It's the Sign of the Times:

Building Competencies through E-learning

February 18, 2009

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At the launch stage, Etienne Wenger and William Snyder (HBR v78 n1 p139-45) identify the relevance of the COP’s objectives to its members' daily work, and the intentional degree to which the COP is embedded in the organizational structure as critical. This means the organization recognizes the identity of the community and records that it exists, takes an active role in community formation, contributes some direction in defining the community's identity, and assists with the planning. Launching and supporting a COP is a new opportunity for companies’ learning specialists to collaborate with IT.

Learning research affirms the power of writing a story reinforces learning for the storyteller and provides a way to keep others engaged. The overall community adds to its knowledge and behavioral repertoire by learning from accumulated experience and stories new members bring. Beverly Traynor recommended storytelling and other narrative techniques as valuable in community formation and in providing a thread of continuity, and catalyst for learning.

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