Limits to Communities of Practice

TLDR

The paper begins with a brief description of the communities of practice approach. The paper critically explores the communities of practice approach to managing knowledge among management academics and practitioners, aiming to identify its limits in knowledge management. The authors review critiques of the approach in management literature and elaborate on additional challenges. The paper discusses the limits of communities of practice and draws brief conclusions.

Abstract

abstract The purpose of this paper is to critically explore the communities of practice approach to managing knowledge and its use among management academics and practitioners in recent years. In so doing, the aim is to identify the limits of the approach in the field of knowledge management. The paper begins with a brief description of the communities of practice approach. This is followed by a review of critiques of the approach evident in the management literature. A number of further challenges are then elaborated. The limits of communities of practice are subsequently discussed and brief conclusions drawn.