Here are some basic principles that we hope will help you find your community at Stanford —or if yours doesn't exist yet, start one!
For practitioners, by practitioners
Communities of Practice work when they are attended by professionals that share a particular job function. When people that do the same work in different environments get together, share what works, and share discrete practices, it can be a very rewarding experience. CoPs are learning communities.
CoPs exist only as long as they provide value
We have heard from some would-be community leaders that they worry about an unknown time commitment. CoPs are learning communities, unofficial networks that people find time to attend because they are worth it, and what we learn make us more effective at our jobs. Think of starting a new CoP as an experiment. If value exists, people will keep coming. If not, close up shop. It’s a perfectly acceptable outcome to try to start a community, and have it not last. Experiments are worth trying.
You are already authorized to create a new community
Any staff member can start a Community of Practice. Regardless of which unit you work for, or seniority level —there is no official requirement that you have to meet to qualify as a community organizer. We hereby give you permission to start your own community! Many such communities already exist all over campus. We want to make them easier to find, and to start, because that’s good for Stanford.
Choose a meeting frequency
Running a Community of Practice does not have to be a huge time commitment. Only meet as often as is practical. It can be once a month, once a quarter, or twice a year; whatever works best for your community.
Choose a membership policy
Most Stanford CoPs are open to membership from all interested Stanford staff and faculty members without restriction; however, if it makes strategic sense for your community to be small and restricted to a certain group of individuals, that is a perfectly acceptable policy. Just explain your membership criteria to help others understand if they need a recommendation or other qualifications to join. A mailing list is a great way for people to participate peripherally, and one of the defining characteristics of a Community of Practice is learning through peripheral participation.
Choose a communication channel
Whether its a mailing list, monthly in-person meetup, a website, or whatever, it doesn’t really matter so long as it works for your group. Less is more, think about what it will be like to maintain your choices six months from now.