“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.” *
Communities of practice are social learning environments. No one is the expert. Instead, we’re all learning and getting better together.
In a community, practitioners:
- Help each other solve problems
- Hear each others’ stories across contexts
- Reflect on their practice and improve it
- Build shared understanding
- Gain confidence
- Keep up with change
- Cooperate on innovation
- Explore the landscape
- Find a voice
- Gain strategic influence **
Through working together, a community helps establish a shared understanding of competence in their practice.
What is a community of practice not? It’s not a:
- Class or training -- We’re all co-learners.
- Cult or partisan political group -- We may act and think freely.
- Social/networking club -- We focus on doing our work better in tangible ways.
- Service -- Its value is what we collectively make it.
- Therapy -- Though it should engage your whole and authentic self.
* Beverly and Etienne Wegner-Trayner, “Introduction to Communities of Practice” http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/
** This list is from slides shared by Beverly and Etienne Wegner-Trayner during a workshop in Grass Valley, California, July 2018.