Today's marketplace is fueled by knowledge. Yet organizing systematically to leverage knowledge remains a challenge. Leading companies have discovered that technology is not enough, and that cultivating communities of practice is the keystone of an effective knowledge strategy. Communities of practice come together around common interests and expertise - whether they consist of first-line managers or customer service representatives, neurosurgeons or software programmers, city managers or home-improvement amateurs. They create, share, and apply knowledge within and across the boundaries of teams, business units, and even entire companies - providing a concrete path toward creating a true knowledge organization.In "Cultivating Communities of Practice", Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder argue that while communities form naturally, organizations need to become more proactive and systematic about developing and integrating them into their strategy. This book provides practical models and methods for stewarding these communities to reach their full potential - without squelching the inner drive that makes them so valuable. Through in-depth cases from firms such as DaimlerChrysler, McKinsey & Company, Shell, and the World Bank, the authors demonstrate how communities of practice can be leveraged to drive overall company strategy, generate new business opportunities, tie personal development to corporate goals, transfer best practices, and recruit and retain top talent. They define the unique features of these communities and outline principles for nurturing their essential elements.They provide guidelines to support communities of practice through their major stages of development, address the potential downsides of communities, and discuss the specific challenges of distributed communities. And they show how to recognize the value created by communities of practice and how to build a corporate knowledge strategy around them. Essential reading for any leader in today's knowledge economy, this is the definitive guide to developing communities of practice for the benefit-and long-term success-of organizations and the individuals who work in them. Etienne Wenger is a renowned expert and consultant on knowledge management and communities of practice in San Juan, California. Richard McDermott is a leading expert of organization and community development in Boulder, Colorado. William M. Snyder is a founding partner of Social Capital Group, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

埃蒂納·溫格是一位獨立谘詢師。研究學者。作傢和演講者。他是“實踐社團”研究的先鋒，目前已經成為該領域內全球公認的思想領袖。他在理論方麵做齣瞭眾多的成就，在實踐中也幫助瞭許多企業培養實踐社團。

理查德·麥剋德馬是麥剋德馬谘詢公司的總裁，近20年來一直緻力於設計實踐社團。他積纍瞭豐富的設計公司社團活動的經驗，並親自參與瞭多個實踐社團的啓動與運行。

威廉姆M．施奈德在組織發展領域已有將近20年的谘詢經驗，曾在麥肯锡公司從事戰略性知識創造活動的研究，並與美國政府改革閤作組一起，針對傢庭衛生、公共安全和勞動力發展等社會問題發起瞭幾個全國性的實踐社團。