Everyong is talking about communities of practice these days, and many people agree that they are a great way of sharing information in the workplace. But the question often arises as to whether it is possible to build a community of practice… to make it happen?

During LearnScope Online week, held 11 - 15 August 2003, participants first played with a Quandry which provided an interactive and fun way to explore the idea that communities of practice are something like boy/girl relationships…and blind dates! Afterwards, many dropped into the discussion forum to share their own experiences and discuss ideas with others.

It was generally agreed by all that one can’t simply decide to set up a community of practice and expect everyone to be enthused and motivated! One participant shared an experience which occurred at her workplace:

“My experience of one community of practice underlines that they are perhaps somewhat misunderstood, and often by those in more senior positions. Even though all the theory cautions against managing the process of community formation, our COP of a group of Head Teachers were told that attendance at the initial session was compulsory, an agenda was drawn up without consultation and the session itself was a highly directed affair. As an observer I could sense what a disaster this approach signalled, the atmosphere in the room was so hostile and the participants felt very patronised.”

The other forum participants were very sympathetic about this heavy-handed approach, although the person who posted the message went on to explain that luckily the outcome was still triumphant because this particular group of Head Teachers took matters into their own hands - a truly community based strategy!

Analogies proliferated, and another participant presented one which claimed some attention!

“A Community of Practice is like a big room full of people. When the door is open and the atmosphere is friendly, strangers will wander in - find a reason to stay and make some new friends, or grab a few nibblies from the table and wander back out again. However... let's put a 7 foot tall bouncer on the door with his arms folded, a mean look on his face... as you cautiously approach, he picks you up and drags you kicking and screaming towards the entrance, hands you a list of rules that must be obeyed if you wish to enter and then another list of things you must acquire before you can leave.”

A valid reminder here that with all the best intentions in the world, it is not possible to force people to communicate and be part of something that they do not feel ‘ownership’ for, or where they see no personal value. Another analogy explored this concept further….

“Imagine a block of land between 2 buildings. It has a path straight down the middle which encourages people to walk quickly through. There are signs which remind one not to litter. Everyone walks purposefully through this area to get to where they want to go.

Now imagine that a developer looks at this land, and decides that it could be put to better use. He/she can't force anyone to do anything, but the developer wants to encourage everyone to stick around and gain some benefits from this empty space between 2 buildings. First a meandering path goes in, with quaint little benches set just off the pathway to encourage conversation. Little beds of coloured flowers are positioned between rises to encourage people to come off the pathway for a while, and spend some time looking at something beautiful. Then a couple of picnic tables to encourage the office-workers to use the place for lunch and a chat.”

The clear message here of course is that as the "developer" of a CoP you can't MAKE it happen, but you can design it so that it encourages people to be part of it. And then you stand back.

Two people in the group raised the idea that much of the theory which surrounds initiating communities of practice comes from basic change management principles, and many useful points of comparison emerged:

• The vision process is important… building the big picture…. letting participants see themselves as part of something that transcends the mundane or frustrations of daily organisational activity.
  
• It is necessary to provide the opportunity to dream big, to safely test ideas and concepts without fully thought through "justifications" or reactions from a threatened boss.
  
• There is a need to step outside the demands of urgency and routine that the workplace imposes.
  
• Allowing ‘buy in’ with potential participants is crucial, selling opportunities and benefits without actually trying to control the process itself.
  
• It is essential to celebrate and market the accomplishments which occur within a CoP, and praise the individuals who implement these, however small they might be.

It was pointed out that “CoPs are the ultimate win/win -- The organization thinks the individuals are doing it for them and the individual thinks s/he is doing it for her/himself.”

Finally, with time fast running out, everyone made a last dash to brainstorm some ideas for getting CoP's underway without making people feel like they were being pushed into a blind date! The following is just a start…but a good start!

• Begin by looking where the roots of CoP's already exist and ask yourself whether these could these be taken to the next level. These sorts of groups exist throughout organisations and with some gentle encouragement and support they could gain so much more.
  
• Talk to people - visit/phone/email everyone whom you think might be interested, and ask them for their thoughts about the idea of starting a CoP. (Obviously, you will have considered the 'domain' or common ground for the CoP, and targeted people with this thought in mind).
  
• If you are part of a meeting which is focussed on any level of process improvement, you could encourage it to continue past the walls of the room into a virtual room and/or continue with regular face-to-face get-togethers.
  
• Once you have some sort of 'group' happening the first time, fire up their enthusiasm and passions by suggesting that guests could be invited along (face-to face or online). Ask them to suggest people who would be interesting/enlightening/...provocative?

A week is not a long time and sadly Friday came before this list could be extended further however with more than 50 postings during this fabulous week, it is obvious that the topic is obviously a “hot” one!