Building Communities of Practice
Building Communities of Practice
Introduction
The act of romanticizing the notion of community can positively impact the work environment. It is important to come up with a serene environment whereby employees can share ideas and feel an aura success prevail due to their exchange of knowledge. This will make the employees feel like a team; it is as if they are in the business together and thus they can share their knowledge and experiences and feed on the same cup of wisdom (Lank, et al. 2008). Organizations, which share ideas, are more likely to succeed than the ones, which take orders and follow without suggesting or questioning.
Processes Used by Human Resource Managers
Organizations usually have cultures that guide the behaviours of their employees collectively. The human resource managers should research on the acceptable norms and practices to enact in the institution and then come up with ways in which employees can share ideas and contribute. The managers will be required to research or conduct surveys so that they can come up with a method that will offer results (Toulabi, et al. 2013). If the HR managers decide to organize events within the community, which will associate different employees, they should find out the best events that will be appreciated. The HR can also decide to set up guidelines, which gives employees a chance to interact and to prioritize doing good deeds.
Contributions of Communities of Practice
Communities of practice help an organization catch up with other companies and understand what is going on and what it requires to improve (Malerba & Nelson 2011). Different organizations have different cultures; thus, communities of practice can help members understand how the other company operates and whether there practice grants results. They also offer a knowledge-sharing platform (Ardichvili, et al. 2006). They are an essential way of managing human and social aspects of knowledge creation and disseminations in the organization (Ardichvili, et al. 2006). Therefore, an institution can benefit greatly from this knowledge while improving others.
Recommendations
A human resource manager can advocate for luncheons or dinners whereby a group of employees interacts with another employee over lunch, or dinner, or drinks. This casual way will make them feel comfortable around each other and not be limited to work conversations. They can share knowledge in other fields, which can help expound their thoughts and be effective in the long run. This can help keep them in check and shape them in a way that promotes a friendly and cool working environment (Dulipovici & Robey 2013). The HR can also opt to arrange monthly conferences for the employees; they can use these to share their ideas on certain organization things and make a suggestion on where and how to improve. This can help implement and maintain knowledge (Taylor 2013). Most people can benefit from what they learn, and some will be given a diverse perspective.
Conclusion
Communities of practice are essential and can result in the development and a good working environment for the employees (Evans 2003). Therefore, an institution will benefit a lot if it enacts these communities of practice. They will improve the relationships between employees and help the institution grow.
References
Ardichvili, A et al. 2006, Cultural influences on knowledge sharing through online communities of practice, Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 94-107.
Dulipovici, A & Robey, D 2013, Strategic alignment and misalignment of knowledge management systems: A social representation perspective, Journal of Management Systems, vol. 29, 4, pp. 103-126.
Evans, C 2003, Working and learning in communities of practice. In: Managing of knowledge: HR’s strategic role, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann: Routledge, pp. 148-162.
Lank et al. 2008, Herding cats: Choosing a governance structure for your communities of practise, Journal of Change Management, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 101-109.
Malerba, F & Nelson, R 2011, Learning and catching up in different sectoral systems: Evidence from six industries, Industrial and Corporate Change, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 1645-1675.
Taylor, G 2013, Implementing and maintaining a knowledge sharing culture via knowledge management teams: A shared leadership approach, Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications, and Conflicts, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 69-91.
Toulabi, Z, Dehghani, M & Al Taha, HR 2013, A survey of the relationship between organizational memory and organizational learning in public organizations of Kerman, International Business Research, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 90-96.
