If you’re new to Communities of Practice (CoPs), this online workshop will be a great introduction.

Communities of Practice are a fantastic way to bring people together around a shared practice. They enable shared learning that can make a big difference to the members’ ability to accomplish what they want, both individually and collectively.

Groups of individuals with shared goals and responsibilities can work together and develop their practice to improve care. The approach focuses on people and the social structures that enable them to learn with and from each other, facilitating innovative ways of working and transformational change.

In contrast with more traditional improvement approaches, that tend to be top-down driven and micro-metric managed, Communities of Practice are self-organising and self-managing.

But how can you build a successful Community of Practice?

We’ll be joined by two experts in developing and supporting NHS Communities of Practice:

• Myron Rogers, Independent Systems Change Consultant
• Cleo Butterworth, Associate Clinical Director: Patient Safety, Health Innovation Network

Myron and Cleo have spent years supporting people to build and lead thriving Communities of Practice. Together they will take you through the basics of CoPs; what they are, who they’re for and why they are such an effective approach to improving care across the health and social care landscape.

You will gain a comprehensive understanding of CoPs, including their strategic importance in the NHS and their potential for fostering a culture of continuous improvement. We’ll share insights on where they naturally emerge and how to identify the need for them. Cleo and Myron will take us through the practical knowledge needed for convening and enhancing a CoP, empowering you to take actionable steps for knowledge exchange and collaboration with others in your field of practice.

Read more about the speakers

• Myron E. Rogers is an author, speaker and consultant with a practice in large-scale organization change and leadership development. His consulting practice is grounded in the practical application of systems theory to the complex organizations of today. He co-authored the best-selling and award-winning A Simpler Way (Berrett-Koehler) with Margaret J. Wheatley and is lead author of Leading Change Across System Boundaries. His work has appeared in many edited books and publications.  He currently supports the integrated health and care initiatives across the United Kingdom, as well as strategic change initiatives in organisations around the world. He is also known for “Myron’s Maxims”, simple rules for complex change.  His work is high engagement, radical co-creation of the future.  Myron was an early adopter of Communities of Practice for both culture change and practice improvement in health and care, education, local government.
• Cleo Butterworth is currently the Associate Clinical Director for Patient Safety at the Health Innovation Network. Her ambition is to promote collaborative and partnership working across traditional boundaries, that enables transformational and sustainable change. With a background in pharmacy she is passionate about the medicines optimisation agenda and its potential to deliver truly patient-centred, safe and effective coordinated care. She has helped launch thriving communities of practice on areas including Medicines Optimisation, and also leads Q’s popular Communities of Practice Leadership Development Programme, supporting many Q members to develop their own Communities of Practice.

This workshop is the second in our series: How to build and lead effective networks and communities. Find out more about the other workshops in the series, covering topics including Network Weaving and Systems Convening.