Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design (Software Pattern Series)
Author: Alan Shalloway
Leverage the quality and productivity benefits of patterns - without the complexity! Design Patterns Explained, Second Edition is the field's simplest, clearest, most practical introduction to patterns. Using dozens of updated Java examples, it shows programmers and architects exactly how to use patterns to design, develop, and deliver software far more effectively.
What People Are Saying
James Noble
"...I would expect that readers with a basic understanding of object-oriented programming and design would find this book useful, before approaching design patterns completely. Design Patterns Explained complements the existing design patterns texts and may perform a very useful role, fitting between introductory texts such as UML Distilled and the more advanced patterns books."
Books about: Glorious French Food or Women of the Vine
Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge
Author: Etienne Wenger
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.
Practical, yet grounded in rich theory, Cultivating Communities of Practice is the definitive work on how to understand organizations from a community point of view.
Publishers Weekly
Among the myriad challenges managers in large corporations face today, one is becoming increasingly important: how to make the best use of the knowledge that a company's employees possess. The authors consultants all lift models from Xerox, DaimlerChrysler and the World Bank to show how to tap into the wisdom within, making this book helpful, in theory. Wenger, McDermott and Snyder spend much time explaining ways to organize, maintain and sustain communities of practice, which they define as groups that "share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and... deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis." Laying out a logical, step-by-step process for building one of these communities, the authors define specific roles for each member of the group. But senior managers looking, as the subtitle suggests, for "a guide to managing knowledge" may be disappointed in the scant space actually devoted to developing a system that captures and manages the learning that comes out of a "community of practice." Managers seeking the best way to obtain and use the knowledge coming out of these groups probably won't find it here. (Mar. 6) Forecast: Wenger is the biggest name in the theory of communities of practice, and those familiar with his work will want to add this book to their collection. Neophytes would do better with his 1998 primer, Communities of Practice. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Soundview Executive Book Summaries
A New Look at Old Ways of Managing Knowledge
What are "communities of practice"? The authors, each a seasoned organizational consultant and an expert on the subject, write that they are "groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis."
These informal groups can range from engineers who use a particular technology or tool and get together to discuss the fine points of their common focus, to groups of soccer moms and dads sharing parenting tips during a game. They are made up of people who do not necessarily work together every day, but they find their meetings informative and valuable. When the members of these communities are together, they share information, tips and insights, help each other solve problems, and discuss their common needs and concerns.
Communities of practice have a long history, and are a fundamental way for people to share their unique perspectives on their topics and bodies of common knowledge. During the Middle Ages, guilds served the same function for the artisans of Europe, and now they are everywhere and represent both visible groups and informal gatherings that occur when several like-minded individuals discuss their common concerns.
They are made up of core members as well as occasional participants, and the authors write that they should serve a central role in businesses. They also write that managers must face the challenge of helping them become intentional and systematic ways for organizations to manage knowledge.
Keeping Up With Changes
According to the authors, the key to successin a global knowledge economy is learning how to keep knowledge on the cutting edge, how to deploy it, and how to leverage it in operations and spread it throughout the organization. Considering how knowledge is becoming more complex every day, and the global nature of expanding knowledge markets, they write that organizations need communities of practice that are focused on critical areas to keep up with changes.
Communities of practice can contribute greatly to competitive advantage, global success and even the recruitment of new talent, because they recognize that knowledge is both social and individual. Appreciating the collective nature of knowledge is the job of management, and "conventional structures do not address knowledge-related problems as effectively as they do problems of performance and accountability." The authors write that communities of practice are the ideal social structure for "stewarding" knowledge, and managers can facilitate their effectiveness by assigning responsibility to the people who generate and share the knowledge they need, and cultivating these social forums that support the "living nature of knowledge."
Many Forms of Community
The authors write that communities of practice can consist of only a few specialists, or can consist of hundreds of people, but the larger ones might require subdivision by region or subtopic to encourage member participation. Some can exist for just a few years, and others, such as those that pass skills from generation to generation, have existed for centuries.
They can be spread over vast distances and communicate via e-mail, or they can be local and meet face-to-face regularly. They can be made up of people from the same discipline, or they can combine people with different backgrounds. Although their purposes can vary, they all share a basic structure that combines these three elements:
- A domain of knowledge: This creates common ground and a sense of common identity. A well-defined domain affirms a community's purpose and value to stakeholders.
