A Note on Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing in the Context of Communities of Practice Albena Antonova, Elisaveta Gurova
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A note on organizational learning and knowledge sharing in the context of communities of practice Albena Antonova, Elisaveta Gurova To cite this version: Albena Antonova, Elisaveta Gurova. A note on organizational learning and knowledge sharing in the context of communities of practice. TENCompetence Scientific Output 2006, Proceedings of the 2006 International Workshop on Learning Networks for Lifelong Competence Development. Sofia, Bulgaria: INCOMA Ltd, 2006, Sofia, Bulgaria. pp.23-30. hal-00190347 HAL Id: hal-00190347 https://telearn.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00190347 Submitted on 23 Nov 2007 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. A note on organizational learning and knowledge sharing in the context of communities of practice* Antonova, Albena; Gourova, Elissaveta CIST, Sofia University, 125,Tzarigradsko Shausse Blvd. bl.2, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract: The knowledge management (KM) literature emphasizes the impact of human factors for successful implementation of KM within the organization. Isolated initiatives for promoting learning organization and team collaboration, without taking consideration of the knowledge sharing limitations and constraints can defeat further development of KM culture. As an effective instrument for knowledge sharing, communities of practice (CoP) are appearing to overcome these constraints and to foster human collaboration. Keywords: knowledge sharing, learning organization, communities of practice, knowledge management knowledge dissemination practices. In order to 1. Introduction provide a deep understanding of the emergent practices, the characteristics of communities of During the emergence of the Knowledge practice (CoP) will be discussed in more details. management (KM) theory, the initial focus was mainly on technologies, information tools, KM methodologies and roadmaps. The main emphasis 2. Organizational learning and has now shifted to human factors, or human- centered KM, as it was realized that human knowledge sharing beings are the primary source of tacit knowledge The growing intensity and dynamism of in organizations. Presently, the third generation of competition has forced firms to focus their long- KM is in place according to the classification term strategies on resources and capabilities. cited in [5], and the focus is put on people as Intellectual capital has emerged as one of the firm unique holders of knowledge, and the exchanges critical resources, and the ability to build and between people. The knowledge networks and exploit intellectual capital has become their most working groups are considered as support for strategically significant capability. Many theorists collaboration, and ideas, people and projects are consider it as a combination of customer capital, primary generators of new knowledge and organizational capital and human capital. Here, innovations. human capital serves as a collective term for an The main goal of this article is to summarize organization’s core competences, the skills and some of the recent views about knowledge knowledge that the enterprise draws on to create management as an enabler of learning and innovate in order to remain competitive. organization, prioritizing the human aspects, and Therefore, any attempt to exploit intellectual putting the focus on knowledge sharing and capital for competitive advantage must be based on a sound understanding of an organization's plays a critical role in creating an environment current approach to acquiring, sharing and that fosters knowledge creation and the utilizing knowledge. As suggested in [11], development of human capital. knowledge management should begin with a focus on organizational learning, and by building 2.2 Knowledge Sharing and facilitating communities of practice. Knowledge management is not about managing technology alone, but is about 2.1 Organizational learning managing how human beings can share their Organizational learning is a key dimension to knowledge effectively [6]. The ‘real’ information KM, which involves a continuous assessment of system is built upon organizational culture and organizational experience, including that of CoP, interpersonal communication and contains rich and converting that experience into knowledge and dynamic tacit knowledge, which, if it is and making it accessible to the organization as a harnessed and managed effectively, can give whole. Two different kinds of organizational organizations competitive advantage. Sharing learning processes are identified: learning how expertise requires building a culture of trust, and (organizational members engaging in processes to any organizational practice or action that destroys transfer and improve existing skills or routines trust adversely affects the motivation to share and learning) and learning why (organizational information with others [1]. members diagnosing causality). At the heart of knowledge sharing lie two types of individuals: knowledge seekers—those Organizational learning requires who are looking for knowledge, and knowledge organizations to have “a shared memory” where sources—those who either have the knowledge individual employees’ discoveries, inventions, the seeker needs or who can point the seeker to and evaluations are embedded. Subsequently, another knowledge source. Effective knowledge under organizational or collective knowledge is sharing occurs when appropriate connections are understood knowledge in rules, procedures, built between these parties. However, there are strategies, activities, technologies, conditions, four important barriers to knowledge sharing that paradigms, or frames of references around which CoP help to overcome [4]: organizations are constructed and through which they operate [1]. Awareness: Making seekers and sources aware of their respective knowledge Collective (team and organizational) learning Access: Providing the time and space for requires skills for sharing information and seekers and sources to connect with one another knowledge, particularly implicit knowledge, Application: Ensuring that the knowledge assumptions and beliefs that are traditionally seeker and source have a common content and "beneath the surface". The main skills are: understanding necessary to share their insights communication (especially across organizational Perception: Creating an atmosphere boundaries), listening and observing, mentoring where knowledge sharing behaviors between and supporting colleagues, holistic perspective seekers and sources are respected and valued (seeing the organization as a whole), coping with challenge and uncertainty [3]. Learning provides Expertise sharing focuses on the human the opportunity to create and recreate, change components – cognitive, social, cultural, and one's external perception of the world and organizational aspects of knowledge work – in relationship with it, and extends individual ability addition to information storage and retrieval. to be creative. Further, there are two aspects to Compared to traditional approaches, which this: "adaptive learning," which is about survival; emphasize the role of management in organizing and "generative learning," which enhances one's knowledge exchange, this perspective focuses on ability to create [8]. self-organized activities of the organizations’ members. In enabling sharing, organizations try Organizations, by their very nature as social to connect people to one another so as to bolster systems, are the environments in which learning communication, learning, and organizational takes place. As such, the organization design knowledge. Expertise management includes of company understanding and policy disturb the communities of practice and knowledge process as personnel need to be compensated for communities, which attempt to increase the invested time in knowledge sharing and communities’, professions’, and groups’ overall conversations. expertise. Motivational barriers to sharing expertise are In [1] are considered the following three types more easily addressed through changes in of knowledge sharing within organizations: organizational practices. The motivational issues can be addressed by reducing competition Knowledge retrieval: Knowledge sharing between groups, allowing communities of from the organization to the individual has the practice to evolve, deemphasizing status purpose of retrieving existing organizational hierarchies, and increasing incentives to share knowledge. expertise with others. Knowledge exchange: Knowledge sharing from an individual to other individuals has the purpose of exchanging existing individual 3. Communities of Practice knowledge. Knowledge creation: Knowledge sharing As successful example of sharing and among individuals has the purpose of generating transferring knowledge practice will be presented new knowledge, resulting from new combinations the Communities of Practice. The definition of a of existing individual, shared, or organizational community of practice is "a group of people who knowledge.