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Communities of Practice
and the Challenge of
Management Support
Eric Bun | [email protected]
Pieter de Vries, Gwendolyn Kolfschoten & Wim Veen
Delft University of Technology
October 6, 2009
International Conference on Knowledge
Management and Information
Sharing,KMIS 2009
Co
-cre
ate
db
y:
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Meet Mark
Mark works as a
software developer
at an international
IT company.
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Mark freely
participates in a
Community of
Practice (CoP) to
think about new
marketing tools.
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It all started with a brainstorm….
It all started with a brainstorm….
CoP evolvement in stages
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CoP evolvement in stages
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...everyone enjoyed it, so we decided to build
a community…
...everyone enjoyed it, so we decided to build
a community…
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….common goal: “to leverage our knowledge
and build newmarketing tools for the
web”
….common goal: “to leverage our knowledge
and build newmarketing tools for the
web”
CoP evolvement in stages
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CoP evolvement in stages
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… new innovative marketing tools that were based on the knowledge of people across
the company
… new innovative marketing tools that were based on the knowledge of people across
the company
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Interesting right?
“CoPs are a
strategic asset
for innovative
organisations”
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However, did you
notice….
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….that the value was
actually created without
any visible support of
Mark’s management?
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Meet Mr. Burns
Mr. Burns is Mark’s
manager. He is a
good manager but
certainly not used
to manage informal
value netwerks such as
CoPs.
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Mr. Burns
classical
management
style does not
seem to fit to
new
organisational
formats such
as CoPs.
My manage-ment style
ClassicalManagement Styles
(Fayol, 1949)
• Planning• Organising
• Commanding• Co-ordinating
• Controlling
ClassicalManagement Styles
(Fayol, 1949)
• Planning• Organising
• Commanding• Co-ordinating
• Controlling
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Nevertheless, Mr. Burns tries to intervene
since he acknowledge the importance of
the CoP for the organisation.
How classical management styles are handled in a CoP
PlanningPlanning CoPs emerge spontaneouslyCoPs emerge spontaneously
OrganisingOrganising CoPs organise themselves & roles emergeCoPs organise themselves & roles emerge
CommandingCommanding Relationships are leading, not hierarchyRelationships are leading, not hierarchy
Co-ordinatingCo-ordinating CoPs motivate/engage resources themselvesCoPs motivate/engage resources themselves
ControllingControlling Controlling structures subject of negotiationControlling structures subject of negotiation
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The Management Paradox
“BUSINESS MANAGERS ARE ABLE TO CULTIVATE
COPS BY PROVIDING THE RIGHT SUPPORT […], BUT
MANAGERS COULD RATHER EASILY DESTROY
THE VALUE OF COMMUNITIES BY IMPOSING TOO
MUCH, OR WRONG MANAGEMENT EFFORTS. […]”
(based on Wenger and Snyder, 2000)
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Since Mr. Burns, David, is now aware of
the management paradox, he uses a
support tool to cultivate the CoP of Mark
5 Best 5 Best 5 Best 5 Best PracticesPracticesPracticesPractices fromfromfromfrom case case case case studystudystudystudy:
• Appoint Energisers;• Assess people on how they
share their knowledge;• Lower tresholds to constitute
CoPs;• Obligate employees to store
‘lessons learned’;• Utilise intervision and
empower employees.
5 Best 5 Best 5 Best 5 Best PracticesPracticesPracticesPractices fromfromfromfrom case case case case studystudystudystudy:
• Appoint Energisers;• Assess people on how they
share their knowledge;• Lower tresholds to constitute
CoPs;• Obligate employees to store
‘lessons learned’;• Utilise intervision and
empower employees.
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In the future, David, would like to
conduct additional research on…
Support Tool
CoP evolvement in stages
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1. Transitionmanagement
2. Effectiveness of the Support Tool
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Communities of Practice
and the Challenge of
Management Support
Thankyou!
Eric Bun | [email protected]
Conference Proceedings for KMIS, 2009