By the Capability Strategy and Insights team at the APS Academy
Communities can thrive under the right conditions, but they can also be horrible in the wrong conditions. Let’s take a look at getting the ingredients and environment right for a community to strive, specifically a Community of Practice (CoP).
The definition of a community is a social unit with a shared socially significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs or identity. A CoP aims to bring people together and share common values about a subject or theme.
There are a lot of CoP groups in the APS, some are small, some large. Like ordering an entrée at a large restaurant, the choice is abundant. If you a looking at setting up a CoP, there are a few things to consider before starting. Let’s look at 6 of them:
- Firstly, what is the CoP aiming to do? What is the core value or thing that will bond the members together? Getting a clear purpose or mission statement will help ground the CoP but also members understand what they are getting involved with. The CoP needs to have a soul and this will cement it moving forward. Stop: do not pass Go! While going through this process you may find that you don’t actually need a CoP, perhaps what you are trying to achieve is already being done through other mechanisms? What problem are you trying to solve?
- Is there a similar CoP around already? The idea of creating a CoP is like a spark in the night for those of us who want to solve the problems of the world, but it’s remarkable how many CoPs are already in place. Do some searching on GovTEAMS and reach out to other agencies or departments. Like the APS Dungeons and Dragons CoP, they can be hard to find, but let’s not reinvent the wheel, no matter how tempting.
- Understand how members will communicate with each other. What platform will be used? How easy will it be for members to communicate with each other? Reducing communication barriers will lead to a more successful CoP.
- Terms and conditions. The internet can get pretty wild at times, think keyboard warrior. While we serve under existing APS values and codes of conduct its good to set expectations early about what behaviour and content that is expected within the group.
- Plan – what will the Community do over the next 3, 6, 12 months. Involve the community within the planning, as it is their community. What events do they want to hold? Will there be face to face events or just virtual?
- Moderator commitment. While it takes a village to raise a child, there still needs to be a parent or carer. Understand how much time you have or how much time is required to get things off the ground, moderate conversations and undertake reviews or reporting. A lot of CoPs fail to last 12 months. It’s important to have the resources to support a CoP and executive buy-in. Having them champion and sponsor the CoP can make a massive difference to whether it will be successful or not.
After considering all of the above, you still want to progress; go for it! It can be very rewarding and one that can not only build your networks, but the networks of all of the CoP members. If you would like further assistance or advice please reach out to Adrian.Manning@apsc.gov.au or APSAcademy@apsc.gov.au