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6.1 What are communities?

The term community is used to define not just individuals with a common geographic location or communities of practice, but also a group of individuals who share a purpose built on social norms, values and expectations. Such communities may exist within the organisation (teams) or across organisations.

As the pace of change increases and certainty for individuals decreases, the corresponding commitment to actions by members of an organisation may decrease. Organisations that are undergoing a change process often reduce risk for individuals by building commitment and 'risk' support structures. Communities are one means of building internal networks between individuals that share meaning and shared visions (Janov, 1995). When discussing communities in this course we are specifically using the term in a management communication context.

The term community specifically defines commonality amongst participants and in the past the definition of community was relatively simple. With increasing mobility the term becomes less easy to define and in the electronic age where information and knowledge sharing is almost instantaneous around the globe, communities become not the holistic, geographically cohesive units they once were (Falk, 1997:4).

Sociology identifies that socially constructed realities are one way that individuals can find meaning within community structures. As we have established, individuals see the world through shared meanings-symbols and experiences-and use a common frame of reference to gain shared benefits and transfer knowledge. The values communities provide stimulates an interface between individual and collective interpretations of the world.

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