Communities of Practice

�Communities of practice are �groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.� They operate as �social learning systems� where practitioners connect to solve problems, share ideas, set standards, build tools, and develop relationships with peer and stakeholders �� (Snyder et al., 2003: 17).

A community of practice can be said to exist when all three of the following criteria are met (from Gajda and Koliba, 2006):

• A group has formed that can be said to be comprised of members. These members share a common set of characteristics that may be compromised of similar interests; expertise; roles; goals; practices; etc.
• A physical or virtual space exists for these members to interact directly with one another. This space affords opportunities for members to dialogue with one another and be the container through which a "shared repertoire" for the group can emerge (Wenger, 1998).
• The group can be said to possess a common domain, practice or set of practices (Wenger, 1998) that bind them together.

Related Articles:

Gajda, R. and Koliba, C. 2007. Evaluating the Imperative of Intra-Organizational Collaboration: A School Improvement Perspective. American Journal of Evaluation.28(1). 26-44.

Koliba, C. and Gajda, R. Communities of Practice: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Further Inquiry. Under review.

Koliba, C. and Gajda, R. 2007. Discerning the Decision Architecture of Complex Environments: A Community of Practice Perspective. American Society for Public Administration. Annual Conference. Washington, D.C.

Koliba, C. and Gajda, R. 2006. Mapping the Communities of Practice of State Agency Personnel. American Evaluation Association. Annual Conference. Portland, OR.

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