Community of Practice (CoP)

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. Note that this definition allows for, but does not assume, intentionality: learning can be the reason the community comes together or an incidental outcome of member’s interactions.” (Wenger, 2009, p. 1)

A CoP “[…] has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people.” (Wenger, 2009, p. 1)

“The community: in pursuing their interest in their 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.” (Wenger, 2009, p. 2)

“Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems—in short a shared practice.” (Wenger, 2009, p. 2)

References:

Wenger, E. (2009). Communities of practice: A brief introduction. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11736