What is a Community of Practice?
This article is based on a Literature Scan by Researcher Sarah Mckay that was completed as part of the initial stages of the Youth Development Champions Project.
A Community of Practice can take on many shapes and structures. Still, at its core, it is a group of interested people working together to develop and grow around a central concept or idea. Relationships are a large part of a successful Community of Practice. Time should be spent cultivating these relationships to grow trust and connections, as ultimately, this will grow and improve practice and outcomes. Read more about the benefits, challenges and keys to a successful Community of Practice below.
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The Benefits of a Community of Practice
Driving sector or organisational strategy
Generating new opportunities for working together in partnership
Promoting the spread of best practice
Develop people’s professional skills
Helping organisations and the sector to recruit people to the sector and retain people
Key aspects of a Community of Practice
The Community has 3 integral components: participation and identity formation as part of the group impacts on the development of practice
It is not a community of interest. Members develop practice through sharing resources such as experiences, stories, tools, and ways of addressing recurring problems: its shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction.
It is not an unstructured group. It is important that the Community is intentional over time - but not controlling, top-down or directive.
The development of the group is intentional, alongside recognising and valuing the organic, spontaneous, and informal nature of a Community of Practice
Self-selected membership is important – people choose to take part and how they participate.
Leadership is important.
There is room for leadership to emerge within the group. The group sets its own agendas and establishes its own leadership.
The Community is primarily relational – opportunities to develop relationships in the group are actively encouraged and intentionally fostered.
Relationships fostered are based on trust and mutual obligations, creating a common language and context.
Informal learning is as important as formal learning.
The group is relatively open with porous boundaries -newcomers are encouraged to participate, and group learnings/resources can be widely shared.
It’s very important to articulate and actively promote: the Communities purpose and values.
Diversity is valued - the space can and should include different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds.
It is important to consider how new members are orientated to the Community to ensure its purpose and values continue to be communicated.
Key Challenges
To keep the group alive and self-perpetuating and productive.
A potential issue is an assumption that there are shared understandings in the group about its purpose and core values, when there may not be
What supports the development of a Community of Practice?
Define its domain – for people to feel connected to it – they need to feel personally connected to the Community's area of expertise and interest.
Adequate planning and establishment of processes, clear communication and time and resources must be invested in establishing and maintaining the group.
Have external groups/ key stakeholders who champion the Community. They don’t prescribe activities or outcomes but champion the process. Groups such as these can also provide resources and coordination.
The nature of engagement = it must be engaging.
Develop a shared repository of knowledge to support learning and participation. This creates a sense of shared trust and mutual obligation. Successful repositories incorporate some form of human moderation.
Allow time and space for relationship building.
The willingness of individuals to share knowledge takes time and trust.
People need opportunities to interact with each other – community building process.
Develop a common sense of the value of sharing knowledge.
It’s important to establish healthy group norms that reflect the group’s values
Consider confidentiality and sharing personal/ organisational stories appropriately and safely. Reinforce this over time.
Create a culture where asking questions and exploring topics and problems is okay.
Respect and values such as an ethic of care and diversity.
Different forms of participation are valued and reflect the various ways individuals negotiate their engagement with the Community.
A practice-based and a developmental, ‘real-world’ focus is important
The literature says that it’s important to explore practice-specific questions that address real issues that practitioners are engaging with, to ensure that practical rather than just theoretical discussion and learning takes place.
Solutions developed do not have to be ‘the answer’. Finding ways to contribute positively to issues rather than ‘solving them’ is beneficial. It’s developmental. Adapting solutions and knowledge to different contexts is seen as valuable.
Ideas do not have to be fully formed before people bring them to the group. They do not necessarily have to be resolved. Being a sounding board for people is valued.
References
Boud, D., & Middleton, H. (2003). Learning from others at work: communities of practice and informal learning. Journal of workplace learning, 15(5), 194-202.
Handley, K., Sturdy, A., Fincham, R., & Clark, T. (2006). Within and beyond communities of practice: Making sense of learning through participation, identity and practice. Journal of management studies, 43(3), 641-653.
Lesser, E. L., & Storck, J. (2001). Communities of practice and organizational performance. IBM systems journal, 40(4), 831-841
Mitra, D. L. (2008). Balancing power in communities of practice: An examination of increasing student voice through school-based youth–adult partnerships. Journal of Educational Change, 9(3), 221.
Wenger, E. (2011). Communities of practice: A brief introduction.
Wenger, E. C., & Snyder, W. M. (2000). Communities of practice: The organizational frontier. Harvard business review, 78(1), 139-146.
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