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Communities of Practice Defined

One method of knowledge transfer available to agencies and universities is "Community of Practice" (CoP). According to Etienne Wenger, co-author of the terminology, "A community of practice is a group of people who share an interest in a domain of human endeavor and are engaged in a process of collective learning that creates bonds between them." (Supporting Communities of Practice: a Survey of Community-Oriented Technologies)

Essentially, a CoP is a group of individuals sharing a common working practice over a certain period of time, even though it is not formally a part of a work team. CoPs are not teams or workforces that are tied to some specific process or function. In a team, roles and tasks often vary; in a CoP they are generally the same. (Fred Nickols, 2000)

Benefits of Implementing a CoP

A CoP can cut across traditional organizational boundaries and enable individuals to quickly acquire needed knowledge. The members of a CoP can be from different divisions or even different agencies, as needed, who share a common interest or need to solve a common problem.

A CoP also allows a mechanism for cross-training or sharing knowledge throughout the organization or across several organizations where other methods are not generally available. Since CoPs frequently are not formal, they allow members to cooperatively solve problems of common interest which, in turn, leads the organization in knowledge transfer or sharing.

When to Implement a CoP

A CoP is especially useful for sharing knowledge between independent divisions or departments within an organization, and for sharing knowledge between different agencies and/or universities. It can be any size from a few employees up to a hundred or more employees depending on the needs of the organization.

Roles and Responsibilities

According to Fred Nickols, an expert in knowledge management, the following are characteristics and missions of a good CoP:

• Champion — normally is the chief organizer of events for the CoP. The champion stimulates the interest in the CoP and promotes the cause and contributions of the CoP. The champion also obtains official support when necessary, and is the communication liaison of the CoP to the formal organization when appropriate.
• Sponsor — can be the same person as the champion. A CoP sponsor believes in the value of knowledge sharing and promotes participation of community activities. The sponsor serves as the bridge between the CoP and the rest of the organization, and can remove barriers and obstacles and provide for funding if needed.
• Facilitator — focuses on communications between and among members of the CoP. The facilitator ensures that dissenting points of view are heard and understood, and keeps the group focused.
• Integrator — interfaces with other units of the organization or with other CoPs, connects emerging CoPs with potential champions/sponsors, coordinates information from CoP members to avoid duplications, and guarantees quality of information.
• Member — one of the people who make up a CoP. Members may hold similar positions, be connected because of their mutual interest in a business process or for other reasons.
• Practice Leader — the leader of the CoP. Leadership is based on competence, not rank or position. Practice leaders always emerge, as they cannot be appointed. Leadership in a CoP can shift as the issues and concerns change. A practice leader would coach new members and provide leadership in resolving problems, as well as identify emerging trends and patterns in CoP activities.

How Is a CoP Used?

The mission and outcome of all CoPs should include the following:

• Stimulating interaction that builds relationships
• Fostering learning and interest in processes, topics or methods
• Developing new knowledge
• Expanding existing knowledge
• Socializing new members
• Identifying and sharing best practices

A CoP can be centered around focal points such as:

• A profession such as law, research, etc.
• A work-related function or process
• A recurring, nagging problem
• A topic such as knowledge management

A CoP can be either informal or formal, and is a valuable vehicle for sharing tacit (implicit) knowledge. The first step in forming a CoP is to determine what knowledge is needed and which divisions, departments or agencies have knowledge that can be shared. (See the "Knowledge Transfer Companion Guide" for detailed information on how to identify key positions, key employees and critical knowledge.)

The second step is to determine who within the divisions, departments or agencies should be involved. You can identify existing CoPs (they may already exist, but are so informal you are not aware they are a CoP) and work with them to determine the type of support (if needed) that will benefit them and benefit the company, or you can form a CoP where none existed before. It takes less time and is a much easier process to build on what exists rather than to start from scratch.

The third step is to determine what activities (regularly scheduled meetings, informational seminars, workshops, etc.) are needed to share the knowledge.

