Professional Documents
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ASSIGNMENT of BIA (Drishti Kocchar) Rollno. (01313703915)
ASSIGNMENT of BIA (Drishti Kocchar) Rollno. (01313703915)
dependent learning where the interpretations of events (rather than the actual
events) are remembered and passed on. It is also somewhat reminiscent of
Nonaka's externalization process, when tacit knowledge is made explicit often
through the use of metaphor.
The Implications to KM
Botha et al (2008) summarize the key factors regarding communities of practice as
follows:
Learning is a social phenomenon
Knowledge is integrated into the culture, values, and language of the community
Learning and community membership are inseparable
We learn by doing and therefore knowledge and practice are inseparable.
Empowerment is key to learning: The best learning environments are created when
there are real consequences to the individual and his community of practice.
Management must understand the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of
communities of practice. For example, because they are so loosely defined it may
be very hard to identify them when a problem needs to be solved- to resolve this
some companies today are mapping their communities of practice (Botha 2008).
Another issue could be the problem of transferring and combining knowledge across
the firm. Due to the close ties to "doing" as well as the cultural elements, this may
require innovative solutions- e.g. using temporary cross functional project teams
that can leverage knowledge from different areas, apply it, learn, and the
redistribute the new knowledge back into the individual members' communities.
All this should underline the importance of recognizing and supporting communities
of practice. Knowledge management (KM) initiatives and systems must therefore be
supportive, non-disruptive, and must not enforce canonical practice.