What is a community of practice?

Here are some ideas of what we might like a community of practice to be like. It is based on the work I am doing with university lecturers who are examining new ways to be leaders of professional learning.

"Supporting each other to be that change"

A community of practice connects us to others who enrich our thinking and being.

A community of practice draws on processes we know for building successful relationships and community.

A community of practice is a place which values exploring, taking risks and moving out of comfort zones, rather than just achieving practical outcomes. As we do so the tensions and contradictions that exist become more visible. We value the dilemmas as opportunities to dig deeper into the truth behind things. We value the support to try on new roles, new lenses and see how they feel.

A community of practice is a place which is open, enabling diversity, playfulness and honesty. It allows us to speak from the heart and to be personal. It awakens our deep humanity. In this place we learn to listen well as a way of valuing another. We learn to give people space to process. We learn to tune into the moment.

A community of practice is a place where we can be vulnerable. It is place where we can open ourselves to experiences that can challenge who we think we are. It is a place where we can share our issues, our doubts and our fears. It is a place where we know we are supported as we engage in a process of self-reflection, letting go, emergence and transformation.

A community of practice is a place where we offer our stories for deeper exploration of meaning. It is a place where we are developing a shared language that enables us to name and tease out the complexity of issues in new and insightful ways. It is a place which celebrates the journey we are on together yet honours the individual journeys and the individual steps.

A community of practice is a place where we value difference. We honour the unique experiences and perspectives each person brings, inviting each to share their wisdom and resources. We find ourselves saying “and… “, not “but…”.

A community of practice is a place which nurtures and renews. It builds on who we are, what we believe and what we do. It models the environment we want to create and allows us to practice being who we aspire to be. It can be a physical place where we meet. It can be the place in our own hearts that we have for the other. It is a place where we enjoy the ability to contribute to a greater whole.

A community of practice provides a sense of communion. It creates cohesiveness. It enables a coming to know another though being with them and sharing their stories. It is a place where we are at home with ourselves. It is a place where we glimpse our own gifts through seeing and receiving the gifts of others.

What do you think? What might you add, change? What do your communities of practice look like?

What might a community of practice look like which evolves?