Re: Intro -- Fides Matzdorf LO3724

Christopher Lowenberg (tcecosue@astro.ocis.temple.edu)
Wed, 15 Nov 1995 07:19:52 -0500 (EST)

Replying to LO3711 --

A new innovation in learning in the workplace and capturing that learning
for colleagues is described an article about "Eureka", a relational
database of hypertext documents developed by PARC with Rank Xerox in
France. It is described in "After Reengineering" by John Seely Brown and
Estee Solomon Gray article called "The People are The Company" in a new
magazine in the USA called "Fast Company", premier issue published in
October '95 p.78. They say they noticed the Xerox sales reps hanging
around with each other, swapping stories of insights, problems solved for
customers--all this a social activity among the sales reps. They suggest
that "learning is less about absorbing information than it is about
becoming part of a community". Anyway, they say this Eureka system
"operates as a free-flowing knowledge democracy, much like the natural,
informal collaborations among tech reps". So, the sales and Tech reps all
share in this. The authors describe this as "communities of practice
emerge".

Sound interesting?

Certainly it is to me in my doctoral study at Temple University in how
groups develop and interact in the workplace. I assist people in the
workplace to be engaged in changing their organization and practices to
fit changing markets. I aI

I'm interested to know more of your work.

--
Chris Lowenberg
Christopher Lowenberg <tcecosue@astro.ocis.temple.edu>