Knowledge characteristics of communities of practice
Knowledge characteristics of communities of practice
This paper proposes a typology of communities of practice based on their knowledge characteristics. The structure of a community of practice, in terms of knowledge, may tend to the stratified or to the egalitarian. The predominant knowledge activity of the community may be sharing or nurturing. This produces four classes of community of practice. The paper identifies and discusses examples of these classes. It is argued that the class to which a community belongs tends to determine the rapidity with which knowledge within the community evolves and the degree of pluralism, as opposed to homogeneity, that the knowledge exhibits. The paper concludes by discussing some of the implications of the typology for knowledge management practice.
communities of practice, knowledge sharing, knowledge nurturing
106-114
Klein, Jonathan H.
639e04f0-059a-4566-9361-a4edda0dba7d
Connell, N.A.D.
20c3599b-f2e6-49fb-9b95-870b421fc27e
Meyer, Edgar
f2e4fe13-ba46-43e7-99e1-979cf3983c64
2005
Klein, Jonathan H.
639e04f0-059a-4566-9361-a4edda0dba7d
Connell, N.A.D.
20c3599b-f2e6-49fb-9b95-870b421fc27e
Meyer, Edgar
f2e4fe13-ba46-43e7-99e1-979cf3983c64
Klein, Jonathan H., Connell, N.A.D. and Meyer, Edgar
(2005)
Knowledge characteristics of communities of practice.
Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 3 (2), .
(doi:10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500055).
Abstract
This paper proposes a typology of communities of practice based on their knowledge characteristics. The structure of a community of practice, in terms of knowledge, may tend to the stratified or to the egalitarian. The predominant knowledge activity of the community may be sharing or nurturing. This produces four classes of community of practice. The paper identifies and discusses examples of these classes. It is argued that the class to which a community belongs tends to determine the rapidity with which knowledge within the community evolves and the degree of pluralism, as opposed to homogeneity, that the knowledge exhibits. The paper concludes by discussing some of the implications of the typology for knowledge management practice.
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Published date: 2005
Keywords:
communities of practice, knowledge sharing, knowledge nurturing
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Local EPrints ID: 36191
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/36191
ISSN: 1477-8238
PURE UUID: 30d9edee-46da-4dba-8460-bc5eb0f5fe4f
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Date deposited: 20 Jun 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:34
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Author:
Edgar Meyer
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