Question

what a community of practice is.   Why are they important and how can they impact the culture within an organization?

Your response should be 250-300 words. Respond to two postings provided by your classmates.

Answer 1

A community of practice is an association of people, who come together to share their knowledge about their common area of interest. These areas of interest are generally related to technology, business, or work-related interests. They meet up and share their knowledge and experiences regarding various issues, which in turn enhance their knowledge about their common specific subject matter of interest. These practice communities have their place in almost every organization maybe with some different names. These communities are not formed by the instruction of the senior management, instead they are made by the people of their own choice.

They are important to the organization as -

1. Employees are able to gain knowledge in their respective fields on their own.

2. This helps the employees to improve their performance or output and also increases their skill sets.

3. The community of practice improves the standard of the work done as all the employees tried to learn something from the others about the matter they like but do not have the appropriate knowledge.

4. It improves the personality of the employees, they become more self dependent and an urge for improvement grows among them.

5. This practice is very beneficial to the fresher employees, as they learn a lot from the experienced employees, without spending a huge amount on the training of the fresher, inexperienced employees.

These practices have a great impact on the culture of the organization. These communities impose a positive environment within the organization. People willingly participate in this group to learn and discuss things to their heart's content. The management  committee should encourage these type of activities and should not interfere in its existence. If the management tries to control these activities, the people may not freely participate in these practices. But organization should look into the matter that themployees should perform their allocated tasks firstly and then indulge in such practices otherwise it will hamper the work of the organization.