Communities of practice: still here, more relevant than ever

Emily Webber has been working with communities of practice for over a decade. Her communities of practice book and tools have become a standard reference for practitioners across the industry.

She first spoke at Agile Cambridge about her journey with communities of practice in 2014, and this year she returns, with a second edition of her book published and ten more years of seeing what actually happens when organisations try to make communities work. The world of work has changed considerably in that time. Communities of practice have not just survived those changes. They have become more relevant because of them. In an age of AI, human connection and shared learning matter more than ever.

Her thinking has not been overturned in that time, but it has been sharpened and expanded. In this talk, Emily shares her practical strategies for building communities of practice that actually work and explores the systems and conditions in which they thrive.

Participant takeaways:

• An understanding of the benefits of communities of practice
• Practical tools they can use straight away
• An understanding of the phases of a community of practice
• A clear next step, whatever stage their community is at