Wenger reading and tasks

I have been involved in many 'communities of practice', without really thinking about it in this manner. This includes things like football teams, Boys Brigade, Work and so on.

I will use my work with the Anglia Co-operartive Food Group as my example. I am employed by the group, have gained educational achievements with them, and have a network of friends as a result. In terms of what the group does, it is simply a foodstore which provides for the local community. The aim of all the 'commuity of practice' members is to serve this community around it in the best possible way. This includes being approachable and helpful, as well as being able to solve difficult problems. As Wenger states; "Members of a community are informally bound by what they do together- from engaging in lunchtime discussions to solving difficult problems- and by what they have learned through their mutual engagement in these actitvities."

We function as an organisation through working together and on specific departments to benefit the customers. This ranges from serving them, advising them are making goods available for sale. This close working relationship that the staff have, means there are many close working relationships as a result, which enhance the company further, and makes the job in hand run smoother.

Over time, this makes your personal skills with people and communication a great deal better, and problem solving skills are strengthened. The continuous routine of this kind of community may seem repetitive, but there tends to be new and exciting challenges within a set routine on a daily basis.

I think the main thing to remember about communities of practice is that they are better operated when working as a team, or as a community, but this is not always possible. In a comunity like the workplace, it is a requirement to work as a group, but individual skills and differences are sometimes needed, so that each individual skill is used most effectively. For example, in a working community like the example I have given, you need people who can handle finances, those who can manage others, those who can bake goods, and those with the necessary cleaning abilties, to name but a few. These skills are all needed to make 'communities of practice' work well and effectively survive.