Communities of practice : a new concept for the millenium, or the rediscovery of the wheel?

‘Community of practice’ is a relatively new term for an apparently new discovery groups inside workplaces and elsewhere through which individuals learn a practice, simultaneously developing their own identities, and reproducing the practice. It has been hailed as significant for understanding organizational learning and knowledge management. This paper explores the meanings of the term and some related concepts through the work of its originators, Lave, and Wenger. This reveals some hidden tensions and conceptual gaps, as well as an implicit four-fold categorization of communities of practice. Two key problems are highlighted. First, it is impossible in the context of organizational studies to distinguish communities of practice from the informal organization, a phenomenon that has been studied for many years. Second, the concept of practice is used in ambiguous and contradictory ways. 1 Draft paper, not to be quoted without permission from Dr. Stephen Gourlay, Kingston Business School, Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, KT2 7LB, UK; +44 (0)181 547 8683; +44 (0)181 547 7026 (fax); sngourlay@king.ac.uk

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