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Characteristics of A Community of Practice (CoP)

©  Fred Nickols 2012 

Definition

Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of people in organizations that form to share what they know, to learn from one another regarding some aspects of their work and to provide a social context for that work.

Although the term "Community of Practice" is new, CoPs are not. Such groups have been around ever since people in organizations realized they could benefit from sharing their knowledge, insights, and experiences with others who have similar interests or goals.

One of the best-known examples of a CoP was formed by the copy machine repair technicians at Xerox Corporation. Through networking and sharing their experiences, particularly the problems they encountered and the solutions they devised, a core group of these technicians proved extremely effective in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of efforts to diagnose and repair Xerox customers’ copy machines. The impact on customer satisfaction and the business value to Xerox was invaluable. Yet, for the most part, this was a voluntary, informal gathering and sharing of expertise, not a "corporate program" (however, once the company realized the value of the knowledge being created by this CoP, steps were taken to support and enhance the efforts of the group).

CoPs Are NOT Teams or Task Forces

Communities of Practice (CoPs) should not be confused with teams or task forces. A task force ties to a specific assignment. Once that assignment is completed, the task force disbands. A team ties to some specific process or function. A team is structured so as to deal with the interdependencies of different roles in that function or process. In team, roles and tasks often vary; in a CoP they are generally the same.   Some additional distinctions are shown in the table below, which has been adapted from one appearing in an HBR article by Etienne Wenger (see the articles section on this site).

 

Group Types

Function

Basis of Membership 

Basis of Cohesion

Duration

Communities of Practice

Develop members' expertise and define their place or role in the community

Self selected

Commitment and identification with the expertise that forms the basis of the practice

As long as members have an interest in improving the practice and maintaining the community

Formal Work Teams

Perform the ongoing work that has been assigned to the team (e.g., produce and deliver a product or service)

Everyone who has been assigned to the team

Job/performance requirements and continuing, common goals

Until the work or the organization is reorganized

Project Teams and Task Forces

Accomplish a specific task or assignment, usually during a particular time frame

As assigned by the management

Project milestones and goals

Until the project or task has been completed

Informal Networks

Collect and share information of common interest

Reciprocal value and acceptance, that is, members obtain and provide information of value

Perceived value in belonging and participating

As long as people have a reason to connect and share information

 

The Concept of A "Practice"

A CoP is organized around a "practice."  Three characteristics or qualities define a "practice":

  1. Joint Enterprise. The members of a CoP are there to accomplish something on an ongoing basis; they have some kind of work in common and they see clearly the larger purpose of that work. They have a "mission."  In the simplest of terms, they are "up to something."

  2. Mutual Engagement. The members of a CoP interact with one another not just in the course of doing their work but to clarify that work, to define how it is done and even to change how it is done. Through this mutual engagement, members also establish their identities at work.

  3. Shared Repertoire. The members of a CoP have not just work in common but also methods, tools, techniques and even language, stories and behavior patterns.  There is a cultural context for the work.

What to Look For: Indicators of A Community of Practice

Two indicators stand out from all the rest and are listed immediately below:

  • People have a strong sense of identity tied to the community (e.g., as technicians, salespeople, researchers and so on).

  • The practice itself is not fully captured in formal procedures; people learn how to do what they do and become seen as competent (or not) in the course of doing it in concert with others.

Additional indicators follow:

  • Continuing mutual relationships – harmonious or conflicting (i.e., regular, work-related interactions, rough or smooth)

  • Shared ways of doing things together (i.e., common practices and beliefs about best practices)

  • A rapid flow of information between and among members (e.g., a really effective "grapevine")

  • Quick diffusion of innovation among members (e.g., rapid transfer of best practices)

  • Conversations come quickly to the point (i.e., no lengthy lead ins)

  • Problems are quickly framed (i.e., a common understanding of the milieu in which they all operate)

  • A fairly broad consensus among the members about who is "in" and who is "out"

  • A widespread and shared awareness of each others’ competencies, strengths, shortcomings and contributions

  • An ability, concentrated or distributed, to assess the effectiveness of actions taken and the utility of products produced

  • Common tools, methods, techniques and artifacts such as forms, job aids, etc.

  • Common stories, legends, lore, "inside" jokes, etc.

  • A shared, evolving language (e.g., special terms, jargon, "shortcuts" such as acronyms, etc.)

  • Behavior patterns that signify membership (e.g., gestures, postures, and even seating patterns in the cafeteria)

  • Perspectives reflected in language that suggest a common way of viewing the world (e.g., shared analogies, examples, explanations, etc.)

The Business Case for CoPs

Ultimately, all companies seek sustainable competitive advantage -- in processes as well as in products and services.   Many people see this as tied to a process of continuing innovation.  In turn, innovation depends on human qualities such as curiosity, insight, ideas and determination.  In the last analysis, innovation depends on people applying knowledge in ways that yield new solutions to old and new problems. 

Much of what people do in organizations occurs in the context of Communities of Practice. There is where best practices and innovations first emerge and where the solutions to shared problems are first identified. For this reason, many companies are determined to encourage, promote, and support CoPs, especially in areas, processes and functions where an edge in performance provides a competitive advantage (whether it be financial, operational or in the eyes of the customer).

It takes time for CoPs to emerge, to flourish and to become productive.   More important, they can't be mandated or managed in a heavy-handed way.   CoPs, then, are an investment in the organization's future, not a quick fix to be applied for the sake of short-term gain.  Most important, many will exist whether or not management chooses to encourage and support them; they are a natural part of organizational life.  And that means they require a minimal investment on the part of the organization.

The business case for CoPs is this: for a quite modest investment in terms of today's resources, organizations can reap huge rewards in terms of tomorrow's results.

 

NOTE:  Much of the material in this section has been adapted from Chapter 5 in Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity by Etienne Wenger.

 

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This page last updated on August 2, 2019