Communities+of+Practice

=**Communities of Practice (N=18)**=

**Definition 1:** Are self-managing systems whose members spontaneously share working practices, are aware they belong to a group that possesses unique and lasting values, and develop a common repertoire of routines, expressions, and actions.
 * Source:** Tagliaventi MR, Mattarelli E. The role of networks of practice, value sharing, and operational proximity in knowledge flows between professional groups. Human Relations 2006; 59(3):291-319.
 * Focus:** n/a


 * Definition 2:** Are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knwoledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis.
 * Source:** Wenger E, McDermott R, Snyder WM. Cultivating communities of practice. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
 * Focus:** n/a


 * Definition 3:** A community of practice (CoP) is, according to cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created specifically with the goal of gaining knowledge related to their field. It is through the process of sharing information and experiences with the group that the members learn from each other, and have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and professionally (Lave & Wenger 1991). CoPs can exist online, such as within discussion boards and news groups, or in real life, such as in a lunch room at work, in a field setting, on a factory floor, or elsewhere in the environment.
 * Source:** Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communities_of_Practice
 * Focus:** General
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011


 * Definition 4:** Are groups of individuals who share knowledge about a common work practice over a period of time, though they are not part of a formally constituted work team. Communities of practice generally cut across traditional organizational boundaries. They enable individuals to acquire new knowledge faster.
 * Source:** [|www.admin.state.nh.us/hr/documents/Workforce_Development/…]
 * Focus:** Business
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011


 * Definition 5:** Are formed by people who engage in regular interaction over a shared topic of interest. Participants learn and develop skills about a topic whether by way of explicit learning objectives or as a secondary effect of sharing experiences, tools and resources, providing peer support and/or problem solving around an issue.
 * Source:** http://www.oasas.state.ny.us/hps/cos/glossary.cfm
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011


 * Definition 6:** Communities of Practice are structured communities centered on core objectives or organizational functions.
 * Source:** http://www.phredsolutions.com/glossary.html
 * Focus:** Business
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011


 * Definition 7:** Are a group of people that usually come together naturally that share a practice, interest or craft; knowledge is shared freely within the group and ties are strengthened as the group works collaboratively, problem-solving over time.
 * Source:** http://hickstro.org/cccl/rdp/glossary/
 * Focus:** General
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011


 * Definition 8:** 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.
 * Source:** http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
 * Focus:** General
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011


 * Definition 9:** Community of practice refers to informal groups formed by people with common interests. Learning occurs in communities of practice as people interact, share ideas, find solutions, and develop innovations. According to Lave and Wenger (1991) who introduced the concept of community of practice as an element of situated learning, communities of practice have three dimensions: (a) mutual engagement, (b) joint enterprise, and (c) a shared repertoire of actions. Wenger (2000) notes that communities of practice are any groups of people informally bound together by shared expertise or interest. These groups can be physically collocated or virtual as in the case of groups that interact via e-mail.
 * Source:** http://www.innovateonline.info/extra/definition1912.htm
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/12/2011

**Source:** http://www.irma-international.org/viewtitle/37564/
 * Definition 10:** A re a group of professionals informally bound to one another through exposure to a common class of problems, common pursuit of solutions, and thereby themselves embodying a store of knowledge. 2. Are flexible groups of professionals which unite unofficially in order to serve their common practice and interests, interact through mutually dependent tasks, driven by a common goal. Their members share a common professional experience, therefore speaking ‘the same language’. People with similar practices and sources develop like identities. Thus, these teams have a feeling of community.
 * Focus:** Knowledge and Technology Management
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 11:** Communities of Practice (CoPs) are groups of people in organizations that form to share what they know, to learn from one another regarding some aspects of their work and to provide a social context for that work.
 * Source:** http://rhyttac.groupsite.com/main/summary
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 12:** Communities of Practice can be defined, in part, as a process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in a subject or area collaborate over an extended period of time, sharing ideas and strategies, determine solutions, and build innovations.
 * Source:** http://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html
 * Focus:** General
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 13:** Are networks of people who work on similar processes or in similar disciplines and who come together to develop and share their knowledge in that field for the benefit of both themselves and their organization. Communities of practice may be created formally or informally, and members can interact online or in person.
 * Source:** http://www.adb.org/documents/information/knowledge-solutions/glossary-of-knowledge-management.pdf
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 14:** Communities of practice are groups of practitioners who work as a community in a certain domain.
 * Source:** http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/jargon.html
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 15:** Are formal or informal groups linked by a common domain of practice and sometimes shared interests, which interact to advance and share explicit and tacit knowledge. When self-organized they can also be described as networks.
 * Source:** http://www.transformingeknowledge.info/glossary.html
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 16:** A community of practice (CoP) brings together people who share a common area of interest and a variety of expertise and skills, or have issues or problems to air, share and solve. Good practice and ideas are also shared to enhance the knowledge and expertise of the community.
 * Source:** http://ideatest.conseq.org.uk/idk2/core/page.do?pageId=14986807
 * Focus:** n/a
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 17:** A community of practice is a distributed group of people who share a concern, set of problems, mandate or sense of purpose. As (often) informal groups of experts, communities of practice serve to reconnect individuals with each other in self-organizing, boundary-spanning communities. Communities of practice complement existing structures by promoting collaboration, information exchange, and sharing of best practices across boundaries of time, distance, and organizational hierarchies.
 * Source:** http://www.theworldcafe.com/glossary.html
 * Focus:** General
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011


 * Definition 18:** Communities of practice are groups of people who share similar goals and interests. In pursuit of these goals and interests, they employ common practices, work with the same tools and express themselves in a common language. Through such common activity, they come to hold similar beliefs and value systems.
 * Source:** http://www.sapdesignguild.org/resources/collab_glossary.asp
 * Focus:** Business
 * Date added:** 06/13/2011