Toward an Understanding of Communities of Practice

Abstract

This chapter will present cross-case analyses and link findings from the study to the literature on organizational learning, communities of practice, and information science. First, the characteristics of communities of practice will be described with regard to the two major functions of CoPs: social construction of knowledge and the creation of opportunities for the development of professional socialization and identity. Then, communities of practice and IT integration will be presented in order to discuss the role of IT in the different types of communities of practice examined in Chapters 4 (i.e., a community of practice in Square County, two communities of practice in Circle County, and online communities of practice). Following the discussion of the ways in which IT can support communities of practice, implications of these studies for further research and development in the following three areas will be discussed: education, information science, and communities of practice.