Building Successful Communities of Practice

1. Communities of Practice Accelerate Learning and Break Down Silos

"Communities of practice can: support organisational learning; accelerate professional development of their members; enable knowledge sharing and management; support better communication; build better practices; make people happier; break down silos; and help with hiring and retention or staff."

Social learning accelerates growth. Communities of practice provide a platform for social learning, where members learn from each other's experiences and observations. This type of learning is often more effective than traditional training methods because it allows for real-time application and feedback.

Breaking silos improves communication. By bringing together people from different teams or departments who share similar roles or interests, communities of practice naturally break down organizational silos. This improved communication leads to:

• Better understanding of other teams' challenges
• Reduced duplication of work
• Increased collaboration and innovation
• More efficient problem-solving across the organization

2. Successful Communities Need the Right Environment and Leadership

"Leadership may come from those wanting to set the community up, or might be someone appointed by the organisation in an attempt to kick-start communities of practice. These leaders need to be knowledgeable, passionate, respected and empowered."

Create a supportive environment. To thrive, communities of practice need:

• Regular meeting opportunities (both in-person and virtual)
• A safe space for open discussion and experimentation
• Organizational support in terms of time, resources, and recognition

Effective leadership is crucial. Community leaders should:

• Be knowledgeable about the subject matter
• Show passion for the community's goals
• Have the respect of community members
• Be empowered to make decisions and implement changes
• Encourage distributed leadership as the community matures

3. Identify and Recruit the Right Members for Your Community

"Anyone for whom you can answer "yes" to all four questions is someone you want to talk to about joining, articulating why you are asking them and the purpose of the community."

Define clear membership criteria. To identify potential members, ask these questions:

1. Does this person share a role, similar environment, and overall work goals with other community members?
2. Does this person face the same day-to-day challenges as other community members?
3. Can this person learn from others in the community to improve their job performance?
4. Can others in the community learn from this person's experience and knowledge?

Recruit strategically. Once you've identified potential members:

• Clearly articulate the community's purpose and benefits
• Make joining voluntary to ensure genuine interest and commitment
• Use existing networks and communication channels to reach out
• Consider creating marketing materials (e.g., posters, flyers) to attract new members

4. Build Trust and Alignment Through Shared Vision and Values

"Having a shared vision is a good foundation on which to build your community, so make sure you address this early on."

Develop a compelling vision. Work with community members to create a vision that is:

• Aspirational yet achievable
• Easy to understand and remember
• Aligned with organizational goals

Establish community principles and values. Collectively agree on:

• Ways of working together (e.g., respect, open communication)
• Shared beliefs and values that guide decision-making
• Goals that support the overall vision

Foster alignment through activities. Use workshops and discussions to:

• Refine the vision and goals over time
• Create a shared backlog of activities and priorities
• Regularly review and adapt community practices

5. Facilitate Valuable Interactions and Problem-Solving Sessions

"Make sure you create time for the community to have less-structured meetings where they can discuss things that are on their mind and bring their problems to the community's safe space."

Diverse learning opportunities. Offer a mix of activities to cater to different learning styles and needs:

• Presentations and talks (internal and external speakers)
• Deliberate practice sessions
• Games and workshops
• Visits and tours to other organizations

Encourage problem-solving. Create spaces for members to:

• Discuss challenges in an open, supportive environment
• Work in pairs or small groups (dyads or triads) to tackle specific issues
• Share solutions and best practices with the wider community

Share knowledge beyond the community. Organize:

• Show and tells for the wider organization
• Open-door sessions for non-members
• Cross-community collaborations

6. Identify Skills Gaps and Foster Continuous Development

"Once everyone in the community has repeated this exercise, you will collectively be able to identify where there are gaps and/or low coverage in the community. You can use this information to feed the learning backlog and to hire new skills into the community."

Map community skills. Conduct regular skills assessments to:

• Identify required skills for roles within the community
• Gauge individual skill levels and confidence
• Spot gaps in the community's overall skill set

Create personalized development plans. Help members:

• Focus on high-priority skill areas
• Set achievable learning goals
• Find mentors or learning partners within the community

Address community-wide skill gaps. Use the skills map to:

• Organize group learning sessions on critical topics
• Bring in external experts or training when needed
• Inform hiring decisions to strengthen the community

7. Nurture Different Types of Members and Grow Community Reach

"Because membership of the community is optional, it is normal for there to be different types of members. You can identify the differences in engagement and effort that they put into the community."

Recognize member types. Understand and support different levels of engagement:

• Core members: Leaders and coordinators
• Active members: Regular participants
• Occasional members: Intermittent participants
• Peripheral members: Rare participants or new joiners
• Outside supporters: Interested non-members

Cultivate leadership. Identify and nurture potential leaders by:

• Encouraging active members to take on more responsibility
• Providing support and mentoring for emerging leaders
• Distributing leadership roles as the community matures

Expand community reach. Balance growth with maintaining a safe environment:

• Welcome new members who fit the community criteria
• Organize open learning sessions for interested outsiders
• Collaborate with other communities on overlapping topics
• Share best practices and innovations with the wider organization

8. Cultivate Self-Sustaining Communities for Long-Term Success

"Communities of practice only exist as long as there is an interest from members in maintaining the group. This is why the practice of regularly inspecting how the well the community is meeting needs — and adapting it to ensure it does — is crucial to a community's survival."

Foster self-organization. Encourage the community to:

• Regularly review and update its vision and goals
• Adjust leadership structures as needed
• Take ownership of knowledge sharing and skills development

Maintain engagement. Ensure long-term success by:

• Keeping core members active and motivated
• Continuously bringing in new ideas and perspectives
• Adapting to changing organizational needs

Secure ongoing support. Demonstrate value to the organization by:

• Sharing community successes and innovations
• Aligning community goals with organizational objectives
• Cultivating advocates outside the community

Last updated: October 22, 2024