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