing the recommended activities and skill set that such a person should possess.

The following chapter is devoted to the special challenges of distributed communities, defined as "any community of practice that cannot rely on face-to-face meeting and interactions as its primary vehicle for connecting members" (p. 115). Four additional design principles are added to the former list of seven to address the special challenges. Chapter 7 discusses the advantages and disadvantages of communities of practice. This discussion is very candid with regard to the downsides of communities of practice and outlines their common disorders.

Unlike organizational teams that have tangible results, communities of practice generate knowledge, which is intangible and difficult to measure. Therefore, it is good to see that time is devoted to measuring the value of communities of practice (Chapter 8), with an emphasis on systematic anecdotal evidence. The following chapter provides guidelines for a community-based knowledge initiative with five steps to get an initiative under way. It also includes ideas for cultivating executive and stakeholder support of the communities. The book concludes with a chapter that looks at areas outside the traditional business organization, using a government example of family service coalitions, and ponders the potential of communities of practice in society at large.

Cultivating Communities of Practice is written by three authors however, the writing is fluid and flows as if written by a single author. All three authors are devoted to the topic and have produced numerous books and articles thereon. The lead author, Wenger, is the author of Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity, which provides a good introduction to communities of practice. Wenger and Snyder have also co-authored an important precursor to this book, "Communities of practice: the organizational frontier", which appeared in the Harvard Business Review (January-February, 2000). All three authors are consultants and draw from their experiences. In addition, Wenger, McDermott and Snyder have recently launched "The Communities of Practice Consortium", which is an attempt to form a community of practice on communities of practice.

Numerous case studies, including Shell, DaimlerChrysler, the World Bank and McKinsey & Company, are used as examples throughout the text. Tables, figures and text boxes are interspersed throughout the book and provide clear, relevant examples and illustrations that reinforce the main text. However, more concrete IT examples for linking communities and community members would be a welcome addition. A useful bibliography is also included.

Wenger, McDermott and Snyder set out to provide a common foundation for the spreading communities of practice movement and succeed. This book is highly recommended for practitioners who want to cultivate communities of practice at their organization, including executives, managers, knowledge officers and community developers, whether the organization is a traditional business organization, or a university, a library, or a government office. It is a nice complement to Wenger's Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity and other such books geared to an academic audience and could be used in an academic curriculum for the study of knowledge management.

Colleen CuddySystems Librarian, Ehrman Medical Library, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA