Abstract:
Drawing primarily from the literature in the fields of project management and
knowledge management the authors seek to critique the contribution that Communities
of Practice (CoP) could make to enhancing the process of knowledge transfer in a
construction setting. While, at face value, the CoP model offers several possibilities for
more effective transfer of learning within and between project environments,
applications of the CoP as a learning strategy may be subject to a range of constraints,
depending upon the type and complexity of the project. Issues of trust and security,
especially in contractually bound or politically sensitive project environments. the
diverse nature and inherent instability of project teams, special needs of SMEs and
distributed teams, all challenge accepted models of CoP. Bounded CoP, with restricted
membership, confined along organizational or discipline lines, might provide part of the
answer, but the rules of engagement would need to be carefully defined for optimal
exchange of information and learning to take place. However the bounded CoP is less
likely to produce the richer forms of learning that can occur when access is entirely free.
Transfer of learning from one project context to another remains a challenge for
organizations and for the industry as a whole.
