ICT enhanced communities of practice: respecting and maintaining the duality between organizations and practices

Communities of practice (CoPs) are increasingly recognised as an important mechanism through which goods are created. Current conceptualisations of CoPs don’t, however, acknowledge adequately the inherent tensions between practices and the organisations within which they function. This failure leads to an inadequate understanding of ways in which organisations should interact with relevant CoPs. It is assumed in these conceptualisations that CoPs can be managed, like any other asset, in the process of creating benefit for the organisation. This paper draws on MacIntyre’s understanding of practices and institutions and on Lave & Wenger’s notion of CoPs. The paper argues that the relation between organisations and practices can best be described as a duality. The concept of duality signifies a relation characterised by both mutual dependence and inherent incompatibility. CoPs need organisations to sustain them and organisations need CoPs to create value. Their incompatibility relates to their divergent natures and goals. The best benefit for organisations is gained when attempts are not made to neutralise this duality, but to learn how to work with it. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) should be developed and employed in such a way that this duality is respected and maintained. Dirk Postma ICT enhanced Communities of Practice