IRMA-International.org: Creator of Knowledge
Information Resources Management Association
Advancing the Concepts & Practices of Information Resources Management in Modern Organizations

Sociotechnical Theory and Communities of Practice

Sociotechnical Theory and Communities of Practice
View Sample PDF
Author(s): Andrew Wenn (Victoria University, Australia)
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 4
Source title: E-Collaboration: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Ned Kock (Texas A&M International University, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-652-5.ch007

Purchase

View Sociotechnical Theory and Communities of Practice on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

Communities of practice (CoPs), by their nature, are social entities. Such communities may be large or small, geographically dispersed or located within a confined region. Essentially, communities of practice consist of members who chose to come together because they have a passionate dedication to sharing knowledge and a desire to develop their own and other’s capabilities (Wenger & Snyder, 2000). No matter what type of CoP (collocated or virtual; intra or interorganizational) communication is one of the prime desiderata. Thus, it is highly likely that technology of some form will be involved. For instance, a virtual community of practice may use e-mail or a more sophisticated groupware application to keep in touch. CoPs within a knowledge management environment will certainly have access to technology. To understand the workings of such communities requires a theory that enables us to deal at the levels of the individual, the group, and the larger world in which the community is embedded (Lave, 1988). Any such theory must be able to account for the role of technology within the community as well as its social aspects.

Related Content

Prasanna Ranjith Christodoss, Rajesh Natarajan. © 2022. 14 pages.
K. Uday Kiran, Gowtham Mamidisetti, Chandra shaker Pittala, V. Vijay, Rajeev Ratna Vallabhuni. © 2022. 12 pages.
Amalraj Irudayasamy, Prasanna Ranjith Christotodoss, Rajesh Natarajan. © 2022. 20 pages.
Koppula Srinivas Rao, S. Saravanan, Kasula Raghu, V. Rajesh, Pattem Sampath Kumar. © 2022. 15 pages.
Swapna B., Arulmozhi P., Kamalahasan M., Anuradha V., Meenaakumari M., Hemasundari H., Aathilakshmi T.. © 2022. 21 pages.
Archana K. S., Sivakumar B., Siva Prasad Reddy K.V, Arul Stephen C., Vijayalakshmi A., Ebenezer Abishek B.. © 2022. 15 pages.
Swapna B., M. Kamalahasan, S. Gayathri, S. Srinidhi, H. Hemasundari, S. Sowmiya, S. Shavan Kumar. © 2022. 12 pages.
Body Bottom