Week 6 - task 2 - CofP's

How is an organizational unit different to a CofP? As Wenger states "These 'communities of practice' are mostly informal and distinct from organizational units". I agree with this statement as when I think about what differences there are between the two, I see a CofP as a more informal, more social, group of people who have joined together being members of something which they all like and have a shared interest about and are working towards the same goals. Where as I see an organizational unit as more of a working kind of environment which is a lot more formal and people may be working towards different goals.
In other words I see organizational units as more of a business like practice, where as I see CofP's as more leisurely practices.
I feel that organizational units have the overall goal of having a positive outcome for the organization (the business) as a whole rather than for the individual people within the organization. Where as in comparison, I feel that CofP's are more concerned with the individuals and helping them achieve their own goals (which are usually shared goals) this I feel is because CofP's are more of a teacher and learner set up. For example, in a CofP such as a dance school that I have already mentioned, the instructors purpose is to teach the members dance routines so that they can achieve their goal. Where as in a business, the boss (who could be related to the teacher in a dance school), has the purpose of ensuring the work is done, rather than teaching the employees how to do their work.
The structures between the two practices are different. Organizational units have a much more pre-defined structure than CofP's. For example, the hierarchy within a business creates boundaries to members of staff who are not as high up in the hierarchy as say a supervisor and it would not be as easy for the general member of staff to go up to their boss and suggest something which they think would be better due to these boundaries. Where as in a CofP the boundaries as Wenger states are "more flexible than those of an organizational unit". For example, in the dance school I attended, the instructors were open to suggestions on improving the dance routines and we often had discussions as a group on how we could improve the routine.