Cultivating communities of practice within not-for-profit organisations through the seeding of language

Abstract

There is limited research available that examines the effective management of high staff turnover in not-for-profit organisations. This paper draws on two distinct research studies to provide a conceptual understanding of how not-for-profit firms may be able to more effectively manage the issue of high staff turnover. Drawing on the framework of communities of practice, this paper asserts that language may be used to accelerate the development of mutuality within organisation teams. Such mutuality is a critical factor in the emergence of communities of practice, which have been linked to improved organisational performance. The paper highlights both the implications for practice and ways in which future research might extend this field.