Handbook of Research on Communities of Practice for Organizational Management and Networking: Methodologies for Competitive Advantage

Citation

Ramalho Correia, A.M. (2012), "Handbook of Research on Communities of Practice for Organizational Management and Networking: Methodologies for Competitive Advantage", Online Information Review, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 145-146. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2012.36.1.145.4

The concept of Communities of Practice (CoP) is central to the actions and activities that facilitate the dissemination and sharing of knowledge inside and between organisations across time and space. CoPs are a main feature of innovation strategies, encouraging as they do efficient communication and knowledge transfer. This book on CoPs contains 25 chapters, written by different experts, gathered under five section headings, as outlined in the following paragraphs.

The first section (six chapters) deals mainly with the conceptualisation of CoPs, from the cognitive relationship with the Japanese concept of Ba to the importance of creation and diffusion of knowledge in contemporary economies. The last chapter in this section aims to shed light on the differences between CoPs and similar organisational structures (e.g. specialist groups, working teams, learning communities) also providing competitive advantage within organisations. Section 2, four chapters on contextualising CoPs, deals with the part of CoPs in creative knowledge processes, pointing out that an impasse may arise, with CoPs becoming yet other conflicting interface between management and knowledge practitioners. The same section includes chapters which address the contextual factors influencing a CoP's development.

Section 3, six chapters on performance and innovation, deepens the analysis of organisational conditions that foster the development of knowledge‐sharing activities within CoPs, reinforcing the existing relationship between knowledge creation and innovation. These chapters analyse in some depth the CoPs' functions as they influence the increase in organisational performance and innovation, focusing especially on companies with R&D processes. Section 4 (knowledge intensive organisations) includes four chapters shedding light on a better understanding of learning within CoPs which make intensive use of scientific and technological knowledge in their creation of value. One chapter presents a case study of new technology‐based firms in a Spanish science park, while the other chapters investigate knowledge sharing within and between CoPs in knowledge intensive firms over several sectors in different countries.

The last section (sharing and experiencing) contains five chapters that present a variety of cases and experiences with CoP implementation over a range of organisations, including universities of applied science and public administration. Specific chapters look at inter‐institutional CoPs in education, and at CoP development in healthcare organisations.

The individual chapters in this collection by different experts or group of experts are well written and wide‐ranging. The book provides a clear and detailed table of contents; there is also a brief summary of chapters, which allows the reader to understand the structure of the book. At the end there is a compilation of references cited in the 25 chapters – effectively an extensive bibliography in the CoP domain. All these details make the collection equally valuable for academics, industry‐related researchers and managers needing to explore Communities of Practice. This is a large and diverse compilation of articles, which need not be read from cover to cover – it is more a work of reference providing valuable insights into the present state of CoP research.