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.
Members meet regularly to discuss questions in their product development areas.
Clubs analyze variations in practice, set standards, and recommend vendor selections and specifications. New engineers rely on attendance in tech club meetings as a means to get up to speed more quickly, to build a professional network, and generally to find their sense of identity as product-development engineers. These tech clubs differ from typical formal functional structures because community-nominated chairpersons lead them and much of their work is done on a voluntary basis. Communities of practice are groups of people who share expertise and passion about a topic and interact on an ongoing basis to further their learning in this domain. Community of practice members typically solve problems, discuss insights, and share information.