Communities of Practice

This chapter examines the deployment of the community of practice framework in language and the workplace research. Past research is critically reviewed to explore the fruitfulness of positioning aggregates of co-workers in this way. During its earliest applications it became obvious that it can be a powerful theoretical model for examining both the actions of workplace participants and the social structures that they reproduce and resist. Building on such insight, the author recommends that a nuanced and layered understanding of “communities” or “groups” and their practices can further enrich research in language and the workplace as the field moves forward.