Planning a Community of Practice

The roles below can be adapted for any context, whether you’re launching a new CoP or strengthening one that already exists.

Purpose: Guide with vision. Offer wisdom. Create space for people to thrive. A Steering Committee helps the CoP stay anchored in its purpose. This team shapes direction, builds trust across the community, and removes barriers to participation.

• Identify Key Stakeholders: Select individuals with influence, expertise relevant to the CoP’s purpose, and a genuine interest in its success to serve as the CoP’s steering committee. This might include community members, youth, community leaders from various organizations, and/or subject matter experts.
• Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline the committee’s purpose, including decision-making authority, frequency of meetings, and expectations for participation (e.g., approving curriculum, advocating for resources, mentoring CoP members).
• Establish Communication Channels: Determine how the committee will communicate with the CoP coordinator and, if applicable, directly with CoP members.
• Regular Meetings: Schedule consistent meetings to review progress, address challenges, and align the CoP’s activities with organizational goals.
• Championing: Encourage committee members to actively champion the CoP, promote its value, and help recruit participants.

Remember, leadership is about being in relationship with what’s unfolding.

Purpose: Support people as they navigate uncertainty and grow in their leadership. A skilled coach helps the CoP move through complexity with powerful questions. Their role is to build the group’s capacity to lead with humility, equity, and care.

• Identify a Qualified Coach: Seek a coach with experience in Adaptive Leadership principles, organizational development, and facilitating group dynamics. They should understand the nuances of fostering collaboration and learning.
• Define Coaching Scope: Determine whether the coach will primarily work with the CoP coordinator, the steering committee, or directly with CoP members during specific sessions.
• Integrate Coaching into CoP Activities: Plan for the coach’s involvement in key meetings, workshops, or problem-solving sessions to provide real-time guidance and facilitate adaptive learning.
• Focus on Capacity Building: The coach should aim to build the CoP’s internal capacity for adaptive problem-solving, rather than simply providing solutions.

The most transformative leadership asks “How do we grow through this together?”

Purpose: Hold the day-to-day heart of the CoP. This is where logistics meets relationships. The coordinator is the weaver. They manage logistics, build connection, and keep the rhythm of the CoP steady and welcoming.

• Select an Organized and Engaged Individual: Choose someone with strong organizational skills, excellent communication abilities, and a passion for the CoP’s subject matter. This person should be a natural connector.
• Develop a Detailed Job Description: Clearly define responsibilities, including managing membership, scheduling meetings, curating content, facilitating discussions, tracking progress, and communicating with all stakeholders.
• Provide Necessary Resources: Ensure the coordinator has access to tools (e.g., communication platforms, scheduling software), budget, and time allocation to effectively manage the CoP.
• Empowerment: Grant the coordinator sufficient autonomy to make operational decisions while staying aligned with the steering committee’s strategic direction.

The coordinator is a center of gravity, holding relationships, rhythm, and purpose in a way that lifts everyone. They lead from alongside, creating the conditions where each voice is honored and the whole can thrive.

Purpose: Bring in fresh perspective, tools, and knowledge from beyond the organization. External partners enrich the CoP through training, resources, and real-world practice. When approached with mutual respect, these partnerships can shift what’s possible.

• Define Collaboration Goals: Clearly articulate what you hope to achieve by partnering with an external organization (e.g., specific expertise, content, or methodological support).
• Engage for Content and Methodology: Collaborate to adapt their research, tools, or methodologies for the CoP’s specific context.
• Training and Workshops: Arrange for the partner to provide training to relevant CoP team members or CoP members on their expertise.
• Resource Sharing: Leverage their publications, research, and practical tools to enrich the CoP’s learning content and resources.
• Stipends:

When we invite others in with intention, we make the circle stronger.

Purpose: Help the CoP listen to its own story through evidence, reflection, and insight. Data is not just about numbers. It’s about patterns, learning, and accountability. A strong data lead helps the CoP understand where it’s been, where it’s growing, and where care is still needed.

• Identify a Data-Savvy Individual: Select someone with strong analytical skills, experience with data collection tools, and an understanding of how to translate data into actionable insights.
• Collaborate on Measurement Strategy: Work with the Data Lead to define key performance indicators (KPIs) for the CoP, aligning them with the CoP’s goals and program measurements.
• Develop Data Collection Mechanisms: Establish methods for collecting data (e.g., surveys, feedback forms, activity tracking, qualitative interviews).
• Regular Reporting: Plan for regular reports on CoP metrics, sharing insights with the steering committee, coordinator, and potentially CoP members.
• Iterative Improvement: Use data to inform adjustments to the CoP’s curriculum, activities, and overall strategy.

Data becomes powerful when it tells the truth of our communities and invites us to respond with love and learning.