17 value delivery mechanisms for Communities of Practice

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Here's a list we made a while ago, in conjunction with Adel Al-Terkait, of the different mechanisms by which a community of practice can add value to an organisation. No doubt you can think of more!

1. Solve problems for each other 
2. Learning before 
3. Learning during 
4. Learning after 
5. Benchmark performance with each other 
6. Exchanging resources 
7. Collaborating on purchasing (buying things that any one member could not justify) 
8. Collaborating on contracts (using the purchasing power of the community) 
9. Cooperating on trials and pilots 
10. Sharing results of studies 
11. Exchanging equipment (re-use old equipment, share spares) 
12. Warning of risks 
13. Mentoring and coaching each other 
14. Building and maintaining documented Best Practices 
15. Developing checklists and templates 
16. Identifying knowledge retention issues 
17. Identifying training gaps and collaborating on training provision 
18. Innovation – new products, services or opportunities