In late 2023, my colleagues Luis Suarez, Patrick Lodge and I embarked on an experiment. We set up an international online community of practice.
Why did we do this?
It’s no exaggeration to say most online social networks have become toxic in recent years.
From politics to pandemic responses to religious and scientific beliefs – wherever there is the possibility of a difference of opinion, people are increasingly divided and tribal in what they believe. We now know, of course, that these divisions have been deliberately massaged and fuelled by the malicious intent of bad actors who have weaponised social media to undermine democracy.
And it has worked. The willingness and opportunity to consider alternative viewpoints shrinks by the day, trolling is rife and cancel culture is now the norm.
But since 2020, global societal, economic, political and environmental challenges have only escalated and become more complex. How we educate, how we care for others, how we work, how we protect the environment, how we enact our civic responsibilities and increasingly, how we create social and economic value without causing harm – these are huge questions that demand deep contemplation, connection, collaboration and ongoing enquiry. Across the board, urgent rethink and reform is needed.
To preserve the most essential and healthful aspects of how we live and work, a transdisciplinary approach is needed to harness collective intelligence. To build more sustainable, inclusive and equitable societal systems, we must harness plurality of perspective to access a full spectrum of consideration.
Rather than retrench into tribal siloes, we must convene, share stories, experiences and perspectives. We must integrate diverse viewpoints to amass a broader body of understanding and knowledge.
This isn’t easy. It requires active, non-judgemental listening and respectful, inclusive discourse. It requires curiosity, empathy and love. To quote Jennifer Sertl, conversation IS the work.
But having online conversations that challenge the status quo can be fraught with tension and antagonism. It’s hard to share your truth or ask legitimate and hard questions if you fear a public pile-on.
So, a primary goal for us in creating a community of practice was to create a safe space for human-to-human connection, information and knowledge sharing. We wanted to create a psychologically safe space where people feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and experiences with one another.
For Luis, Pat and I, our interest lies in advocating for distributed and asynchronous ways of working that is already shaping the future of work. But new ways of working are by nature experimental and there’s no playbook for the transition. As the nature of work transforms, innovative ways of organising must be identified, introduced and optimised. We need the curious and the brave to imagine, craft and curate new frameworks for creating very different kinds of value.
What is a community of practice?
To understand the value derived from a community of practice, it helps to understand what one is. The concept was first proposed by Swiss educational theorist Étienne Wenger, who describes a community of practice as:
“Formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor: a tribe learning to survive, a band of artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar problems, a clique of pupils defining their identity in the school, a network of surgeons exploring novel techniques, a gathering of first-time managers helping each other cope.”
“In a nutshell,” he writes, “communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”
As the world becomes increasingly complex and unpredictable, we must continuously adapt and flex to new circumstances, as they arise. This is exhausting though, not least when we lack the time and space to make sense of our experiences. It’s unsurprising burnout is on the rise.
When curated with care, a professional community of practice provides members with a safe space where they can discuss their challenges, learn from one another and improve the way they practice their specialism.
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Scroll down to discover more about asynco, our community of practice, as well as information on upcoming free webinars on communities of practice, and how to download our latest future of work guides and reports.
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Why are communities of practice necessary?
When there is no playbook, the best way for professionals to evolve their skills, competencies and capabilities is to share their interests, observations and experiences with others within their discipline. Collective sensemaking enhances peer learning.
Convening to discuss news, events, projects, videos, podcasts and books is helpful and energising. Humans are hardwired for connection and social learning instils a sense of wellbeing, even as external environments feel increasingly unnerving and hostile.
A career spent in technology staffing taught me that community always trumps rugged individualism. Within the mobile communications industry, I witnessed first-hand the elevated performance of engineering teams as they bonded socially in the race to meet tight deadlines in uncharted territories.
What I’ve learned about facilitating a community of practice
I’ve not found a rule book for facilitating a community of practice, so in the spirit of working out loud (h/t John Stepper), let me share three things I think I’ve learned so far.
1. Communities of practice are living, adaptive systems
Any collective or group of people is a living, adaptive system. People will always self-organise. As such, it’s wrong to think that any community should be ‘managed’. Were we to try and do so, we would inevitably lose the magic that manifests when people come together to share stories and ideas. While community curation is needed, the real beauty of a community of practice lies in the spontaneous, emergent and wholly unpredictable ways in which people cocreate without intervention. It truly is something to witness.
2. I don’t really know anything
I’ve spent the past eight years learning all I can about the trends transforming work. And while I’ve learned more than most, being part of a community of practice has helped me see I’m still very much scratching the surface. There is so much to learn from others.
We may like to think of ourselves as knowledgeable experts within our niches. Yet the nuance and context experienced by others adds so much richness to understanding.
There is no one lens through which to contemplate the future of work. Why should my proposed design of a viable work future be transferable across borders and boundaries?
3. We are so much stronger together
In the short time since we first set up our community, the world has been rocked by war in Gaza, extreme weather events, a second Trump administration and more. The old systems and forms of governance are disintegrating and it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next. This isn’t a time for power, command and control. Instead, it’s a time for deep empathy, bearing witness and strengthening human connections.
Whenever I find myself struggling for an answer to a question that’s puzzling me, I now have a community I can turn to, without fear, shame or embarrassment of not having the answer. A hive mind if you will.
As a community, we show up as humble learners. Each time we are asked to clarify in more detail the question we ask the group, moves our collective knowledge on. Each different perspective matters. In this sense, facilitating the community isn’t work – it’s a deep joy and privilege and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.
Summary
As the world shifts, it’s short-sighted to imagine any one individual can possess enough knowledge and situational awareness to have all the answers. Being able to access and leverage collective intelligence is a superpower.
More importantly, being part of a community is both comforting and enriching. There’s something very restorative about knowing you have a network to call on whenever you are grappling with a novel problem. Or indeed to cheer you on when you are experimenting with something new.
Being part of a community of practice is, in my view, a vital element of surviving and thriving in the future of work.
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Business transformation isn’t the latest software or project tool. Lasting organisational change happens conversation by conversation...
So, if you’d like to explore anything we've touched on in this blog or discuss any other aspects of the future of work, please do get in touch.
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