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Conference proceedings of the International Conference on Knowledge Management and Information Sharing 2009. Abstract paper: Communities of Practice (CoP) are a strategic asset for innovative organisations. However, managers have problems to manage and facilitate CoPs, and therewith to harvest the benefits of these communities for the organisation. The goal of this research is to supply managers with a support framework to facilitate the development of CoPs, the CoP activities, and their contribution to the organisation. A design science study is conducted, which comprises of a literature research to develop a knowledge base and a study of cases to develop an environment base. Combined these sources are used to create a support tool, which was then evaluated by an expert panel.
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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:
Meet Mark
Mark works as a
software developer
at an international
IT company.
Mark freely
participates in a
Community of
Practice (CoP) to
think about new
marketing tools.
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…
….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
Interesting right?
“CoPs are a
strategic asset
for innovative
organisations”
However, did you
notice….
….that the value was
actually created without
any visible support of
Mark’s management?
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.
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
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
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)
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.
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
Communities of Practice
and the Challenge of
Management Support
Thankyou!
Eric Bun | [email protected]
Conference Proceedings for KMIS, 2009
