The downside of communities of practice-part1

Communities of practicehave their downsides.Even though they can "host"knowledge,ideas and innovation,they can also be the part of the problem.Communities can become an obstacle to learning,they are able to create boundaries to development and can likewise fail to live up to the challenge they present.

Single communities:what can go wrong?
Disorders in a community are generally of 2 kinds.The first one is clear:the community may not function well from various reasons,such as:a lack of communication or trust between members.In this case the practice remains stagnant.A failed community is worst than no community.
The other kind of disorder is more subtle,reflecting the human fragility of its members.Community disorders can be seen as an extreme version of a community's strength.A way in which disorders can be "fixed",is by identifying the element that is most affected:domain,community or practice.

Domain-"the pride of ownership can induce a fall".Too much enthusiasm for domain leads to excessive zealousness.Sometimes arrogance pops in and ruins the well being of a community.Imperialism can also lead to disorders as well as narcissism,marginality and factionalism.
TREATMENTS FOR DOMAIN DISORDERS:
-establish the legitimacy and strategic value of the domain;
-finding ways for the community to add value;
-including the communityin important decisions;


Community:too much of a good thing
Communities are formed of people who have different ideas,beliefs and so on.Thus cliques can be formed.As a result egalitarism is left out,creating dependence and disconnectedness.
TREATMENTS:
-involving new generations;
-connecting with other communities;

Practice:the liabilities of competence
An efficient practice,pays the price of going beyond communication with outsiders;
Documentism-"a single-minded focus documentation";communities fail to organize documents in order to be useful.A failure to development can have results as:amnesia(the opposite of documentism),dogmatism and mediocrity.
TREATMENTS:
-encourage members' involvement in different activities;
-initiating exciting new projects;