Define and Cultivate

I thought it might be important to at least provide a definition of Communities of Practice, and to highlight the suggestions for designing and developing an "alive" Community of Practice, from an accessible text on CoP's for organizational and community development--this is a good book to keep handy in the future:

Definition:

Communities of Practice are “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.” (p. 4, Cultivating Communities of Practice, by Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William Snyder, Harvard Business Press, 2002).

Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice*

• Design for Evolution
• Open a dialogue between inside and outside perspectives
• Invite different levels of participation
• Develop both public and private community spaces
• Focus on value
• Combine Familiarity and excitement
• Create a rhythm for the community (I love that one!!)

*(p. 51, Cultivating Communities of Practice, by Etienne Wenger, Richard McDermott, and William Snyder, Harvard Business Press, 2002).