Communities of practice chapter1

"Time is money".This saying fitted best the Chrysler Corporation back in 1988.
  The company was wasting too much time for developing a new product,thus they wasted money also.Something had to be done.By going against the grain and coming up with an innovative idea, the company  had both to win but also to lose.Communication between the employees was required,thus some members of the staff came up with a revolutionary concept:creating Tech Clubs,nowadays also known as communities of practice.The idea was an instant success and shortly after, companies from all over the world adopted this new "trend".
  But what exactly are the communities of practice?-they are groups of people from a certain company that share the same concerns,passions or set of problems.
  The communities are important because they enable people to interact,to learn and to experience different situations,thus creating an invisible network of information and ideas.
The "engine" of these communities is represented by knowledge.Knowledge empowers communities and helps them grow and develop in an harmonious way.Hence communities of practice can cover many fields and can be efficient and productive for the company.They offer both short and long term value,as well as tangible and intangible "benefits".
Communities of practice provide value through their ability to develop new strategies and through their contribution to the formulation of new techniques.They also provide different approaches towards the same goals.
Nevertheless the most important thing they offer is interaction between people with innovative ideas and precious knowledge;they deliver value to their members as well as to the organization.