1.Etienne Wenger
Learning for a small planet
P.O. Box 810 North San Juan, CA 95960, U.S.A.
Phone(530) 292-9222
E-mailetienne@ewenger.comWebsite: www.ewenger.com
Communities of practice
a social discipline of learning
......................................

2. A social discipline of learning
Key dimensions
Sponsorship
Meaning
Domain
Identity
Nurturing
Participation
Learningtogether
Community
Practice
Boundaries
Competence/power
Support
3. A social discipline of learning
Key processes
Reflect andself-design
Meaning
Identity
Domain
Push practiceforward
Bring practice in
Learningtogether
Community
Practice
Boundaries
Competence/power
Create self-representation
In collaboration with Beverly Trayner
4. Learning activities
Exchanges
Productive inquiries
Building shared understanding
Producing assets
Creating standards
Formal access to knowledge
Visits
Outsidesources
Pointers to resources
News
Informal
Information
1
Hot topicdiscussions
Stories
Broadcast inquiry
Tips
3
Debates
Exploringideas
Readinggroup
Document sharing
2
Jointevents
Case clinics
Documentingpractice
Eachother
With
Guests
From
Project and
after-actionreviews
Jointresponse
Collections
Visits
7
4
Field trips
Problem solving
Learningprojects
Formalpracticetransfer
Boundarycollaboration
Practice fairs
6
Mutual benchmark
Helpdesk
5
Models of practice
Trainingand workshops
Warranting
Formal
External benchmark
Invited
speaker
Systematicscan
5. Community profilesas patterns of togetherness
Orientations
meetings
projects
open-ended conversation
access to
expertise
content publishing
Community activities oriented to
individual
participation
relationships
context
community
cultivation
In collaboration with Nancy White and John Smith
2006 Wenger, White, and Smith
6. Forms of participation
a common picture
transactional
outsiders
lurkers
peripheral
occasional
experts
alumni
active
beginners
core group
leaders
coordinator
sponsors
7. An ecology of leadership
community nurturing roles

Coordinator

8. Subgroup leader 9. Cybrarian 10. Technology stewardCommunity roles

Convener

11. Core group member 12. Subject matter expert 13. Networker/weaver 14. Broker 15. Outpost/scout 16. QuestionerMember roles
Support roles

Facilitator

17. Assistant 18. Help desk attendant 19. JournalistElected
Volunteer
Consensus
Appointed
Tacit
Emergent
Assigned
Rotation
Self-selected
20. A learning partnership
Lifecycle and evolution
It involves responsibilities
It becomes an entity in its own right
private and public
It is voluntary
communalidentity
long-termviability
It is fun
recognizedstewardship
Maturing
Sustaining
Coalescing
It takes initiative
Transforming
It evolves
ongoinglegacy
Potential
commonground
It depends on renewed passion
It takes hard work and careful nurturing
A community is a living entity not unlike a couple