Learning In Communities Of Practice

By Author: Mo Lo.
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In collaboration with Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger developed a social theory of learning whose main point is that learning is realised through participation in communities of practice. Learning as participation in communities of practice was also explained in module 1, section 1.8.7 but this chapter summarises and goes into more detail.

In collaboration with Jean Lave, Etienne Wenger developed a social theory of learning whose main point is that learning is realised through participation in communities of practice. Learning as participation in communities of practice was also explained in module 1, section 1.8.7 but this chapter summarises and goes into more detail. Participation in this context is intended as an ongoing process of active participation in the practices of social communities and as a construction of an identity in relation to these communities. Participation does only constitute our action but also our identity, and our interpretation of our actions.

In a workplace, employees organise themselves everyday according to colleagues, clients, etc. to perform in the job they are hired to do. In doing this, ...
... they live up to demands from their customers as well as their boss. They develop routines and create a sense about the job they perform, which in turn becomes part of their identity. They develop a practice, a way for them to do their job. Even if these processes potentially take place in a very big organisation, on a daily basis employees work in much smaller groups and communities.

As illustrated above, communities of practice are an integrated part of people's everyday life, and not only in the workplace; we also enter into communities of practice at the playground, at school, in our family and at the sports club. They are informal and not necessarily visible, but nevertheless when you read through this section, you are likely to realise that you are a part of several communities of practice. Most communities of practice exist without a formal structure or even a name.

According to Lave and Wenger, a community of practice is a group, or a number of people, that participate in a practice around sense-making, knowledge, experience, identity and membership. Wenger describes a community of practice as:

"A group of people who share an interest in a domain of human endeavour and engage in a process of collective learning that creates bonds between them: a tribe, a garage band, a group of engineers working on similar problems."

(Lave & Wenger)

Not every group constitutes a community of practice. Wenger introduces three dimensions that tie the community of practice together making it more than just a random group: Mutual engagement, shared activity (intended as a shared tasks) and shared repertoire (routines, words, tools, practices, stories, greetings, symbols etc.)

A new participant enters the community through legitimate, peripheral participation, which means that he participates, without knowing the codes, the rules and the knowledge applied by the community (the shared repertoire). Entering the practice allows the participant to learn from the activities that take place in the community. Through interaction, the participant is gradually able to use the tools and the conceptual framework applied within the community. The participant becomes able to recognise and understand the rules on how the community negotiates meaning and gradually he is able to participate in the negotiation of meaning. To fully use the potential of the communities of practice, the newcomer needs access to the current activity of the communities of practice, to information and resources, as well as the possibility to participate.

Although it can be difficult to formalise and schedule the way for new employees to become legitimate participants, it is possible to encourage the process. A discussion of this process is found in module 1, section 1.8.7.

In this context, it is important to establish that members of a community of practice do not necessarily share the same world perspectives or agree on everything – disagreements are common within a community of practice. Homogeneity is not what ties the group together, but rather the three dimensions mentioned above.

A manager in an organisation can benefit from recognising the various communities of practice that exist within the organisation. An understanding of the values that tie the community together can prove important to the communication with members of the community. The community's identity and shared understanding are created through a series of factors, e.g. the manager's behaviour and communication. Because of his superior position, a manager normally struggles to become a part of the various, cross-organisational communities of practice.
Resource: http://www.krak.dk/f/probana-business-school:66639763/1256-k%C3%B8benhavn-k