Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge [Hardcover]

From the time our ancestors lived in caves to that day in the late '80s when Chrysler sanctioned unofficial "tech clubs" to promote the flow of information between teams working on different vehicle platforms, bands of like-minded individuals had been gathering in a wide variety of settings to recount their experiences and share their expertise. Few paid much attention until a number of possible benefits to business were identified, but many are watching more closely now that definitive links have been established. In Cultivating Communities of Practice, consultants Etienne C. Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William Snyder take the concept to another level by describing how these groups might be purposely developed as a key driver of organizational performance in the knowledge age. Building on a 1998 book by Wenger that framed the theory for an academic audience, Cultivating Communities of Practice targets practitioners with pragmatic advice based on the accumulating track records of firms such as the World Bank, Shell Oil, and McKinsey & Company. Starting with a detailed explanation of what these groups really are and why they can prove so useful in managing knowledge within an organization, the authors discuss development from initial design through subsequent evolution. They also address the potential "dark side"--arrogance, cliquishness, rigidity, and fragmentation among participants, for example--as well as measurement issues and the challenges inherent in initiating these groups company-wide. --Howard Rothman

Among the myriad challenges managers in large corporations face today, one is becoming increasingly important: how to make the best use of the knowledge that a company's employees possess. The authors consultants all lift models from Xerox, DaimlerChrysler and the World Bank to show how to tap into the wisdom within, making this book helpful, in theory. Wenger, McDermott and Snyder spend much time explaining ways to organize, maintain and sustain communities of practice, which they define as groups that "share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and... deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis." Laying out a logical, step-by-step process for building one of these communities, the authors define specific roles for each member of the group. But senior managers looking, as the subtitle suggests, for "a guide to managing knowledge" may be disappointed in the scant space actually devoted to developing a system that captures and manages the learning that comes out of a "community of practice." Managers seeking the best way to obtain and use the knowledge coming out of these groups probably won't find it here. (Mar. 6)Forecast: Wenger is the biggest name in the theory of communities of practice, and those familiar with his work will want to add this book to their collection. Neophytes would do better with his 1998 primer, Communities of Practice.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

 Written by the top authority on the subject, this is the definitive guide to developing communities of practice and integrating them into a company-wide knowledge strategy.  The term, "communities of practice," was first coined by Etienne Wenger, who researched this organizational form.  Provides a framework and practical tools to design and develop communities of practice and to launch a community of practice-based knowledge initiative.  Details the five stages of development and mentions problems that are likely to arise at each stage---and then provides ways to prevent these and solve them. ● Offers richly illustrated examples from companies such as DaimlerChrysler, McKinsey, the World Bank, and Shell.

"Cultivating Communities of Practice stands as a milestone-for helping managers to see knowledge as a social phenomenon, not as a 'thing' and, most important, for prescribing sound ways to translate this way of seeing into practice."

-Peter Senge, Senior Lecturer, MIT, and Chairperson, Society for Organizational Learning

"A book for our time. Wenger, McDermott, and Snyder address and creatively respond to two important issues that face all organizations: how to cultivate human imagination, and how to organize knowledge that is capable of tackling messy problems in a world without boundaries."

-Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business, University of Southern California, and Author, Managing the Dream

"Cultivating Communities of Practice will accelerate the adoption of communities as 'the next big thing' for making knowledge work in organizations. A must-read."

-Carla O'Dell, President, American Productivity & Quality Center, and Author, If Only We Knew What We Know

"A significant advance in the fields of organizational learning and knowledge management. Cultivating Communities of Practice rightly positions communities of practice in the center of three critical transformations now underway: the rediscovery of human capital as the source of ultimate value creation; the evolution of organizations into value networks and extended, virtual enterprises; and the overdue appreciation of informal learning as a powerful complement to formal training and capability building."

-Brook Manville, Chief Learning Officer, Saba

"Practical, yet grounded in rich theory, Cultivating Communities of Practice is the definitive work on how to understand organizations from a community point of view."

-Larry Prusak, Executive Director, IBM Institute for Knowledge Management, and Author, In Good Company

Etienne Wenger is a renowned expert and consultant on knowledge management and communities of practice in San Juan, California.