Category: Community of Practice

“There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” 

That’s the first line of Margaret Wheatley’s poem entitled, “Turning to One Another.”  As I read this poem recently, I found it deeply resonated with me and inspired a bit of soul searching as I reconnected with the value of community in my own life.

The next lines are, 

Ask “What’s possible?,” not “What’s wrong?”

Keep asking.

Notice what you care about.

Assume that many others share your dreams.

2020 has had a way of bringing into the light what we care about, hasn’t it? Some of the things we previously viewed as necessary, we’ve probably discarded. Whereas, other things, we may have taken for granted before, now have much deeper value. 

For me, one big shift has been my schedule. After years of 9-5 programming, I’ve discarded these routine hours in favor of listening to my client’s needs and matching my availability to meet theirs. Truly a gift of time that allows me to delve more deeply into my focus on collaboration. Another unexpected blessing came about when I was needed to support my daughters with the distance learning needs of my grandchildren. What a fantastic opportunity to spend time with my “grands”, as I call them, and tune into their strengths and coach them through the obstacles of remote learning. 

More than ever, the world needs to explore new solutions. Practices that worked well before in business, health care, education, government, may not be working so well now. Which is why we need functioning Communities of Practice (CoPs). A Community of Practice is a space for ideas, the generation of possibilities, and permission to explore out-of-the-box solutions. 

Technology has opened up the possibility of “long-distance” Communities of Practice. There are new CoPs starting virtually, while others are adapting their communities for virtual meetings. It’s exciting to see, all over the world, new Communities of Practice are being created to meet the changing needs of our society. 

In my last post, I discussed how CoPs can continue to have productive meetings during the quarantine. However, I’m finding there are new challenges that need to be addressed. The key to successful meetings is the same as it’s always been: appropriate guidelines or norms. Why is there most likely a need for revised guidelines now? 

The world didn’t stop turning when we all went into quarantine. I live in California and we’ve been sheltering in place for several weeks now and I’ve been working for Touro University from home. I’m sure you’d agree that there’s a pressing need for community and the interaction, learning, and problem-solving it can provide in these chaotic times. 

It’s been interesting to watch Communities of Practice (CoPs) spring into existence to meet these new challenges. For example, I’m seeing how educators are seeing the need to remain connected. They are forming CoPs to quickly share strategies on setting up virtual classrooms, reinforce the bonds they established in person, and connect with other teachers who share similar challenges and can provide creative solutions.

The medical field is also seeing the need for Communities of Practice. For instance, the COVID-19 Clinical Council has established 23 multidisciplinary clinical communities of practice across key clinical specialties to support the response to COVID-19. 

Luckily, we’ve acquired technology in the past few years that can help us to move forward, pandemic notwithstanding. If used effectively, there’s no reason why we can’t be just as productive in quarantine as we are in-person. The operative words being if used effectively.