My Journey with Communities of Practice

Hello, I’m Emilia Hogarth (née Cedeno). I’m a 42-year-old Ecuadorian who has been living in the UK for the past 16 years. My professional background is in procurement—I’ve had the privilege of working with companies like Kimberly-Clark, Coca-Cola, ICTSI, and even being part of the operational team at London 2012 Olympic Games. From procuring raw material to make nappies to beverages, cranes, and Olympic logistics, my career has been an exciting, diverse adventure.

A Beautiful Journey Begins

Over two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to discuss my community journey with Derek Alton during the monthly apolitical Global Communities meetup. I had planned to write a blog about this experience immediately, but I wasn’t feeling my best at the time. In hindsight, that delay was a blessing—it gave me time to reflect on the nearly eight years I’ve spent working within the UK government and the incredible journey I’ve embarked upon.

The Heart of Belonging

We all have an innate desire to belong. It’s a fundamental part of being human—to feel supported, to know there are people who cheer you on and help you through tough times. This mutual support helps us grow kinder and stronger, enabling us to face challenges and share our learnings with others.

In my view, communities of practice in any profession—especially within government—are built on this principle. As community managers, we have a significant responsibility: to help our members grow in capability while also seeing the person behind the role. By understanding each individual’s needs, struggles, and challenges, we can design learning experiences that genuinely enhance their skills. At the same time, we embody the core values that every public servant should strive for: trust and collaboration.

The Evolution of a Community

In the early years, I struggled to fully embrace the concept of communities of practice. They seemed nice, but I wondered how they could become more than just an add-on—how they could become a core objective. My breakthrough came when I recognised that a Community of Practice (CoP) can serve as a powerful Learning and Development intervention. With formal learning outcomes, targets, and KPIs, a CoP doesn’t just generate positive feedback—it creates measurable capability uplift and secures buy-in from leadership.

Today, our community has grown to 8,000 members, and we’re entering an exciting phase where members are starting to drive the agenda and share their own best practices.

Key Lessons from My Journey

Throughout this journey, I’ve distilled a few key messages that have guided me:

• Make an Impact with Authenticity: ‘People may forget what you say, but they will always remember how you made them feel’ -*Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Be authentic and unapologetically yourself.
• Prioritise User Needs: Just as you wouldn’t give water to someone who’s hungry, always focus on what your community members truly need. Let their needs guide your priorities.
• Embrace the Rhythm: Understand your community’s busy and quiet periods. It’s perfectly okay for a community to be quiet for a while—everyone needs time to digest and realign.
• Keep Your Mission Close: Remember, this is all about helping people grow. It’s an incredible opportunity and a significant responsibility—let that sink in.
• Build Your Support Network: Surround yourself with supporters who uplift you, both privately and publicly.
• Treat Your Strategy as Sacred: Your strategy is your bible. Revisit, adapt, and refine it regularly—I read mine at least once a week.
• Invest in Your Team: Choose your team carefully and fight for them. Ignite the same passion in them that drives you, and life will be much easier.
• Invest in your superusers/core members: Choose them carefully and keep them up to date with the community plans.
• Demonstrate Value: Always be ready to show the tangible benefits of your work.
• Stay Informed: Join forums and communities to stay updated on what others are doing.

Recommended Reads

For those looking to dive deeper into the world of communities of practice, here are a few books that have inspired me:

• How to Build Successful Communities of Practice by Emily Webber

• Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning & Identity by Etienne Wenger

• Humankind by Rutger Bergman

This journey has taught me that communities of practice are not only about sharing knowledge but also about fostering genuine human connections. They provide a platform for mutual growth, enabling us to learn from each other and drive meaningful change in our organisations. I hope my reflections inspire you to nurture and build communities that truly empower their members.