Communities of practice are social structures that enable the development of knowledge within organizations. They consist of three main components: a domain of knowledge that members share an interest in; a community of people who engage with that domain; and a shared practice developed through members' common work. Communities of practice go through typical life cycles that involve potential formation, coalescing around their domain, collective maturation, stewardship as they become established, and potential transformation or decline over time. Their design aims to stimulate active participation rather than rigidly control structure.

1. Communities of Practice: Social Structures for the Development of Knowledge France Henri, Ph. D. LICEF Research Center Télé-université Université du Québec à Montréal PALETTE’S Kick off Meeting Lausanne, March 13-15 2006

6. Types of Virtual Communities Community of Learners Intentionality and Goal Community of Practice Intelligent Community of Interest Community of Interest Various Types of Virtual Communities According to their Emerging Context Group Strenght of the Social Link Gathering

14. CoP Model: a Social Structure for Knowledge a very large community: subgroups develop local identities; members are very involved locally but they retain a sense of belonging to the larger community > 100 a large community: likely to split into subgroups (according to different topics or geographical areas) 50-100 a medium-sized community: favours numerous flexible relationships 15-50 an intimate community ~ 15 Communities: Populations of Various Sizes