A Study of the Skill-Transfer System in the Institution of “Municipal Meisters”: The Perspective of “Communities of Practice”

Abstract

This paper investigates the skill-transfer system in the context of the “municipal meister.”The institution of municipal meisters was established by a public organization; the aim is to facilitate the transfer of skill among highly skilled technicians and craftsman, with the goal of authorizing them. On the assumption that this institution would eventually develop “communities of practice,”we discuss whether this is an effective system for the transfer of skill.

In this study, 12 cases of the municipal meister system were investigated, and we analyzed the characteristics of the active cases. The result revealed that non-active cases did not evolve into developing communities of practice. In particular, some meisters entirely lacked opportunities to communicate between them. In contrast, some active cases encouraged communication between the meisters as well as between them and society. Additionally, in these cases, positive actions geared toward skill transfer were observed. The active cases manifested some features of communities of practice, which we considered to be the criteria of success.

Finally, we discuss the success factors of municipal meisters in developing communities of practice, and suggest some theoretical and practical implications.