It's the Sign of the Times:

Building Competencies through E-learning

February 18, 2009

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Jean Lave, social anthropologist and learning theorist at the University of California at Berkeley, points out the importance of context, “If we can stop focusing on who learns more or less of the fragments of knowledge, and ask questions instead about what is around to be learned, in what circumstances, and to what end, learning achievements would become statements about the points of contact available to persons in various social settings.” Nancy White, international practitioner at Full Circle Associates, focuses on understanding and practicing online group facilitation of distributed work, learning and community groups. She defines a virtual COP as “the gathering of people, in an on-line ‘space’ where they come, communicate, connect, and get to know each other better over time.”

For companies that plan to do business globally, COP’s are an essential medium to understand business opportunities and practices. Examples of successful communities of practice include “learning communities” at Hewlett-Packard Company, “family groups” at Xerox Corporation, “thematic groups” at the World Bank, “peer groups” at British Petroleum, and “knowledge networks” at IBM Global Services.

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