Knowledge Networks: Innovation Through Communities of Practice [Hardcover]

Paul Hildreth (Author), Chris Kimble (Author), Paul M. Hildreth (Other Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004

Text examines communities of practice from a practical, rather than academic, point of view; and provides a number of case studies, lessons learned, and sets of guidelines. Softcover, hardcover available. DLC: Knowledge management.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After 11 years teaching Modern Languages, Paul Hildreth returned to university studies and pursued a course in IT completing both an MSc and a DPhil and focusing his work in the field of Knowledge Management, specifically explore the emerging and fascinating field of Communities of Practice and their impact on knowledge management efforts. Having completed his DPhil, Paul now runs his own independent Knowledge Management and computer consultancies.

Chris Kimble is a lecturer in Information Systems in the Department of Computer Science at the University of York. Before moving to York, he was lecturer at the University of Newcastle's Business School, and a researcher for the Business School and Department of Computer Science at the University of Northumbria. His broad area of research is Knowledge Management. His areas of particular interest are Communities of Practice and the problems associated with supporting distributed working in a cross-cultural or trans-national context. He is the leader of Management and Information Systems Research group at York and a co-founder of the Northern Interest Group on Information Systems and Organisations (NISG). He has supervised a number of PhD students and has published over 40 articles in journals, conferences, reports and books. He is the academic contact for Knowledge Management for the WUN (Worldwide Universities Network) at the University of York and is a member of the editorial board of the journal Information Research.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: IGI Global (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591402700
• ISBN-13: 978-1591402701
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,106,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rich crop...Well harvested..., April 6, 2004

By 

Geoff Walker (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knowledge Networks: Innovation Through Communities of Practice (Hardcover)

The management of knowledge is a diverse field of study and within the field new crops of ideas are constantly emerging. One of the most resource-rich crops is that of community of practice. Sometimes generic, often hybrid and capable of being genetically-modified they have vast potential in supporting knowledge ecologies.

The agricultural metaphor lends itself well to the nurturing of knowledge. Of course, this is not the first time it has been used nor will it be the last. My own particular interest in the metaphor is how it not only lends itself to communities of practice but also to the process of learning.

For the last three years, I have been involved in teaching a module entitled "Knowledge Management" to students Mastering in Information and Library Management at a University in the North East of England. During those three years, communities of practice have emerged as a significant tool in understanding the creation, capture and transfer of knowledge within and between organizations.

The method of teaching involves lectures (theory-based) and seminars (case study-based) with the use of specific tasks to link the two areas.

This collection of papers is, perhaps, the single most useful text to emerge for teaching the concept of communities of practice, how they relate to managing knowledge within organizations and how they are cultivated and developed. It is abundant in well-researched and relevant commentary, which avoids the jargon of other works. The case studies are particularly useful to information management students trying to understand the relationship between information and knowledge management.

Congratulations to the editors for their conceptualization of the structure and identification of appropriate areas of content and to the individual authors for the quality of their contributions.