For years, ACET has evaluated projects that have involved a Community of Practice (CoP). We’ve helped to form new Communities of Practice, and we’ve also worked on adding new life to CoPs that have become inactive.
What makes a Community of Practice effective? Consider these ideas:
1. Bring practitioners together around a common purpose. Practitioners often don’t have regular opportunities to connect with their peers, except for those they work with in their office. A CoP brings practitioners together around networking, sharing information, collaborating, and learning. A CoP is an ideal way to share best practices in the field.
2. Create a platform to keep practitioners connected. A website or some other type of platform helps to link practitioners to each other. Currently, ACET hosts a website for Minnesota’s statewide Pediatric Care Coordination CoP, connecting practitioners serving children and youth with special needs at https://www.mnpedcares.com/.
3. Develop meaningful content and connections. Host regular events. Share meaningful resources. Develop a member forum with interesting topics for practitioners to share information and resources. Create ways for members to have meaningful connections and learn from each other.
Anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger created the phrase “community of practice” to identify an intentional community as a living curriculum. Learn more at: https://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/.
If you’re interested in having ACET help you with a Community of Practice (CoP), please contact us at info@acetinc.com. We offer a free initial consultation!