Chapter 11: Practice: How the Community Works

In this chapter, the authors clarify and explain in plain words the concept of practice – practice is the way we work together. The abstract descriptions of mutual engagement, shared repertoire, and joint enterprise are explained through practical examples. The authors distinguish the practice and domain components. About 13 traditional and 8 new methods for creating an effective practice are described. Finally, the authors explain how practice interacts with and affects the other three components.

Practice is the secret sauce of a community of practice (CoP). When it works well, the community works well. When it is not there, no amount of support, sponsorship, promotion, or resources will make it work well. Practice is at once simple and complex – it describes how people work together. But it is not just a matter of cooperation or synchronization. Practice is often confused by lay people as a process – what we do. Rather, it is how we do something. It is not just about the steps but about how people engage when they are doing something together. As Wenger conceived, practice represents a deep level of mutual engagement, shared repertoire, and joint enterprise. For a CoP to achieve its potential in a knowledge economy, its practice must be healthy at every stage of its life span.