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Today's marketplace is fueled by knowledge.
Yet organizing systematically to leverage knowledge remains
a challenge. Leading companies have discovered that technology
is not enough, and that cultivating communities of practice
is the keystone of an effective knowledge strategy.
Communities of practice come together around
common interests and expertise -- whether they consist of
first-line managers or customer service representatives,
neurosurgeons or software programmers, city managers or
home-improvement amateurs. They create, share, and apply
knowledge within and across the boundaries of teams, business
units, and even entire companies -- providing a concrete
path toward creating a true knowledge organization.
In Cultivating Communities of Practice,
Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder
argue that while communities form naturally, organizations
need to become more proactive and systematic about developing
and integrating them into their strategy. This book provides
practical models and methods for stewarding these communities
to reach their full potential -- without squelching the
inner drive that makes them so valuable.
Through in-depth cases from firms such as
DaimlerChrysler, McKinsey & Company, Shell, and the
World Bank, the authors demonstrate how communities of practice
can be leveraged to drive overall company strategy, generate
new business opportunities, tie personal development to
corporate goals, transfer best practices, and recruit and
retain top talent. They define the unique features of these
communities and outline principles for nurturing their essential
elements. They provide guidelines to support communities
of practice through their major stages of development, address
the potential downsides of communities, and discuss the
specific challenges of distributed communities. And they
show how to recognize the value created by communities of
practice and how to build a corporate knowledge strategy
around them.
Essential reading for any leader in today's
knowledge economy, this is the definitive guide to developing
communities of practice for the benefit -- and long-term
success -- of organizations and the individuals who work
in them.
Etienne Wegner is a renowned expert and
consultant on knowledge management and communities of practice
in North San Juan, California. Richard McDermott is a leading
expert on organization and community development in Boulder,
Colorado. William M. Snyder is a founding partner of Social
Capital Group, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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