Communities of Practice in Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning

It is believed that communities of practice (CoPs) more and more frequently become a critical success factor for contemporary organisations. This article, following the network organisation paradigm, identifies the most important properties of CoPs, presents CoPs capacities in the socialisation, externalisation, combination, internalisation (SECI) knowledge spiral model, and suggests information technologies that support the work of CoPs. Theoretical considerations are contrasted against empirical research results obtained in 2008 while examining 160 organisations in Upper Silesia, the most industrialised and densely populated region in Poland. INTRODUCTION The 20th and 21st centuries witnessed vast changes in management, viewpoints, perception of corporate success and capacities for supporting enterprises by means of information technology tools. There was some transition from rigid boundaries of organisations and sectors towards symbiotic systems where all stakeholders shaped their organisation value. Traditional components of competitive advantage are being now replaced with the level and quality of relationships between organisations and their environments. Organisations have to undertake effective actions internally but they must also co-operate with their partners including customers, suppliers, sector experts and other informal community groups. Simultaneously, it is observed that institutional acting and Celina M. Olszak University of Economics, Poland Ewa Ziemba University of Economics, Poland Communities of Practice in Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-783-8.ch1.18

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