Students in this course explore knowledge management, the form and function of communities of practice, their value for organizational culture, as well as techniques such as knowledge mapping, collaboration, and innovation to prepare them to participate in productive learning communities.
Students both consume and contribute to the domain knowledge in their field. This course prepares students for meaningful participation in communities of practices, active knowledge management, and interactions across organizations and cultures.
As the global economy becomes increasingly knowledged-based, communities of practice play a vital role in extending the competitive advantage of corporations, nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, and educational institutions through knowledge sharing, organizational learning, and innovation.
Communities of practice reinforce the biblical principle of community and the benefits gained from participants sharing knowledge, experience, skills and learning from one another.
Communities of practice enable collective knowledge sharing, developmental participation, and innovative problem solving to enhance organizational effectiveness.
Students discover how to actively participate in knowledge networks within their respective work or ministry environment.
A focus on domain knowledge allows communities of practice to operate inter-organizationally and cross-culturally. Collectivistic cultural dimensions inform their implementation.
Members of a community of practice are active practitioners within a domain of knowledge. Students engage in knowledge management and organizational learning in both virtual and face-to-face contexts.
Students engage in communities of practice and knowledge management through networking experiences, case studies, knowledge mapping, analyzing cultural values, and developing a CoP proposal for their chosen domain.