- A community: This creates the social fabric of learning. Strong communities foster interaction and relationships that are based on mutual respect and trust.
- A practice: This is a set of frameworks, ideas, tools, information, styles and documents that community members share.
Why Soundview Likes This Book
The authors have created a practical guide for managers to help them understand, implement and cultivate this tool for increasing the productivity of knowledge workers. By explaining the conceptual foundations of communities of practice along with the art of developing them, they provide firm grounds on which managers can build them within their own organizations. Not only do they clearly present a solid case for moving the concept from theory to practice, but they also present ways for organizations to measure and manage communities of practice while maximizing their potential, within business, government, education and the wider community at large. Copyright (c) 2002 Soundview Executive Book Summaries
Soundview Executive Book Summaries
A New Look at Old Ways Of Managing Knowledge
What are "communities of practice"? The authors, each a seasoned organizational consultant and an expert on the subject, write that they are "groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis."
These informal groups can range from engineers who use a particular technology or tool and get together to discuss the fine points of their common focus, to groups of soccer moms and dads sharing parenting tips during a game. They are made up of people who do not necessarily work together every day, but they find their meetings informative and valuable. When the members of these communities are together, they share information, tips and insights, help each other solve problems, and discuss their common needs and concerns.
Communities of practice have a long history, and are a fundamental way for people to share their unique perspectives on their topics and bodies of common knowledge. During the Middle Ages, guilds served the same function for the artisans of Europe, and now they are everywhere and represent both visible groups and informal gatherings that occur when several like-minded individuals discuss their common concerns.
They are made up of core members as well as occasional participants, and the authors write that they should serve a central role in businesses. They also write that managers must face the challenge of helping them become intentional and systematic ways for organizations to manage knowledge.
Keeping Up With Changes
According to the authors, the key to success in a global knowledge economy is learning how to keep knowledge on the cutting edge, how to deploy it, and how to leverage it in operations and spread it throughout the organization. Considering how knowledge is becoming more complex every day, and the global nature of expanding knowledge markets, they write that organizations need communities of practice that are focused on critical areas to keep up with changes.
Communities of practice can contribute greatly to competitive advantage, global success and even the recruitment of new talent, because they recognize that knowledge is both social and individual. Appreciating the collective nature of knowledge is the job of management, and "conventional structures do not address knowledge-related problems as effectively as they do problems of performance and accountability." The authors write that communities of practice are the ideal social structure for "stewarding" knowledge, and managers can facilitate their effectiveness by assigning responsibility to the people who generate and share the knowledge they need, and cultivating these social forums that support the "living nature of knowledge."
Many Forms of Community
The authors write that communities of practice can consist of only a few specialists, or can consist of hundreds of people, but the larger ones might require subdivision by region or subtopic to encourage member participation. Some can exist for just a few years, and others, such as those that pass skills from generation to generation, have existed for centuries.
They can be spread over vast distances and communicate via e-mail, or they can be local and meet face-to-face regularly. They can be made up of people from the same discipline, or they can combine people with different backgrounds. Although their purposes can vary, they all share a basic structure that combines these three elements:
- A domain of knowledge: This creates common ground and a sense of common identity. A well-defined domain affirms a community's purpose and value to stakeholders.
- A community: This creates the social fabric of learning. Strong communities foster interaction and relationships that are based on mutual respect and trust.
- A practice: This is a set of frameworks, ideas, tools, information, styles and documents that community members share.
Table of Contents:
| Preface | ||
| 1 | Communities of Practice and Their Value to Organizations | 1 |
| 2 | Communities of Practice and Their Structural Elements | 23 |
| 3 | Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice | 49 |
| 4 | The Early Stages of Development: Planning and Launching Communities of Practice | 65 |
| 5 | The Mature Stages of Development: Growing and Sustaining Communities of Practice | 93 |
| 6 | The Challenge of Distributed Communities | 113 |
| 7 | The Downside of Communities of Practice | 139 |
| 8 | Measuring and Managing Value Creation | 161 |
| 9 | Community-Based Knowledge Initiatives | 187 |
| 10 | Reweaving the World: Communities beyond Organizations | 219 |
| Notes | 233 | |
| Bibliography | 261 | |
| Index | 275 | |
| About the Authors | 283 |
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