SOCIAL ADAPTABILITY OF COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE CASE STUDIES: A review of indicators and developments for economic sustainability

Abstract

Complex Adaptive Systems have been of interest to academic observers for approximately 60 years as a specialised area within complexity. Whilst some attention has been given specifically to Social Complex Adaptive Systems (SCAS), this area is not as well understood, with less attention and focus on both the adaptability of communities within SCAS and how they establish sustainable communities. Using case studies and paying attention to Communities of Practice (CoP) this paper will investigate specifically the use of CoPs to enhance an understanding of organisational dynamics and economic indicators for sustainable community development.

This paper summarises some key elements regarding social complex systems and poses question for discussion; what are the fundamental relationship elements for socially adaptability of communities within social complex adaptive systems? To understand this question, elements from several case studies were highlighted and discussed, as a basis for identifying instances and their methodological approach that resulted in exposing interesting emergent properties that displayed through the following:

1.     A CoP developing sustainable areas of importance through mutual mixtures of interest and consensus on several levels, individual, group and external interaction with the group.

2.     Learning of the dynamics of interest and consensus interactive layers via a case of SME interacting with a larger organization for mutual sustainable business and economic development