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Communities of practice as a national skills development strategy

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African society and economy are characterised by a duality - one is highly
developed and able to participate in the global KnowledgeEconomy; the other, largely focused
on subsistence with no access to the "infostructure" and opportunities of the Information Age.
At the root of this duality is the disparity in skills between the developed and developing
sectors of our society. Whileskills development is required in the developingsector along with
other measures to address the "digital divide", skills retention through the transfer and
sharing of knowledgeis required in the developed sector where various factors are causing a
flight of skills from South Africa. These disparate objectives further exacerbate the unequal
distribution of skills, knowledge, opportunities, and income and increase the chasm between
"the two economies", negating any participation by South Africa in the global Knowledge
Economy.
Communities of Practice, as a proven and mature knowledge management strategy, is
proposed as an appropriate method whereby skills development and knowledge transfer can
take place in South African organisations and it is proposed that the National Skills
DevelopmentStrategy recognises communities of practice as a core element.
Individual and organisational learning in terms of skills development and knowledge transfer
as well as the nature, support, structure, and value of communities of practice are
conceptualised and described to provide a broad understanding of and illustrate the
contribution that that communities could make to South Africa's ability to participate in the
KnowledgeEconomyand closing the divide between our "twoeconomies". / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: KENNISGEMEENSKAPPE AS 'N NASIONALE VAARDIGHElDS
ONTWIKKELING STRATEGIE
Die Suid Afrikaanse samelewing en ekonomie word gekenmerk deur 'n dualiteit - een sektor is
hoogs ontwikkel en neem deel aan die globale Kennis Ekonomie; die ander is hoofsaaklik
gefokus op oorlewing met geen toegang tot die inligting infrastruktuur van die Inligtings Era
nie. Die ongelykheid in vaardighede tussen die ontwikkelde en ontwikkelende gemeenskappe
is die kern van die genoemde dualisme. Die ontwikkelende sektor benodig dat die vaardighede
van die breë samelewing ontwikkel word ten einde hulle in staat te stel om deel te neem aan
die kennis samelewing. Aan die ander kant is daar 'n behoefte by die ontwikkelde sektor om
bestaande kennis oor te dra en te deel ten einde die aaneenlopende verlies aan kennis en
vaardighede te bekamp.
Kennisgemeenskappe as 'n bewese kennisbestuur strategie, word voorgestel as 'n gepaste
metode waardeur die ontwikkeling van vaardighede en die oordrag van kennis kan plaasvind
binne Suid Afrikaanse organisasies en dit word aanbeveel dat kennisgemeenskappe erken
word as 'n kern element van die Nasionale Vaardigheids Ontwikkeling Strategie.
Individuele en organisatoriese kennis inname/bestuur in terme van vaardigheidsontwikkeling
en kennis oordrag asook die aard, struktuur, ondersteuning en waarde van
kennisgemeenskappe word bespreek. Dit word gedoen ten einde 'n breë begrip daar te stel van
die aard en inhoud van, en die bydrae wat kennisgemeenskappe kan maak tot Suid Afrika se
deelname aan die Kennis Ekonomie te illustreer. Dit word gestel dat kennisgemeenskappe
kan bydra om die dispariteit tussen die twee ekonomieë in Suid Afrika aan te spreek.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/49887
Date03 1900
CreatorsVan Eeden, Quinton
ContributorsFouché, B., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science .
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format170 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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