2011 SIGnetwork Regional MeetingsGuidance in Structuring a Communities of Practice

Our Agenda• What are Communities of Practice

(CoP)?• Why focus on CoPs?• How do you start a CoP?• What are some critical success

factors?• Resources for Community Building• Discussion

What are communities of practice? “Communities of Practices are groups of people who share a passion for something that they know how to do and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better.” – Etienne Wenger, 2000

Communities of Practice (CoP)

• It is also important to remember that CoP is a strategy or approach. It is a way of working together with various stakeholders to achieve common agreed upon goals in a manner that can be more beneficial compared to each stakeholder working in their own silos.

Crucial elements in a CoP

Community of Practice

Practice

Community

Domain

Crucial Elements1.The domain: Membership

implies a commitment and a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people. Members learn from each other and everyone brings their own expertise to the table.

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Crucial Elements (cont’d) 2. The community: In pursuing

their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other.

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Crucial Elements (cont’d)3. The practice: Members are

practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems- in a short and sustained interaction.

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Advantages of Working as a Community• offers an approach to solve

complex problems;• promotes the spread of best

practices; • develops members professional

skills;• offers broader communication

dissemination of information;

Advantages of Working as a Community• ability to look more deeply at

issues;• access to information about real

world implementation;• better feedback on emerging

ideas;• connections to stakeholders with

influence;

Advantages of Working as a Community (cont’d)• alliances with intended beneficiaries of

state professional development.• increase use of high quality research-

based information and effective policies and practices;

• identify solutions to key issues and challenges;

• enhance shared learning;

Advantages of Working as a Community (cont’d)• prevents duplication of effort;

• facilitates connections and collaboration; and

• develops new service system capacities.

Important components members need to understand for joining a CoP…• Purpose- reason for forming CoP• Goals- what specific goals will

community address• Participation- what are the key

benefits members can expect from joining this CoP?

• Ground rules for being a member- what are the rules for staying a member of the community

Important components members need to understand for joining a CoP…• Leadership- brief outline of process for

identifying members who can serve in a leadership/facilitator role

• Stakeholders- list of key people actively involved

• Deliverables- are there specific deliverable that your CoP will develop and the timelines?

Why focus on Communities of Practice?

Benefits to MembersShort-term:• help with challenges• access to expertise

and resources• increased

productivity• cultivate

relationships• enhanced

professional reputation

Long-term:• Access to existing

networks;• Creation of new allies;• Deeper networks for

dissemination;• Increased likelihood of

sustainable solutions;• Synergy across levels on

implementation; and• Ongoing feedback

mechanisms for stakeholder input.

What are critical success factors? • a topic that energizes members• membership cannot be forced• skilled coordinator/facilitator• experts are involved• distributed leadership • right mix of activities• cultivating an open trusting atmosphere

• on-going relationship building• all members have an equal/shared voice

• technology aligned to needs of the group

Resources for Community Building?

Center for Disease Control• Visit http://www.cdc.gov/phin/communities to

learn more about the community approach and access the Communities Resource Kit.

• phConnect Communites Platform http://phConnect.org.

IDEA Partnership • Visit http://www.ideapartnership.org/ and learn

more about the various communities of practice convened and facilitated by the IDEA Partnership.

Discussion Questions How are you using the CoP approach within your projects and state work?

What are the benefits?

What have been the pitfalls?

How are your communities being facilitated? Are their identified roles [technology steward, coordinator, content expert]?

What type of technology is use for purposes of managing knowledge and communication purposes?

Are there areas you need further support?