Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems - Essay Example

Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems Introduction The author asserts that the success of any organization hinges on their capability to invent and engage in broader learning systems such as industry, a region, or a consortium. The author asserts that communities of practice form the basis of a social learning system in facilitating the building of competences that make up the system (Wenger 2000, p.225). Communities of practice define competence by fusing three elements. First, members of a community pursue their collectively developed understanding and share a sense of joint enterprise. Members of a community build their enterprise (community) through mutual engagement as they interact with each other in establishing norms and relationships of mutuality that reflect the social engagements. Thirdly, the communities of practice yield a shared repertoire of communal resources encompassing aspects such as language, artifacts, and tools. Purpose of the Paper The author wrote the article in an attempt to demystify the structure of social learning systems within organizations. In so doing, the author suggests a social definition of learning systems and employs the framework to outline three constitutive elements of the systems. These elements include communities of practice, boundary processes, and identities shaped by participation in the systems. The author outlines two aspects of a conceptual framework for comprehending social learning systems; a social definition of learning detailing social competence and personal experience comprising of engagement, imagination, and alignment. The distinction between the modes of belonging is critical since each mode contributes to a distinct facet to the development of social learning systems and individual identities. Engagement, imagination, and alignment mainly coexist, and each social learning system involves each to some extent and in some combination, although each component requires distinct combinations (Blackmore 2010, p.40). Discussion The author achieved his purpose in writing the article and demystifying social learning by individuals and organizations. The author’s assertions are highly supported by facts. The notion of community of practice has significantly influenced theory and practice in a broad range of fields such as availing a platform for peer-to-peer learning within organizations, professional development, and development of learning partnerships that are not captive to professional silos (Brown and Duguid 1991, p.40). As demonstrated, communities of practice are central to enhancing performance. Communities shape their practice through diverse activities such as problem solving, seeking experience, coordination and synergy, reusing assets, discussing developments, and mapping knowledge and identifying gaps. The term has its roots in attempts to develop accounts of the social nature of human beings as outlined by social theory. A community of practice can be perceived as a simple social system, while a complex social system can be viewed as comprising interrelated communities of practice (Coakes and Clarke 2006, p.50). Nevertheless, the notion of community of practice does not exist by itself as it forms part of a broader framework for thinking about learning in its social dimensions. The perspective of a social learning system has significant implications on individuals (struggle to finding the dynamic set of communities they should centrally and peripherally belong), communities of practice (balance between core and boundary processes), and organizations (which can take part, leverage, and foster social learning systems, although they cannot fully own or control them). Most organizational requirements of social learning systems frequently run to counter traditional management practices (Lytras et al. 2009, p.19). The systems depend on aspects such as collegiality, reciprocity, expertise, contributions to practice and negotiation of a learning agenda, rather than aspects affiliation to an institution, assigned authority, or pursuance of a predefined deliverable. Theoretical Perspectives Within a social learning system, competence is historically and socially defined. Knowing involves two components; the competence that the communities have established overtime, and the ongoing experience of the world as a member. Competence and experience can be in conflicting interactions with each other, whether harmonious or opposing. The two components can shape each other interchangeably. Learning in this case hinges on the interplay between social competence and personal experience (Starkey, Tempest and McKinlay 2007, p.239). Situated learning is concerned with the manner in which learning occurs every day. Lave and Wenger asserted that learning is situated and occurs via means of legitimate peripheral participation within a community of practice. The theorists stipulated that learning is unintentional; a utility of the activity, situation, and culture in which it occurs. Social interaction and collaboration play a critical role in situated learning as learners become involved within the community of practice exemplifying behaviors to be acquired. Critique of the Article Critique to the author’s concept can be regarded as diverse and complex. The author’s concept of communities of practice runs the risk of oversimplifying learning within organizations. The article takes learning as its basis and focus and downplays power. The efficacy of power hinges on individuals’ degree of identification with communities and their practice. The term community of practice fails to place enough emphasis on issues regarding power. The issues regarding power form part of learning and are fundamental in a social perspective on learning. Although the author acknowledges that the notion of community of practice implies an existence of fluid boundaries, the term labours on connoting harmony and homogeneity, rather than disagreement and conflict. The generative character characteristic of communities of practice may appear to downplay the degree to which they are influenced and shaped by their context, whether institutional, cultural, or political. The development of identity in practice may appear to downplay the influence of broader discourses on identity such as class, ethnicity, and gender (Lave and Wenger 2003, p.89). In this paper, the group argues that, although the article remains fundamentally significant to the understanding of learning, there is a need to build on the literature so as to deal with certain enduring challenges within organizational learning literature. Filling the gaps and weakness can be a significant step towards enriching organizational learning literature. The author should fully embrace wider issues of social and economic differentials into the analysis of learning and examine training from a participatory perspective. Furthermore, there is a need to explore the impact of power differentials, especially in relation to accessing learning into individuals understanding of social learning processes. References List Blackmore, C. (2010). Social learning systems and communities of practice, London, Springer. pp.39-50. Brown, J. S., & Duguid, P. (1991). Organizational learning and communities of practice: Toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation, Organization Science, vol. 2, no. 2. pp.40-57. Coakes, E. & Clarke, S. (2006). Encyclopedia of communities of practice in information and knowledge management, Hershey, Idea. pp.49-60. Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (2003). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. pp.89-100. Lytras, M., et al. (2009). Best practices for the knowledge society: Knowledge, learning, development and technology for all, New York, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp.18-20. Starkey, K., Tempest, S. & McKinlay, A. (2007). How organizations learn: Managing the search for knowledge, London, Thomson Learning. pp.238-245. Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems, Sage, vol.7, no.2. pp.225-246. Read More