Informal CoP (Applied Example)

Xerox technicians began meeting informally and sharing their experiences repairing copy machines. They gained useful knowledge by sharing their ideas, which made them more efficient getting the job done. Other organizations heard about how successful this informal process was in streamlining technique and began to inquire about how the process worked.

Other organizations began to think about the power of networking and how it might work in their organizations. While employee networking is not a new idea, the recognition of the ability of these informal networks to develop employee competencies, to get troublesome technical problems solved quickly, to build employee retention and loyalty and to aid in knowledge transfer has made the concept more attractive.

Informal CoPs are not like other work groups. To be successful, a CoP requires support from the organization rather than control. CoPs seldom are successful when management closely controls the agenda and methods of operation.

Starting and supporting a CoP is very different from team building. CoPs arise out of a natural desire to share ideas, learn about new ideas and contemplate solutions to the latest problems. To share learning across teams, it is necessary to encourage natural networking. Since CoPs are organized around knowledge rather than output, traditional team building activities such as setting goals, dividing tasks and developing work plans are not appropriate.

Formal CoP (Sponsored)

According to Nickols, some organizations' CoPs are treated as if they were project teams with assigned outcomes and goals they are expected to reach. These are considered sponsored CoPs. Sponsored CoPs are initiated, chartered and supported by management. These CoPs are expected to produce measurable results that will benefit the company. They get needed resources and have more formal roles and responsibilities than do informal or self-organized CoPs. They are, however, much more self-governing and wide-ranging than the typical cross-functional project team. The more programs are "mandated" for CoPs, the more likely it is that there will be resistance from employees. Mandating the course of the programs also discourages freedom of idea exchanges. Generally, the more simple and informal (self-organizing) the CoP, the more successful it is.

The basic charter for a sponsored CoP should have three main objectives or goals:

1. To enable colleagues or peers to learn from each other through the sharing of issues, ideas, lessons learned, research findings and other areas of mutual interest
2. To more broadly share and better leverage with other colleagues the learning that occurs in a CoP
3. To generate tangible, measurable (value added) benefits to the business

General Characteristics of a Successful CoP

According to the Department of the Navy, successful communities of practice are organized around the needs of their members and, as such, exhibit a wide range of sizes, structures and means of communication. Even with this diversity, effective communities share common characteristics that include the following:

• Voluntary Participation

Members choose to participate due to the "value added" to job performance, the excitement of building new ideas and the satisfaction of relationships. Communities complement existing functions and organizational structures; they do not create additional ones.

• Common Interest or Goal

Communities are organized around topics that are important and meaningful to the members. The focus often evolves as issues and opportunities emerge across the organization and enterprise.

• Common Means to Stay Connected

Communities stay in frequent contact using technology like Web forums, email, listservers and/or more traditional approaches like face-to-face meetings and teleconferences. Virtual connectivity offers the opportunity to build time for community participation around other work requirements.

• Willingness to Share Knowledge

Members are willing and able to share what they know, respond to requests, and collectively solve problems. They build trusting relationships.

• Facilitated, Not Dominated

Successful facilitators focus on recruiting and engaging members, not dictating content.

• Management, Not Control

Management provides tools and a supportive environment that includes giving employees the time to participate, and recognizing those who demonstrate an exemplary attitude toward community and sharing. (See Rewards & Recognition for ideas to reward participation in knowledge sharing programs.) Communities set their own agendas, aligned with the enterprise or organizational mission and based on the needs of members as they perform their jobs.

CoPs add value to an organization by sharing lessons learned, acting as points for best and emerging practices, and providing forums for issues and problems to be raised and resolved. The primary focus of a CoP is for members to learn from each other as a result of sharing and collaborating which, in turn, leads to effective knowledge transfer. Payoffs from a CoP can be very worthwhile.

