Insurance Agencies’ Organizational Learning in a Turbulent Time:  A Community                         of Practice Perspective

Wen-Bing Gau, Chen-Hao Wen 
(Department of Adult and Continuing Education, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan)

Abstract: In a turbulent time, communities of practice (CoPs) have become an important mechanism to develop organizational learning. Because of the rapid changes of global market and population structure, organizations in the private sector keep examining their leaning processes to adjust themselves to different challenges. However, few studies try to illuminate the relations between CoPs and the rapid change of the workplace. In order to understand how CoPs in a turbulent time facilitate organizational learning, the research is supported by qualitative research processes associated with the development of CoPs theories. Using multiple case study approach, 4 insurance agencies in Taiwan have been visited, while 16 interviewees including managers, senior specialists and junior specialists were recruited. In order to probe interviewees’ insights, the researchers used the semi-structured interview and observation techniques to collect data. The findings suggest that CoPs within the context of organization will develop particular interactions based on 3 factors, including mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire, to foster the organizational learning to enable the company to adjust itself to the changes derived from external environment. The researchers also try to explain why the 3 factors can work as a whole and why the individual and team learning within the organization are influenced by the factors

Key words: communities of practice (CoPs); organizational learning; insurance agency; turbulent time