Exploring the Potential of Communities of Practice for Learning and Collaboration in a Higher Education Context

Israel Sánchez-Cardona, José Sánchez-Lugo, Julia VŽlez-González
2012 Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences  
This paper examines the potential of communities of practice (CoP) as vehicles that promote learning and collaboration within organizations. Based on the idea that enhancing these capabilities will have an impact on organizational functioning, we present a qualitative study of five CoP in an educational setting. By analyzing eighteen interviews we identified learning and collaboration as the primary benefits of community activities. Learning included the promotion of formal and informal
more » ... es organized by community members. Collaboration was improved by establishing networks and professional alliances. The development of these benefits influenced the promotion of new practices. 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.385 fatcat:3zs2lc3hjjdirkygf3ozshkfuy