Forms+&+Structures+of+CoPs

=__ ﻿Forms and Structures of CoPs __= Communities of practice are used in many formal and informal situations right across all domains and social groupings. (Wenger, et. al, 2002). Their use in the medical profession ( Li, et. al, 2009), as well as in academic circles (Barrett, et. al, 2009) and business organisations (Wenger, et. al, 2002) is well documented. Further the use of CoPs in schools is proving increasingly useful for students and staff alike (O'Brien, Burton, Campbell, Qualter & Varga-Atkins, 2006).

Communities of practice come in a great variety, with different forms and names.

__** Form **__ Wenger, et. al. (2002, pp. 24-27) provides seven charatceristics that illustrates the different forms CoPs can take:
 * Small or big - from a few to a thousand members affects how CoPs are structured
 * Long-lived or short-lived - A few years to CoPs that pass through generations
 * Co-located or distributed - advances in technology is providing the means for distributed communities (more common than not now)
 * Homogenous or heterogenous - members may be from the same discipline or function, or from a different function with a common problem
 * Inside and across boundaries - some may cross over between organisations
 * Spontaneous or intentional - lack of initial intention does not equate to lack of formality or maturity of the CoP
 * Unrecognised or institutionalised - e.g. nurses sharing knowledge over a weekly informal lunch to an officially structured CoP. One is not better than the other.

__**Structure**__ Communities of practice do share a basic structure, however, according to Wenger, et.al. (2002), p.27: "A community of practice is a unique combination of three fundamental elements: a //domain// of knowledge, which defines a set of issues; a //community// of people who care about this domain; and the shared //practice// that they are developing to be effective in their domain."




 * Domain = "creates common ground and a sense of common identity" (Wenger, et.al., 2002, p.27)
 * Community = "creates the social fabric of learning" (Wenger, et.al., 2002, p.28)
 * Practice = "a set of frameworks, ideas, tools, information, styles, language, stories, and documents that community members share' (Wenger, et.al., 2002, p.29)

The domain determines the topic for the community, the practice is the knowledge of the topic that is developed, shared, and maintained, ﻿and the community is the interaction between the members.