Communities of Practice
When I was growing up, helping the community and being active in my community was of key importance in my household. Even if my siblings and I weren’t up for being involved, it was and still is my Mom’s duty to be a community promoter. Literally. Like a mafia boss, she has connections. She cannot avoid connections because it is her jobs to promote and make connections in our hometown. My mom is the director of our city’s Chamber of Commerce. Everyday people, businesses and community leaders are contacting my mom to get and share information about what is going on in our community. She plans dinners, writes newsletters, promotes events, plans events, helps businesses, and shares information with people from many different states.
When I read the definition of Communities of Practice, I thought of my Mom and her career. “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly,” (Wenger, 2006). Businesses that are members of Chamber of Commerce regularly share information at monthly meetings and through newsletters. Often times new and old businesses want to share the great things they are doing. Just like how a community of practice shares passion for something they do, business members in a Chamber of Commerce share their passion of their business. Also, a Community of Practice and a Chamber of Commerce both seek input from others, they seek new ways to communicate and they share strategies. In my mind my Mom’s career is an excellent example of a community of practice.
Even though my Mom’s job is very involved, it does have its limitations. “Most connections in the real world are hidden. Your network may have huge potential, but it’s only as valuable as the people and the connections that you can see,” (Leelefever, 2007). The business member who attend monthly meetings and the planned events see to have better connections among their business compared to the Chamber members who don’t attend meetings and events as regularly. So what could help the people who cannot attend these meetings? Social networks. Social networks are changing the way people interact. Social networks are allowing others to see contacts with others more easily and are showing the connections between others that may be hidden by things like distance and/or scheduling conflicts.
Resources
Leelefever. (2007, June). Social networking in plain English. Retrieved on September
18, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc
Wenger, E. (2006, June). Communities of practice: a brief introduction. Retrieved on
September 18, 2009 from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
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