Ways of Working Nudge

Communities of Practice (CoPs) are a powerful way to foster continuous learning, connect passionate innovators, and create momentum for change. They enable champions to self-identify themselves and form inclusive social groups that anyone can opt into.

The Law of Two Feet applies: those who show up are the right people. Arrive when you want, leave when you want. Change is a social activity.

Patterns for effective CoPs:
✅ Participation is always voluntary
✅ At least two co-chairs (for resilience and continuity)
✅ A small organising committee (<10 people)
✅ Meet at least every 2 weeks (monthly is too infrequent, miss one, and it’s every 2 months)
✅ Maintain a shared backlog of learning sessions with Q&A
✅ Keep the invite open, anyone can join
✅ Honour the Law of Two Feet
✅ Store artefacts and recordings in a persistent space (e.g. Teams folder)
✅ Use an async chat channel (e.g. Slack, Teams, WhatsApp) for easy access to peers and expertise

CoPs are a great ninja move to scale learning, make a large organisation seem smaller, to identify and support natural champions, with agency and invitation, appealing to intrinsic motivation.

LinkedIn post here, Bluesky here, Threads here

Regards, Jon