Communities of practice: the cock and the jewel

I have added CoP to my delicious inbox and get some new resources through that channel. Like a page with CoP documents including a NAVSEA CoP guide
In the guide I found the following story which is illustrative of the way information has to suit needs of individuals and does not have universal value:

The Cock and the Jewel
A Cock, scratching for food for himself and his hens,
found a precious stone and exclaimed: "If your owner had found thee, and not I,
he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have
found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the
jewels in the world."