What Is a Community of Practice (With Examples)

A community of practice is one of the most sustainable types of online community. In this blog, we will share what is a community of practice. We will also share how to start a community of practice, along with some examples.

Let’s get started!

What is a Community of Practice

A community of practice is a group of people who share a common passion. People usually join such communities to learn and share things with each other.

The concept of communities of practice has been found to be useful in a variety of fields, including education, business, and information technology. In education, communities of practice have been used to improve professional development and to support teacher learning. In business, communities of practice have been used to improve innovation and knowledge sharing. In information technology, communities of practice have been used to improve the quality of software development.

What is the Origin of the Term ‘Community of Practice’?

The concept of a community of practice was first introduced by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger in their 1991 book, Situated Learning.

Today, a community of practice is one of the most popular concepts for creating successful online communities.

The Elements of a Community of Practice

There are three essential elements to a community of practice:

1. Domain

2. Community

3. Practice

Domain

The domain is the focus subject of a community of practice. It can be anything from a particular profession to a hobby to a shared interest.

Community

You know the subject, but unless you have a group of people who are interested in that, a community of practice will not exist. The second element of a community of practice is the group of people who come together to learn from each other. In other words, the community itself. 

The passionate community is what makes a community of practice different from others. The relationship between the members is what makes it possible for them to learn from each other.

Practice

The practice is the shared activity that the members of the community engage in. Through practice, the members of the community learn from each other. The practice can be anything like sharing a better approach for doing something or sharing new findings.

How to Start a Community of Practice

Starting a community of practice is not as difficult as it may seem. There are a few key steps that you can take to get started:

Identify the targeted audience

The first step in starting a community of practice is to identify the targeted audience. Who is it that you want to reach with your community of practice? Once you have identified your target audience, you can start to determine what values they might be interested in.

Determine your values

What values do you want to promote in your community of practice? Determine what it is that you want to achieve with your community. Do you want to promote lifelong learning? Collaboration? Innovation? Once you have determined your values, you can start to build the platform for your community.

Build the platform

The platform is the site or app that your community will use to interact with each other. There are a number of different platforms that you can use, from social media to online forums. The important thing is to choose a platform that will be accessible to your target audience.

Onboard members

Once you have built the platform, it is time to start onboarding members. The best way to do this is to reach out to your target audience and invite them to join your community. You can also promote your community through word of mouth and social media.

Keep your community engaged

Once you have built the platform, it is time to onboard members. You can reach out to your target audience and invite them to join your community. You can also promote your community through word of mouth and social media.

Examples of Community of Practice

A community of practice is a place to connect with like-minded people. Let’s share some examples of community of practice that you can take inspiration from. 

1. NurseCon – Community for Nurses

NurseCon is a place for nurses worldwide to connect with other nurses. It enables nurses to communicate with others. It also lets nurses take free CNEs.

2. Black Professionals Network

As the name suggests, the Black Professionals Network is a community-based, non-profit social learning platform with the mission to provide connections and resources to black professionals.

3. BossBabe – Community for Women in Business

BossBabe inc. has a community where women support women in building their successful businesses. An example of what a community of practice can do.

Build Your Community of Practice with BuddyBoss

BuddyBoss is a great platform for building an online community of practice. BuddyBoss is easy to set up and use and it has essential features like friends, groups, messaging, comments, and events that will help people engage and connect with other community members. 

So, are you ready to build your community of practice with BuddyBoss?