2.1 Communities of practice

Communities come in many forms. When the concept of ‘communities of practice’ was discussed in Week 3, it was noted that communities can develop wherever a common interest exists between individuals, such as a shared profession:

The Wenger-Trayners, who are leaders in this area, suggest there are three key characteristics of a community of practice:

• A shared domain of interest. A community of practice is not just a group of friends; membership implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people.
• An active community, sharing and exploring the 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 and they care about their standing with each other. However, they do not necessarily work together on a daily basis.
• An impact on the practice of those involved. Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared set of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems – in short, a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction.

The Wenger-Trayners state that ‘it is the combination of these three elements that constitutes a community of practice, and it is by developing these three elements in parallel that one cultivates such a community’. Networks can develop into communities of practice but will usually require sustained effort and contributions to persist.