Cultivating Communities of Practice
by Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, William M. Snyder
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Book Summary Information
Author: Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, William M. SnyderEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2002-03-15
ISBN: 1578513308
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Book Reviews of Cultivating Communities of Practice
Book Review: Excellent work on Communities of Practice
Summary: 4 Stars
Cultivating Communities of Practice is the second book from Wenger which is only about Communities of Practice (COP). The first book was a little dry and academic (and intended to be), but this book is your typical business book, which makes it easy to read. Wenger is teaming up with Richard McDermontt and Willian Snyder, which probably helped a lot in the amount of real-life stories in the book.
The books can be separated in two major parts. The first five chapters are about just about COP and the last five chapters are about COP related to other topics.
The first two chapter are introduction chapters which talk about what COP is and what their value is to the organization. It also does a good job in separating COP from other communities. The three main elements of a COP is domain, community and practice. A COP related to a domain, creates or has a community and owns a set of practices within that domain. They are self-managing and emergent, which means that in organizations its hard to create them -- you need to cultivate them.
The third chapter talks about the cultivation and the principles of doing so. I probably liked this chapter most, it's concrete and clear. It can be used directly in organizations who would like to promote communities.
The next two chapters describe a typical life of a COP and the different stages they go through. Knowing the typical stages helps in deciding your actions to cultivate them.
Interestingly, I wish I would have stopped reading after chapter 5. (which the exception of chapter 7). At this point I thought the book was one of the most interesting books I've read in a while, but then the second part was disappointing to me. Chapter six talks about distributes COP. It is still important, but somehow the tone of the chapter changes (or did my mood reading it?). Chapter seven was good again, about the downside or dysfunctions of COPs and what to do about it.
Chapter eight, about measuring the value of COP, completely lost my interest. The writing style seemed to change (different author?) and the emergent, self-managed tone of the first couple chapters changes to a more controlling tone. The examples also changed and most related to McKinskey.
Chapter nine is the typical "change" chapter of business books and describes the stages for implementing COP in organizations. Chapter ten tries to predict the future of COP. Though I felt chapter ten just miserably failed and it even seemed the authors moved away from their previous definition of COP and talked about communities in general.
After the first five chapters, I would have rated this book five stars and would have recommended it to everyone. Though, the last five chapters would just be a three star rating, so I'll go for the average here.
I'd strongly recommend to buy this book and read chapter 1-5 and 7.
Summary of Cultivating Communities of Practice
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.
From the time our ancestors lived in caves to that day in the late '80s when Chrysler sanctioned unofficial "tech clubs" to promote the flow of information between teams working on different vehicle platforms, bands of like-minded individuals had been gathering in a wide variety of settings to recount their experiences and share their expertise. Few paid much attention until a number of possible benefits to business were identified, but many are watching more closely now that definitive links have been established. In Cultivating Communities of Practice, consultants Etienne C. Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William Snyder take the concept to another level by describing how these groups might be purposely developed as a key driver of organizational performance in the knowledge age. Building on a 1998 book by Wenger that framed the theory for an academic audience, Cultivating Communities of Practice targets practitioners with pragmatic advice based on the accumulating track records of firms such as the World Bank, Shell Oil, and McKinsey & Company. Starting with a detailed explanation of what these groups really are and why they can prove so useful in managing knowledge within an organization, the authors discuss development from initial design through subsequent evolution. They also address the potential "dark side"--arrogance, cliquishness, rigidity, and fragmentation among participants, for example--as well as measurement issues and the challenges inherent in initiating these groups company-wide. --Howard Rothman
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