Developing new Communities of Practice in Local Authorities in the UK: A casestudy of parainformatio

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Developing new Communities of Practice in Local
Authorities in the UK A case-study of
para-information professionals

• Paul Haslam, Head of Learning Technology
• Mike Hart, Professor of Business and
  Informatics
• King Alfreds, Winchester, UK
• Meg Hart (formerly) De Montfort University,
  Leicester

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Communities of practice

• display the following dimensions
• Domain domain of knowledge and
  understanding emerging
  from shared understandings
• Community regular social interactions
• Practice shared repertoire of tools,
  documents, routines, vocabulary, symbols
  and artefacts

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Location of communities of practice

• Communities of practice may be located within
  organisations but are organised horizontally in
  cross-cutting departments
• May be organised on cross-functional lines
  bringing together a variety of expertise
• May transcend normal organisational and
  departmental boundaries

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Knowledge Management

• is often characterised by
• Large multinational companies
• Striving to achieve competitive advantage
• KM is a specified policy objective designed to
  lever knowledge using e.g. Lotus Notes
• KM is often used as a control mechanism
• Workers have been recruited for their
  professional knowledge or expertise

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Hampshire County Council

• Population of 1.52 million
• GDP of 16.3 billion (equivalent to economy of
  whole of Northern Ireland)
• 20,000 full-time employees
• Hantsweb accesses Aug-Sept. 2002
• 5.1 million accesses 542,177 unique
  visits 169,660 unique hosts

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Information Services in Hampshire

• 4 dedicated information centres
• 100 Local Information Points (in Libraries,
  Social Services, Parish, Town and District
  Councils, Youth, Education)
• Up to 1000 para-information professionals in
  the Hampshire region of the UK with a need for
  education and continued professional development

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Certificate in Public Services Information
Management -1

• New certificate course designed by Hampshire
  County Council and King Alfreds College
• 4 themes represented
• Public administration
• Information Technology
• Public Services Information
• Quality Management and Customer Care

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Certificate in Public Services Information
Management-2

• Government emphasis upon joined-up government
  encourages information sharing
• Enhanced understanding of the Internet helps aid
  the intention to have all government services
  on-line by 2005
• Course members share knowledge and expertise

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Implications for the development of a new
Community of Practice

• Educational establishments are in a favoured
  position to exploit development of communities of
  practice as they provide more informal venues
• Communities of practice may not always assist in
  achieving institutional objectives and could be
  seen as anarchic or de-stabilising

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Emergent Knowledge rather than Knowledge
Management

• in this case study because
• Located in smaller, quasi-autonomous units
• Local authorities run on strictly departmental
  lines
• Success is measured by achieving central
  governments Best Value targets
• KM may not have been used in the past
• Workers are still in the process of
  professionalising

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Factors helping the development of a community of
practice

• Shared experience of intensive monitoring
  exercises (Best Value exercises)
• Adherence to a public service ethos
• A collaborative work effort
• The Colleges Virtual Learning Environment which
  helped in on-line discussions and sharing of good
  practice

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Conclusions

• Universities can assist in the nurturing of
  communities of practice
• Traditionally defined Knowledge Management theory
  may be too identified with securing competitive
  advantage in a commercial environment
• UK Government agenda is advancing an agenda
  quality services delivered through joined up
  government