Life though, is not just application and today s knowledge worker is not just an engine in a car. Learning is an integral part of life itself, and the lessons come not only from individual experience, but from the experience of others, transmitted through relationships and networks of social interactions, and reinforced by a sense of membership in the group that affirms and guides what any participant knows. Learning is an often unseen, but nonetheless powerful byproduct or in some cases driver of a group s social life. Likely such lessons were very much more powerful than if you had been told to read about them in a book or sit through a class. In the new economy, learning architects are embracing the natural designs of group learning experience and translating those designs to new organizational cultures and approaches.
Examples abound of community-based learning.
A critical dimension of such communities is the shared practice of the members people working with their hands, minds, and intuitions on the same discipline or set of problems. Moreover, the practice communities of these enterprises have become, in all cases, either a central or very strong component of the overall learning-organization strategy. A more detailed look at one case DaimlerChrysler illustrates the power of good social design. In an effort to increase performance by reducing cycle time, the division unintentionally reduced functional competence in components because the change in organizational structure brought about a change in social context. Tech clubs are organized to maintain deep expertise in specific functional areas across car platforms, such as brake design, seats, or windshield wipers.