Imitating CoPs: Imposing formality on informality

The aim of this article is to explore the claim that c ommunities of p ractice ( CoP s) can be designed and managed. The concept of CoP s was originally developed as a social learning theory, and CoP s were defined by their informal emergent nature. This informal nature has been recognized to be of value to organizations, resulting in a desire to design CoP s. In this article, the nature of CoP s is addressed by focusing on aspects of formality and informality in relationships and learning; CoP s are described as emergent and designed practices. Furthermore, it is questioned whether a designed CoP may realize the essential characteristics attributed to an emergent CoP . It is argued that it is crucial to recognize the informal nature of CoP s in order to either encourage them as informal phenomena or to use the concept of CoP s as inspiration for designing imitations of them. However, when attempting to design them, the original meaning of a CoP is lost, even though, in some cases, the consequences of such a design may be beneficial to organizations. Nevertheless, when not taking the nature of a CoP into account, a designed construct may have a negative impact on learning and knowing.