Communitiies Of Practice (COP) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Communitiies Of Practice (COP) - Essay Example The CoP could also meet on a regular basis or depends on the common availability of the members. Likewise, due to the advancement of technology, the members could also utilize the computer and internet, i.e. group sites, web pages, e-mail, blogs, wikis, podcasting, and/or file sharing to keep connected and updated.2 The practice of CoP had long been existed throughout the society. In fact, it had been observed and practiced in the classical Greece wherein the Greeks were subdivided and lived according to their shared common interests and beliefs. The people who have the same crafts such as the metalworkers, potters, masons, etc. belonged to the same group because they work and learn together. Each group had their own business function in which they were responsible to share their skills and spread the innovation through training and coaching apprentices/novices. Whilst, each group had shared social purpose wherein they â€Å"worshipped the same god and goddesses and celebrated holid ays together.† 3The practice had been very common; however, the term was only coined recently by Etienne Wenger and Jean Lave. Originally, the term was used to name a group of traditional African tailors who couched and trained their apprentices. 4 Further, the two have concluded that learning could be a two-way process wherein the apprentices could learn from their masters/instructors and vice versa. Since then the two researchers have expanded the CoP concept and had been widely incorporated in organizations, government, businesses, teams, work groups, corporations and among others. Etienne Wenger and William Snyder have considered community of practice as an important instrument because it could improve organizational performance as long as it is implemented accordingly. The advantages of CoP have included its ability to drive strategy. Several organizations have proven this, i.e. the World Bank. Since, they had integrated in their management the concept of CoP; they become â€Å"knowledge bank†5 because they had provided their customers’ high-quality information as well as they gained know-how on economic development. Likewise, the CoP could also start new lines of businesses. An example of this was the one cited by Wegner and Snyder, wherein a group of consultants created a community and they decided to meet regularly at the airport after their engagement with their clients to discuss over their common interests. After a couple of years, this group had established a new line of business that offered financial services due to community of practice. The CoP could also used to solve problems quickly. The practical reason is that members of the CoP could share their problems and could ask the assistance of their co-members to find solution with their problems. In the same manner that their counterparts could extend their help because they knew the problem and they could identify the best solutions to common problems. For example, a man had asked from his CoP on how to improve his writing skills. Since, they share the same interest, many of his expert co-members have responded via net within 24 hours. Luckily, many of them have provided the best and easiest writing techniques. Further, it could also transfer best practices because they â€Å"do much more than work on specific problems. 6 In an organization or company, it was considered as the best and ideal venue for sharing and disseminating best practices and knowledge. One of the most successful examples of