Communities of Practice as Vibrant Sources of Knowledge and Innovation within a Rigid Public Hierarchy

1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-3-658-36534-9
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 135 Seiten, Book, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 212 g

Reihe: Forschungs-/Entwicklungs-/Innovations-Management

The concept of Communities of Practice is nowadays ‘common parlance’ in the private and public sector. However, research concerning the potential and benefits of CoPs embedded in public organizations lacks behind. Consequently, it still remains vague whether informal CoPs are able to unfold their widely recognized potential in terms of knowledge creation and dissemination within the context of the public sector. To shed light on this issue, the author employs the German Federal Armed Forces as a research setting since it is an outstanding example for a supremely hierarchical public organization showing a high degree of formalization in structure and processes. The research at hand particularly focuses the entanglement of the formal organization with the informal CoPs. More specifically, the author was inspired by the interest in exploring which role these informal entities play in regard to the development of knowledge and innovations, thereby, possibly fostering the organizational knowledge management as well as the adaptability of a supremely hierarchical public organization.
About the authorAndré Kreutzmann  prepared the dissertation at hand at the Institute of Technology and Innovation Management at the Helmut-Schmidt-University. As a member of a research project commissioned by the German Ministry of Defense, he investigated the potential of Communities of Practice in terms of knowledge management, innovation development, and organizational adaptation.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kreutzmann, André

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Management Wissensmanagement
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Management Forschung & Entwicklung (F&E), Innovation
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Betriebswirtschaft Betriebswirtschaft: Theorie & Allgemeines

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction.- Theoretical Background.- Research Design and Methodology.- Case Descriptions of the studied Communities of Practice.- CoPs as Enabler of Organizational Knowledge Creation.- CoPs as Loci of Collective Lead Userness.- CoPs as an Enhancement of Organizations’ Innovative Capability.- Summary and Conclusions.- References.

Über Autor(innen)

About the authorAndré Kreutzmann  prepared the dissertation at hand at the Institute of Technology and Innovation Management at the Helmut-Schmidt-University. As a member of a research project commissioned by the German Ministry of Defense, he investigated the potential of Communities of Practice in terms of knowledge management, innovation development, and organizational adaptation.