Community of practice. What is a community of practice and what Essay

Community of practice. What is a community of practice and what benefits might it bring to an organisation - Essay Example This paper would discuss the community of practice and how it has benefitted organizations over the passage of time. Moreover, it would elaborate over the challenges faced by knowledge-based communities with the advent of the concept of community of practice.With the passage of time and the advancement in technologies, there is more and more pressure over organizations to maintain a competitive advantage over the rivals. For this purpose, it is becoming increasingly important to make efficient use of the resources of the organization. Among the most important resources of the organization come the Human resources. Hence, there are increasing efforts to enhance the efficiency and productivity of the workers. This paper would discuss the community of practice and how it has benefitted organizations over the passage of time. Moreover, it would elaborate over the challenges faced by knowledge-based communities with the advent of the concept of community of practice. DISCUSSION The articl e written by Lauren Keller Johnson (2006) entitled Are you getting the most from your knowledge workers? discussed relevant issues pertaining to managing knowledge workers. According to Serrat (2008), knowledge worker is unique and distinct as this type is described as â€Å"someone who is employed because of his or her knowledge of a subject matter, rather than ability to perform manual labor. They perform best when empowered to make the most of their deepest skills†. ... Communities of practice enable workers to work with others with the same purpose and while creating value through the community of knowledge sharing. Some of the benefits of a community of practice would be described in the following lines. Community of practice promotes and enhances a learning environment for all the stakeholders, according to Johnson (2001) â€Å"the learning that evolved from these communities is collaborative, in which the collaborative knowledge of the community is greater than any individual knowledge† (Johnson 2001: 34). Community of practice promotes the formation of synergies, raises the capabilities of the workforce by gaining insight from one another. The practice also inculcates new information, knowledge and skills of the workers into the corporate culture with the help of knowledge sharing and learning. Furthermore, community of practice endorses innovation and expertise, it connects people from different backgrounds, with diverse knowledge and i ncreases the level of trust as well as motivation enabling them to pool their knowledge and know how in solving business problems that require information across different subjects. The ongoing interactions through a knowledge based environment helps in coordination, organization and development of initiatives across various domains of knowledge. It fosters a sense of belonging among the workers which increases the morale while building the capabilities and knowledge of the workers. Moreover, Community of practice encourages neo-apprenticeship style of learning and nurtures professional and personal development of workers. Community of practice aids in the improvement of business outcomes, it helps in

Critically evaluate the policy network model Essay

Critically evaluate the policy network model - Essay Example In this case, we can expect too that solution can be best achieved through network of elucidation. NETWORK OF PROBLEMS: AN OVERVIEW OF POLICY NETWORK MODEL Introduction In our society today, there are many things in which we are trying to explain and identify why such things occurs. We also try to analyze situations or problems to come up with a solution that we thought to be a result of the observations. Well, this is the essence of being an analysts - This give us the right to be coined as analysts because we try to explain everything based on the content and what the other had perceived it to be and eventually lead us to create our own unique perception on that issue also with of course basis. In this part, we will be dealing on a policy model that is known to be one of the most influential models in these days in policy making. A policy network model by Rod Rhodes states that policy is prepared because of the interactions made between the pressure groups and the policy makers. .. . Policy Network Model As it were discussed and stated in the lecture presentation about policy analysis made by Dr. Adam White entitled ‘Theories of the Policy Process’, he identified there that a policy network model focus on policy subsystems. Primarily it focuses on subsystems because the actors involved may not be in line with the hierarchical structure. Leader’s prerogative on matters of laws or policies and other matters which involved the state (individual level of analysis) is not the only source of policies as well as state laws because there are multiple actors involved in here. The players in this model are the groups that make the state work as a whole which is consist of the departments and bureaucracies as well as interests groups in the states. We can label them as the trans-governmental or transnational actors coined in the complex interdependence theory. The policy outcome is indeed made because of the departments and bureaucracies’ intermed iations with each other together with the interest groups. These components are the main actors bounded by their beliefs and norms in the society in governance (Scharpf 1998, p.195). Furthermore, actors operate through interdependent relationships, with a view to achieve their personal goals by collaborating with each other (Bevir & Richards 2009, p.1). In a broader sense, what makes the policy are not because of the leaders’ ability alone to rule and create policy to make its country better but rather, it is a product of collective individual’s rational thinking ability shaped by their societal norms and its interactions to the government bureaus – their exchange of resources; and policy makers. â€Å"Policy network analysis stresses the importance of