“ People who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2015 p. 1).
Published in Chapter:
The Innovation Potential of Communities of Practice in Higher Education
Margot Bracewell (Royal Roads University, Canada), Isabel Cordua-von Specht (Royal Roads University, Canada), and Rebecca Wilson-Mah (Royal Roads University, Canada)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 29
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2943-0.ch010
Abstract
This chapter applies scholarly reflection to discuss the experiences of faculty and staff who convene, facilitate, and maintain two active but different communities of practice (CoP) in the same university. With a focus on innovation, the authors explore how practice-based, social learning in two different CoPs have supported local change in the organization and contributed to positive outcomes and improved processes. Taking a comparative approach, this chapter explores the practical process aspects associated with convening, facilitating, and maintaining two CoPs, including the varying influences of: scope, structure, leadership and convening, and engagement and participation. The authors discuss and compare how the innovation potential of a CoP is shaped by, and must adapt to, its specific context within the university.