Degenerative structures that inhibit the emergence of communities of practice: a case study of knowledge management in the British Council

This paper presents the British Council's knowledge management strategy. It outlines how, as part of this strategy, the organization attempted to engender communities of practice among a strategically significant group spread across the 110 countries in which the organization operates. Using a case study of this group, the paper explores 'degenerative structures' that impact on the ability to engender communities of practice and, through consideration of issues of individualization and risk, highlights a series of paradoxes that inhibited this organization's attempt to move from a 'hub-and-spoke' structure to become a networked organization in which communities of practice flourish.