Communities of Practice

Article Summary

John S Veitch
John S Veitch
The Network Ambassador

Building an "Open Future ©" demands continuous learning and adaptation.
All learning is social, the things we see other people doing influences our own behaviour.
People are often afraid to join Communities of Practice. The proper response as a newbie is to listen a lot, to read a lot, and to ask short but interesting questions.
If you are going to make an "Open Future ©" for yourself, you need to become the change that's needed.
All human networks act like the nervous system of society. They tell us when and where things are going well, and where it's hurting.
Apoptosis is the process of cell death that was badly understood for many years. We now know that all living cells "signal" to surrounding cells.
Properly understood apoptosis is not a failure, it is the normal process keeps the living body healthy. Failure of the apoptosis process causes cancers.
Conversations occur between equals. In human groups, small talk so often labelled as unimportant, is a similar signaling system.
Groups have social rules for membership. Almost always unwritten, but clearly understood by all "members". People rarely break those rules.
The leaders of most countries, or companies and government departments, find the growth of online communities of practice and social networks very challenging.
They feel a strong urge to "control" what's happening. Or to forbid access altogether.
To do so is to shut down the "signaling system" so that only the signals of a few people are functional.
Communities of practice combine personal identity, community identity and personal learning.
Each group develops it's own set of generally agreed assumptions, it's own recommended practises, and it's own set of issues about which debate revolves.
A community of practice is capable of "group think", of becoming trapped by ways of thinking and behaving that become a barrier to innovation and new learning.

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