The interpretation of the project team between collectivity of practice and community of practice

Abstract

In recent years managerial studies have dealt quite extensively with the organizational issues of project teams. In particular the analysis have focused on the interpretation of the social dimensions in such settings. Two different research perspectives have emerged, concerning the relationship between project team and Community of Practice (CoP). One, departing from Wenger’s theoretical considerations, defines the two concepts clearly by excluding the possibility that the project teams may also be figured out as communities of practice (Wenger, 2000; Lindkvist, 2005). In the second research perspective the contributions made by the Scandinavian School of Project Studies (Bragd, 2003) are included, whereby the possibility is claimed that once having satisfied certain conditions for functioning, the project teams also assume the form of communities of practice. This paper proposes an analysis of the possible interpretations of the concept of project team in the light of the theoretical perspectives indicated above.