The Role of Communities of Practice in the Operationalization of Relational Learning in Organizations

This chapter introduces the concept of communities of practice (CoPs) as a locus of organizational learning. First, the concept of CoPs is discussed in detail, both its conceptualization in organizational theory and empirical studies of CoPs in organizations. These discussions aim to highlight the conceptual similarities with the transcultural learning model (TLM) discussed in the previous chapter (these similarities include a focus on what connects the parts in a learning process and a call to focus on learning beyond the intra-organizational context), as well as some conceptual changes for the application of CoPs for operationalizing relational learning as a relational governance. The conceptual changes primarily concern the nature of the organization. While in the CoP literature the organization is a constellation of practices, here the organization is conceptualized as a nexus of stakeholder resources and interests. CoPs can contribute to the operationalization of organizational learning as relational governance insofar as they provide the locus for relationalizing multiple rationalities of stakeholders investing resources and interests in organizational transactions. These elaborations lay the foundations for the integration of CoPs into the TLM: the complete model for operationalizing organizational learning as conceived in this book. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the assessment of the success of organizational learning. Using the firm as an example, the difference between the relational costs of implementing organizational learning as relational governance and the cooperation rents generated by learning processes is used as a variable. Both variables, especially cooperation rents, involve intangibles that make them difficult to measure with traditional accounting tools. Qualitative metrics, such as story-telling, and additional accounting mechanisms, such as the shared value statement, are discussed as possible methods for measuring the variables and thus assessing organizational learning.