Organizational learning and knowledge sharing in communities of practice

Organizational Learning

The objective of this study is to address the question of if an organization cannot harvest the learning and teaching that is happening in a community of practice then does the organization as such learn? Secondly, this study will address the question of whether one can speak of organizational learning, even when the company has not learned anything as only the community of practice share the knowledge within their circle.

Defining Organizational Learning and the Community of Practice

Organizational learning is stated in the work of Schulz (2001) to be such that "denotes a change in organizational knowledge. Organizational learning typically adds to, transforms, or reduces organizational knowledge." (p.1) Organizational learning is reported by Schulz to be "captured in a learning cycle in which organizations responded to external shocks by adjusting the likelihood of reusing specific operating procedures (SOPs) A concept essentially equivalent to March and Simon's performance programs." (2001, p.1) The community of practice, according to the work of Wenger (2006) is stated to be formed "by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor: a tribe learning to survive, a band of artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar problems, a clique of pupils defining their identity in the school, a network of surgeons exploring novel techniques, a gathering of first-time managers helping each other cope." (p.1) Otherwise stated the community of practice is a group of people "who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." (Wenger, 2006, p.1)

Summary and Conclusion

This study has clearly shown through the literature reviewed that the community of practice must necessarily share their learning with the larger committed organization if organizational learning is to occur. Knowledge gained within the community of practice is clearly an asset that is to be distributed among all who are committed to the same common goals with the same desire for those goals to succeed.