2. Definition of CoP
“Communities of practice are groups of people who share a
concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do
it better as they interact regularly.“ (Wenger) 2
Communities of Practice
“A Community of practice is a group of professionals informally
bound to one another through exposure to a common class of
problems, common pursuit of solutions, and thereby themselves
embodying a store of knowledge” (Manville and Foote 1996)
3. Domain, Community, and Practice
Characteristics and Benefits of CoP‘s
Characteristics
• Domain, Community, Practice
• Generally doesn’t pursuit one single, specific Goal, but many related goals
• Often organically created, with as many objectives as members of that community.
• CoP membership changes and members may take on new roles within the community as
interests and needs arise.
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• Can exist as long as the members believe they have something to contribute to it, or gain
from it.
Communities of Practice
• Participation is not appropriate for non-practitioners.
Benefits
• Decrease the learning curve of new employees
• Responde more rapidly to customer needs and inquiries
• Reduce rework and prevent "reinvention of the wheel"
• Spawn and spread new ideas for products and services
• Generally: build "social capital"
• Lean: Empower Team, Amplify Learning
4. Types of Communities (see Cohn 2010)
Level of Organizational Formality and Visibility
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Communities of Practice
Unrecognized Bootlegged Legitimized Supported Institutionalized
5. Domain, Community, and Practice
Creating and Cultivating CoPs
Creating CoP‘s
• Most effective type of CoP seems to form organically
• --> create an environment in which CoP can form and florish and then fade away
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Communities of Practice
7 principles for creating CoP-friendly environment
• Design for evolution
• Open a dialogue between inside and outside participants
• Invite different levels of participation
• Have both public and private events
• Focus on value
• Combine familiarity with excitement
• Create a rhythm for the community
