This is the most succinct description of a community of practice I've come across in a very long time. Thanks for this, Harold.

I'm a huge proponent of communities of practice (CoPs). They help us access the knowledge that will help us improve our practice. They help us share our own knowledge and even discover what implicit knowledge lies within us. Ultimately, they help us make sense out of what we do and how we improve what we do. CoPs are a fantastic way to connect in an increasingly connected world where finding knowledge of value can be a challenge.

I completely agree with your point that CoPs are not compulsory and we ought not be appointed by management to join and participate in them. In my view, hanging out in the periphery is just as valuable as contributing in the core of a CoP. Once we are mandated to participate this is no longer an option.

I think CoPs can be effective within a corporate environment and are often successful when supported by the corporation's management; however, once they are mandated, I feel CoPs then become something else. The benefit of a CoP is natural learning and, in my opinion, once we are mandated to participate in a CoP the natural evolution of how we learn and what learn is changed. We are no longer part of a CoP, but we are part of something else.

So, the value of a CoP is that they are a comprised of a group of people with a common purpose and allow participants to contribute to and access a body of knowledge at levels they are comfortable with. Value is driven by a desire and need to share problems, challenges, experiences, insights, templates, tools, and best practices (the list can go on). We deepen our knowledge through interaction in order to improve our understanding and our practice.

I'm left with these questions: Can this be possible if we are mandated to participate? Do we receive the full value of what CoPs truly offer? Should management merely support the learning process rather than trying to control it?

* I've found this fact sheet, by Etienne Wenger, very helpful when thinking about the value I obtain from belonging to a CoP: http://www.ewenger.com/theory/start-up_guide_PDF.pdf