UNIFIED YET SEPARATED Empirical Study on the Impact of Hierarchical Positions within Communities of Learning

The active growth of available online learning programmes has created a wide range of new possibilities for global organizations to effectively train their staff. Previously, global training was related to substantial costs for organizations that had to be endured in order to update their knowledge and skills of the workforce. In this context, (virtual) Communities of Learning (CoL), defined as a group of people “engaging in collaborative learning and reflective practice involved in transformative learning” (Paloff & Pratt, 2003, p. 17), become increasingly interesting for international organizations, as they have the potential of aiding them in the process of workplace practice and training. This article highlights how CoL for 174 staff, from 81 offices worldwide, of a large international organization (IO) has been developed and implemented by facilitating the collaborative exchange of knowledge and experiences. Based on the participants’ perceptions, several key insights will be provided that should be taken into account when engaging into CoL initiatives. 1 The chapter is based on Rehm, M. (2009). Unified in Learning – Separated by Space: Case Study on a Global Learning Programme. Industry and Higher Education, 23(4).