Lessons Learned

In this final chapter we summarise briefly our journey from KM to our CoP and draw out lessons that can be learned from the issues that have arisen and the insights we have gained. We also consider what practical implications they might have.

A Look at Other CoPs

In this chapter we aim to take the issues that have been raised in the main study and explore them in the context of other CoPs. As we now have a much tighter focus, we do not have to spend so much time living with these CoPs but can use open-response structured interviews with key members of the CoPs. In these CoPs, the practice was not the work of the members but ran alongside their everyday work.

Going Virtual

Before meeting our CoP we take the opportunity to explore issues which may affect a CoP which needs to function in a distributed international environment.

What is Soft Knowledge?

In order to further inform the notion of soft knowledge, in this chapter we will explore three areas of literature with different views of how work is supported by knowledge: Distributed Cognition, Common Ground, and Communities of Practice. The different views show, to a greater or lesser degree, that the capture-codify-store approach is probably the wrong metaphor. The exploration of these views also indicates that the simple soft-hard distinction is not as simple as it appears.

Knowledge Management

In this chapter, we will explore the field of KM in order to set the context for the study. We will examine the tools and techniques for the management of knowledge from a historical perspective and also explore the issues for managing knowledge in a spatially distributed environment. We will see that there is a tension between different views of knowledge and, for the purposes of this book, we will regard knowledge as “soft” and “hard” as a working definition.

Living with the CoP-Stage One

This chapter describes Stage One of the case study, which is designed to obtain an inside view of how a distributed CoP works, how the softer aspects of knowledge are shared, and how participation is achieved. To start with we are introduced to the members of the community, and then we spend some time with them. Before we move to Stage Two, we take the opportunity to examine some issues that arise from this first stage.

Knowledge in the Modern Organisation

The case study features a distributed international Community of Practice (CoP). CoPs are currently playing a major role in Knowledge Management (KM), and as organisations need to operate in a global economy, CoPs are having to function more and more in distributed environments. This chapter provides a context and background for the study by exploring the need for organisations to capitalise on their knowledge.

Stage Two-Visiting the American Core

Chapter VI describes Stage Two of the case study. Here we participate in a visit made by the UK core of the CoP to visit its peers in the US. In Stage Two, we want to focus on the issues and insights gained from our time with the UK core. In particular, Stage One showed us the importance of relationships for sustaining a distributed CoP and the importance of a face-to-face element in the development of the relationships. In Stage Two, we can observe the face-to-face element between the cores. Stage One also showed us the importance of the development and use of a shared artefact in the form of the planning document. In Stage Two, we can follow the continued development and use of the planning document.