How to set up a Community of Practice ( CoP ) for Nutritionists
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Transcript of How to set up a Community of Practice ( CoP ) for Nutritionists
How to set up a Community of Practice (CoP) for Nutritionists
See What is a CoP and how do I use this resource?
• You have decided to set up a COP for nutrition professionals- Great!
• The aim of this presentation is to guide you on how to create a successful and sustainable CoP
• We hope to offer you practical tips and help you navigate common issues
• Plus provide you with useful resources via hyperlinks
Introduction
See Why a Community of Practice?
• Setting up a CoP can be divided into these steps1. Inquire2. Design3. Prototype4. Launch5. Grow6. Sustain7. Evaluate
Introduction
• Domain- a particular shared Nutrition interest• Community- a group of people (Nutrition
professionals from a specific health field or region)
• Practice- practical implications and applications of professional knowledge
Key Definitions
• Make a case to employers to allow you to dedicate time to a CoP
• Potential benefits to organisations include: – Employee efficiency, in terms of time and cost, in
retrieving information– Industry benchmarking capacity– Involvement in key industry and national initiatives– Organisational reputation as a contributor in building
new capabilities– Increase access and use of evidence
Inquire
Summary of the advantages of a CoP
Inquire
See CoP versus other forms of professional development
Short-term value Long-term value
• Help with challenges• Access to expertise• Confidence• Fun with colleagues• Meaningful work
• Personal development• Reputation• Professional identify• Network• Marketability
• Problem solving• Time saving• Knowledge sharing• Synergies across units• Resuse of resources
• Strategic capabilities• Keeping abreast• Innovation• Retention of talents• New strategiesO
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• Draft charter or group guidelines with three to five members including:– Mission– Scope – Goals– Objectives– Participant expectations
See CoP Charter Template
Design
• Identify leaders in your CoP– Find a skilful and reputable coordinator that has an
interest in the domain• Allocate two primary roles
– Community leader: Takes overall organisational responsibility for the CoP. Helps the group stay focused and aligned with the charter
– Community sponsor: encourages member participation and access to technology or resources
See Case for Sponsorship Brief
Design
• Subject Matter (domain) of CoP– Identify topical/controversial/common issues
related to the circumstances of the profession– Groups are best for problem solving – Find Subject Matter Expertise (SME). These will
be people who are considered knowledgeable and leaders in identified domains
See SME Tip Sheet
Design
• Subject matter expertise: The CoP for PHNs working with remote retail stores aimed
to increase access to the evidence base for this unique and newly emerging field
This included access to six experienced professionals who previously and currently work in the field, at different times during the groups existence
Sessions were conversational in nature allowing members to ask questions of such experts where they may not have had access or felt comfortable to do so in another professional development forum
Case Study
• Choose a facilitator to keep conversations focused, relevant and inclusive. There are many different ways to do this, some options include:– Most experienced person facilitates/chairs
meetings– Facilitators rotate monthly or each session
See Facilitation Tip Sheet
Design
• Consider timing of meetings– Frequency ideally six weekly to ensure no long
gap between meets– Duration (depending on size of group ~two
hours)– Face-to-face meetings (this can especially be
useful for members in rural/remote areas, trying to meet 1x year i.e. at a major national professional conference once per year
Design
• Communication: consider accessibility, cost, reliability, practicability– Video/audio conferencing e.g.
• Google Chat (free)• Adobe (cost) – lets users present documents and
screen share• Skype (cost for group conference)
– Telephone– Face to faceSee Technology Tool Comparison
Design
• Management of knowledge– Record of meetings e.g. allocate a scribe– Inform members who miss sessions– Have a way to follow up on issues raised for
future meetings– Prompt dialogue between meetings through
chat room or emails– Encourage sharing of reflections whilst they
occur in the workplace
Design
• It is time to test the CoP out with the core members – Refine method of communication and technology
tools the community will use– Ensure each core member’s role is clear– Go through “case scenarios” to test the
functionality of meetings A group of remote Public Health Nutritionists may test out
their CoP with a topic like ‘The process of developing a store nutrition policy’
Prototype
• Use the below templates as one example of how to get the word out to potential members
• To recruit members try– Emailing past and present colleagues – Social and research network sites such as Facebook,
ResearchGate, Linkedin, Twitter– Professional bodies i.e. DAA, PHAA, Nutrition Society of
Australia and special interest groups within these bodies
See Formation Announcement TemplateSee Invitation Approach
Launch
• Membership– Consider the size of your group, evidence
suggests groups of around ten are most manageable
– Use the template below to track membership skills, contact details
See Membership Tracking Template
Launch
• Aim to increase participation and member contribution:– Create subgroups to support emerging group activities– Publicise successes and encourage sharing of stories
from the front line– Consider rewards for participation such as CPD points
(may need to involve and discuss with professional bodies i.e. DAA)
– Involve experts and develop the evidence base with research and university bodies
See Maximising group effectiveness
Grow
• Value the work of communities– Actively encourage ideas, sharing of knowledge
• Create a newsletter to summarise activities of the CoP and to plan for next meetings
• Keep stakeholders and your organisation informed of your involvement
See Newsletter templateSee Sustaining a CoP
Sustain
• Individual and/or group reflection and evaluationSee Evaluation interview guide• Employ the Most significant change techniqueSee MSC guide• Facilitator diariesSee Evaluating a CoP
Evaluate
• The creation and evolution of a CoP can be broken down into simple steps.
• Use the hyperlinks to help you set up your CoP but remember they are just a guide. It is important to just work with what suits the groups needs.
• Aim to create a CoP that empowers its nutrition members and encourages them to Collaborate, Apply, Support and Engage for lifelong learning and career development.
Go and set up your own CoP
Summary