Knowledge creation/management and communities....

Image source: http://www.ewenger.com/

This is an informative, insightful interview conducted by CIO Insight with Etienne Wenger entitled Expert Voice: Etienne Wenger on Knowledge Management. I felt it, in part, addressed a couple of questions that arose in the Ning workshop Vickel and I facilitated with the Department of Management and Marketing this week on why one might cultivate communities between colleagues, learners, and a combination where appropriate.

The interview covers questions such as 'Who has used technology well to support a community?', 'Is there a risk of overmanaging communities?', and 'So the value of communities extends beyond the creation of knowledge?'.

The introduction to the interview reads:

"How is knowledge created? And what's the best way to put that knowledge to use? Those two questions have long been central to the work of Etienne Wenger, an independent researcher, consultant and author. The 49-year-old Wenger, a native of Switzerland, has spent his career spreading the concept of "communities of practice"—groups of people within organizations working together to create and apply knowledge."