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Community of Practice Behaviors and Individual Learning Outcomes

Group Decision and Negotiation volume 22, pages 617–639 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

The community of practice (CoP) concept has grown in popularity, yet remains under-studied. In particular, we have not developed a sufficient understanding of the individual outcomes associated with CoP engagement. This paper offers a fresh research model that identifies three practice-based concepts described in the CoP literature—shared repertoire, joint enterprise, and mutual engagement—and links them to individual learning outcomes. Survey measures are developed using a card sorting procedure, a research model is pilot tested using survey data collected from 53 graduate students in a large Canadian university, and then the model is field-tested using interview and survey data collected from 59 employees in a non-profit organization. The paper offers a new set of distinct CoP measures, and examines how they are associated with learning. A discussion of practical implications and future research directions is provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Derrick Neufeld & Zeying Wan

  2. Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Yulin Fang

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  1. Derrick Neufeld
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  2. Yulin Fang
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  3. Zeying Wan
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Correspondence to Derrick Neufeld.

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Neufeld, D., Fang, Y. & Wan, Z. Community of Practice Behaviors and Individual Learning Outcomes. Group Decis Negot 22, 617–639 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-012-9284-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-012-9284-8

Keywords

  • Community of practice
  • Learning
  • Multi-method research
  • Partial least squares (PLS) analysis
  • Field interviews