How to set up a Community of Practice (CoP) for Nutritionists

See What is a CoP and how do I use this resource?

• You have decided to set up a COP for nutrition professionals- Great!

• The aim of this presentation is to guide you on how to create a successful and sustainable CoP

• We hope to offer you practical tips and help you navigate common issues

• Plus provide you with useful resources via hyperlinks

Introduction

See Why a Community of Practice?

• Setting up a CoP can be divided into these steps1. Inquire2. Design3. Prototype4. Launch5. Grow6. Sustain7. Evaluate

Introduction

• Domain- a particular shared Nutrition interest• Community- a group of people (Nutrition

professionals from a specific health field or region)

• Practice- practical implications and applications of professional knowledge

Key Definitions

• Make a case to employers to allow you to dedicate time to a CoP

• Potential benefits to organisations include: – Employee efficiency, in terms of time and cost, in

retrieving information– Industry benchmarking capacity– Involvement in key industry and national initiatives– Organisational reputation as a contributor in building

new capabilities– Increase access and use of evidence

Inquire

Summary of the advantages of a CoP

Inquire

See CoP versus other forms of professional development

Short-term value Long-term value

• Help with challenges• Access to expertise• Confidence• Fun with colleagues• Meaningful work

• Personal development• Reputation• Professional identify• Network• Marketability

• Problem solving• Time saving• Knowledge sharing• Synergies across units• Resuse of resources

• Strategic capabilities• Keeping abreast• Innovation• Retention of talents• New strategiesO

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• Draft charter or group guidelines with three to five members including:– Mission– Scope – Goals– Objectives– Participant expectations

See CoP Charter Template

Design

• Identify leaders in your CoP– Find a skilful and reputable coordinator that has an

interest in the domain• Allocate two primary roles

– Community leader: Takes overall organisational responsibility for the CoP. Helps the group stay focused and aligned with the charter

– Community sponsor: encourages member participation and access to technology or resources

See Case for Sponsorship Brief

Design

• Subject Matter (domain) of CoP– Identify topical/controversial/common issues

related to the circumstances of the profession– Groups are best for problem solving – Find Subject Matter Expertise (SME). These will

be people who are considered knowledgeable and leaders in identified domains

See SME Tip Sheet

Design

• Subject matter expertise: The CoP for PHNs working with remote retail stores aimed

to increase access to the evidence base for this unique and newly emerging field

This included access to six experienced professionals who previously and currently work in the field, at different times during the groups existence

Sessions were conversational in nature allowing members to ask questions of such experts where they may not have had access or felt comfortable to do so in another professional development forum

Case Study

• Choose a facilitator to keep conversations focused, relevant and inclusive. There are many different ways to do this, some options include:– Most experienced person facilitates/chairs

meetings– Facilitators rotate monthly or each session

See Facilitation Tip Sheet

Design

• Consider timing of meetings– Frequency ideally six weekly to ensure no long

gap between meets– Duration (depending on size of group ~two

hours)– Face-to-face meetings (this can especially be

useful for members in rural/remote areas, trying to meet 1x year i.e. at a major national professional conference once per year

Design

• Communication: consider accessibility, cost, reliability, practicability– Video/audio conferencing e.g.

• Google Chat (free)• Adobe (cost) – lets users present documents and

screen share• Skype (cost for group conference)

– Telephone– Face to faceSee Technology Tool Comparison

Design

• Management of knowledge– Record of meetings e.g. allocate a scribe– Inform members who miss sessions– Have a way to follow up on issues raised for

future meetings– Prompt dialogue between meetings through

chat room or emails– Encourage sharing of reflections whilst they

occur in the workplace

Design

• It is time to test the CoP out with the core members – Refine method of communication and technology

tools the community will use– Ensure each core member’s role is clear– Go through “case scenarios” to test the

functionality of meetings A group of remote Public Health Nutritionists may test out

their CoP with a topic like ‘The process of developing a store nutrition policy’

Prototype

• Use the below templates as one example of how to get the word out to potential members

• To recruit members try– Emailing past and present colleagues – Social and research network sites such as Facebook,

ResearchGate, Linkedin, Twitter– Professional bodies i.e. DAA, PHAA, Nutrition Society of

Australia and special interest groups within these bodies

See Formation Announcement TemplateSee Invitation Approach

Launch

• Membership– Consider the size of your group, evidence

suggests groups of around ten are most manageable

– Use the template below to track membership skills, contact details

See Membership Tracking Template

Launch

• Aim to increase participation and member contribution:– Create subgroups to support emerging group activities– Publicise successes and encourage sharing of stories

from the front line– Consider rewards for participation such as CPD points

(may need to involve and discuss with professional bodies i.e. DAA)

– Involve experts and develop the evidence base with research and university bodies

See Maximising group effectiveness

Grow

• Value the work of communities– Actively encourage ideas, sharing of knowledge

• Create a newsletter to summarise activities of the CoP and to plan for next meetings

• Keep stakeholders and your organisation informed of your involvement

See Newsletter templateSee Sustaining a CoP

Sustain

• Individual and/or group reflection and evaluationSee Evaluation interview guide• Employ the Most significant change techniqueSee MSC guide• Facilitator diariesSee Evaluating a CoP

Evaluate

• The creation and evolution of a CoP can be broken down into simple steps.

• Use the hyperlinks to help you set up your CoP but remember they are just a guide. It is important to just work with what suits the groups needs.

• Aim to create a CoP that empowers its nutrition members and encourages them to Collaborate, Apply, Support and Engage for lifelong learning and career development.

Go and set up your own CoP

Summary