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The purpose of this paper is to explore the premise that organizationally defined communities of practice can be a valuable strategic learning tool for management.

It is a quantitative study in a single organization. The authors analyzed data from 1,082 employees using hierarchical (multi-level) linear modeling.

Management can support learning and influence engagement and identification by defining communities of practice and establishing goals, but this is not always successful. Engagement may be a short-term phenomenon, dependent significantly on the type of practice or project in which community members are allowed or decide, to participate. Identification, on the other hand, may need practices that support longer-term individual development aims allowing and supporting the achievement of personal ambition or competence.

Future studies of organizationally defined communities of practice could use established scales to measure leadership, engagement and identification.

When implementing this type of organizationally defined community of practice, attention to the types of practices or projects to which the employees can contribute seems to be most important.

The authors show that: the dynamics within communities of practice (CoP) designed by top management teams have an impact on CoP members’ identification and engagement; organizationally defined CoP may be part of a broader landscape of professional practice (LoP); engagement, objectives and practices, and not only identification and knowledgeability, are key to the dynamics of CoP and LoP; senior management’s leadership role in setting up successful CoP is equivocal.

Examines the process of managerial learning in a relatively remote rural small‐sized firm. Relational competences and organisational innovation are key to the capture, employment and creation of knowledge and learning within the firm. The case study organisation has created a virtual cluster of innovation, through their supply network, that reaches well beyond the traditional regional institutional support mechanisms. Through this network of relationships, they have enhanced their own learning, facilitated the learning of supplier firms and integrated knowledge to create opportunities for product innovation and development. The paper concludes that these learning experiences indicate policy implications for the support of learning in small firms. To overcome failings in traditional support systems, policy should be directed at the development and maintenance of learning networks. This informal and organisational specific approach to learning and development overcomes some of the barriers to managerial learning in SMEs, and is a method that will address the specific business needs of small firms.

This study sets out to examine management development activities within manufacturing SMEs, and their impact on performance. Unlike previous published studies that concentrate on formal training, this empirical analysis includes both formal and informal training. Performance is measured in terms of turnover, employee growth, and survival. It also includes consideration of the firm's context on both training approach and performance.

Survey responses from 198 manufacturing SMEs in the UK are analysed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and ANOVA.

Findings indicate that formal training is likely to be a targeted activity that contributes more significantly to performance than informal training. Also, the approach and influence of training are dependent on contingent factors. A model is proposed for a further detailed study of these contingent factors using a multivariate statistical analysis.

For SME managers, while they may prefer informal training approaches, they would benefit from seeking a formal training intervention that directly addresses their specific needs. For business support policy, support options need to be flexible enough to provide idiosyncratic solutions. Generic training solutions are not welcomed by SMEs, and are unlikely to provide significant performance benefits. A greater understanding is required of the variety of contingent variables that moderates the relationship between choices of training approach, and between training and performance.

Studies of entrepreneurial learning have shown a preference for learning from the business context and business relationships. Within this business context, larger organisations are focusing on their supply chains as a significant source of strategic advantage, impacting on the competences required by SMEs to meet expectations. Uses a supply chain competence map to investigate the level to which 39 manufacturing SMEs demonstrate the competences expected by suppliers. The research sample showed a high degree of external and supply chain orientation. Highlight the fact that, given the right support and a willingness to engage with the external business environment, supply chains offer an alternative development opportunity for SMEs. Moreover, it is a learning model that suits their preferred learning style. What is not clear is whether the customer organisations are willing, or able, to support that learning.

This empirical paper aims to show how communities of practice have been used as a tractable management tool to operationalize strategy in practice. The analysis shows how CoPs can be used in business to find traction in order to achieve strategic goals.

A two‐year longitudinal case study approach was adopted employing semi‐structured interviews, participant observations and document analysis for data collection. The findings were verified with the participants in the study during feedback events organised for that purpose.

The study provides in‐depth insights into the challenges of translating strategy into practice in complex work settings. In this case, uneven outcomes were attributed to three critical contributing factors: the leadership and governance structures, the meaningful ways in which members can participate and interact with others; and their identity and sense of belonging.

Although a single case study only provides indications of potential generalisations, it does give access to issues that cannot be identified without an in‐depth analysis.

The authors encourage executives to consider concepts of identity, participation and governance as useful heuristics for the analysis of practices of communities. Potential inconsistencies in community practices could have implications for the way strategy is translated into action.

Unlike most community of practice studies, which focus on the community aspect of the concept, this study analyses the practices of communities. In doing so, it adds value to our understanding of the forces that shape social interactions embedded in the implementation of strategy in practice.

This study aims to investigate the influence of a range of contingent factors that moderate the approaches to training in manufacturing SMEs.

The study is based on a regression analysis of data from a survey of 198 manufacturing SMEs.

The findings suggest that there will be times when formal training is appropriate for SMEs. Dependent on size, product, market and organizational structures, formal training will be both required and/or encouraged by SME management. The challenge will be to understand specific organizational conditions, and to target the right type of intervention at a particular small firm based on its specific characteristics and needs. This will require a deeper understanding of the context and issues facing a specific firm.

Because of the diversity of small firms' structures, product and market conditions and leadership and management approaches, generic support policies are unlikely to be effective. Research, management and policy instruments of training support will need to interact with, and be responsive to, the subtle distinctions of context that will moderate what is more appropriate, and more likely to be welcomed, in the small business sector. There does appear to be a demand for formal training in certain types of firms, but other learning initiatives will have to be supported where formal training is not appropriate or not welcome.

The empirical analysis and the tentative conceptual framework make an important contribution towards a demand‐led policy framework in the area of development and training support for SMEs.

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Whether learning is a job‐related necessity, or just a fun way to spend leisure time, it has to grab the attention. People need access to a wide variety of relational learning options. Alignment with organizational culture, goals, and processes needs to be integrated into the social learning opportunities in order for personal learning and development to impact organizational effectiveness.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.

The use of e‐learning in corporate universities enables access and broadens the curriculum. This paper assesses the use and implementation of e‐learning through case material, and explores some of the challenges and emerging concerns.

The paper reviews the corporate university concept and considers how an e‐learning pedagogy might contribute to its success. Three case reviews of e‐learning adoption within corporate universities in the UK are included.

The paper argues that if corporate universities do not incorporate both the pedagogical and learner preferences perspectives into their use of e‐learning, this will seriously devalue the training experience. It concludes that the advantages of an online pedagogy are not fully exploited due to limitations in technology and other strategic priorities. In addition, a number of lessons have been learned by the pioneers of corporate e‐learning, including the evolutionary nature of the programmes and the need to create “organisational readiness”.

Further research into the views of learners in this debate is necessary.

Provides evidence of the potential of e‐learning as a key learning and development strategy within corporate universities.