Communities of Practice: Critical Perspectives
Communities of practice has become an increasingly influential model of learning, organization and creativity, and is informing current debates about learning processes, managerial control of organizational knowledge, and general and vocational education. This benchmark text provides an accessible yet critical introduction to the theory and application of communities of practice and their use in a diverse range of managerial and professional contexts, from education to human resource development.The book charts the development of the idea of communities of practice and explores the key relationship between learning and identity among: newcomers and ‘old timers’; male and female workers; the low skilled and the high skilled professionals and managers; and adults and adolescents. Drawing on international empirical studies and adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, this book is useful reading for all students, researchers, practitioners and policy makers with an interest in work, employment, labour markets, learning, training or education.