Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma Definitions

Glossary terms, history, people and definitions about Lean and Six Sigma

Community of Practice (COP)

Communities of Practice (CoPs) are informal groups of people who share a common interest or goal in a specific professional area, subject or topic. They collaborate regularly (in-person or virtually) to share knowledge and best practices, solve problems, and improve their area of expertise. Most commonly seen in business settings, these self-organizing groups serve to share knowledge in ways that bypass or supplement existing organizational structures,

The concept was first proposed by cognitive anthropologist Jean Lave and educational theorist Etienne Wenger in their 1991 book Situated Learning.

Examples of CoPs:


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  • Functional: HR professionals discussing talent management approaches
  • Technical: Software developers sharing coding best practices
  • Industry-focused: Retail managers exchanging customer service techniques
  • Methodological: Project managers refining agile implementation strategies

For example, a manufacturing company might establish the following communities:

  • Industrial Engineers
  • Process Improvement
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Product Families
  • Human Resources
  • Surface Mount Technology (SMT)
  • Green Workplace / Sustainability
  • Safety
  • AutoCAD
  • Community Outreach
  • Facilities
  • Project Management

Key criteria of CoPs

  • Voluntary participation based on shared passion and expertise
  • Cross-functional membership that often spans departments and hierarchies
  • Practice-centered rather than project or task-centered
  • Organic development rather than top-down creation
  • Continuous knowledge exchange through regular interaction

Business Benefits

  • Accelerated problem-solving through collective intelligence
  • Reduced “reinventing the wheel” by sharing solutions across teams
  • Enhanced innovation through cross-pollination of ideas
  • Preserved institutional knowledge beyond individual employees
  • Improved employee engagement and professional development
  • Bridged silos between departments or geographic locations
  • Decreasing the learning curve for new employees
  • Responding more rapidly to customer needs and inquiries
  • Generating new ideas for products and services

Keys to success for CoPs:

  • Leadership support without micromanagement
  • Dedicated time for participation
  • Recognition of contributions
  • Simple collaboration tools
  • Clear purpose and value proposition
  • Skilled community facilitators

Unlike teams with specific deliverables or formal committees, CoPs focus on knowledge development and sharing rather than specific outputs, creating significant long-term value by strengthening the organization’s collective capabilities and expertise.

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