Guidelines for Starting a CoP

Nickols suggests the following guidelines for implementing a CoP:

• Encourage CoPs, but don't mandate CoPs. A mandate to start a CoP may create resistance and be perceived as just another management program.
• Keep things as informal as possible. If management has strong expectations, then the CoP should be converted to a project team. The team then will drive to satisfy management's demands instead of producing and sharing new knowledge.
• The premise of a CoP is to support the members' own work-related activities as well as those of the organization. The success of a CoP depends on trust between and among its members.
• Stay focused on the primary purpose of a CoP, that is, to learn from each other as a result of sharing and collaborating.
• Most CoPs can successfully share information through telephone calls, emails and occasional face-to-face meetings. Web pages with links might also be helpful.

Possible Obstacles in Forming CoPs and Tips for Overcoming Them

There is a risk of driving an existing CoP underground if management becomes too dictatorial in how the group should operate, according to Nickols. He indicates that CoPs will lose the benefits that result from brainstorming, freedom to express ideas, and freedom for trial and error when testing those ideas. A CoP takes time (especially when started from scratch) and sometimes results are not immediate (no instant gratification). For a CoP to be successful, it must be seeded and nurtured. Management must recognize that a CoP is designed to serve the members' needs first, but that the knowledge shared and gained will ultimately provide a valuable payoff for the organization as a whole.

Strategies for Managers, CoP Sponsors and Champions

• Send a continuing message reinforcing the business value of CoPs.
• Provide information to others about what CoPs are, how they operate, how to support and encourage them and, most importantly, how to avoid undercutting them or turning them into project teams.
• Encourage appropriate professionals and other appropriate groups to form CoPs that focus on key functions, issues and processes of the organization.
• Point to results of CoPs, but don't overdo it.
• Spend some time with new CoPs to learn first hand how they operate.
• Provide the necessary infrastructure and support such as web pages, group email lists, time, meeting spaces, etc., for CoPs.
• Provide and allow face-to-face interaction as well as virtual or electronic communications.

How to Identify an Existing CoP

Once you have identified an important topic to form communities around, find the networks from people who already share knowledge about that topic.

Two indicators stand out according to Nickols:

• People have a strong sense of identity tied to the community (that is, their specific type of work and commonalities outlined above).
• The practice itself is not captured in formal procedures. People learn how to do what they do and become seen as competent (or not) by doing it in concert with others or their peers.

A CoP is closely related to what is called a "practice". According to Nickols, three characteristics or qualities define a "practice":

1. Joint enterprise — The members of a CoP are there to accomplish something on an on-going basis; they have some kind of work in common and see clearly the large purpose of that work. In other words, they have a mission.
2. Mutual Engagement — The members of a CoP interact with one another (have regular, work-related interactions, either harmonious or conflicting) not just in doing their work but in clarifying that work, defining how it is done and even changing how it is done.
3. Shared Repertoire — The members not only work in common, but also have common methods, tools, techniques and even language, stories and behavior patterns. There is a rapid flow of information between and among members (an effective "grapevine"), and there is quick diffusion or dispersion of innovation among members (rapid transfer of best practice knowledge). Problems are quickly framed. There is a widespread and shared awareness of each of the other member's unique competencies, strengths, weaknesses and contributions. There is extensive use of "war stories" (experience) to communicate lessons learned.

CoPs lead to improved knowledge of organizational contacts, provide opportunities for peer-group recognition and support continuous learning, all of which reinforce and enable knowledge transfer and contribute to better results.

See links to tools accompanying this model when implementing a CoP program.

 

Bibliography

Department of the Navy, Knowledge Management - Communities of Practice, Characteristics and Elements, http://206.102.88.10/z_portfolio/km/6_cop/cop3_elements/comm_3_3.html

Nickols, Fred, Communities of Practice, An Overview, 2003, http://home.att.net/~discon/KM/CoPs.htm

Nickols, Fred, Communities of Practice, A Start-up Kit, 2003 http://home.att.net/~discon/KM/CoPs.htm

Nickols, Fred, Communities of Practice, Roles & Responsibilities, 2003 http://home.att.net/~discon/KM/CoPs.htm