Table 3 Three perspectives on CoPs and their potential application in healthcare service improvement
| Â | Analytical perspective | Instrumental perspective | Developmental perspective |
|---|---|---|---|
Purpose | A theoretical heuristic to analyse practice, meaning, identity and learning | A knowledge management tool aiming to deliberately engineer, or ‘cultivate’ CoPs | Analysis of relevant CoPs and their characteristics accompanied by the facilitation of their development |
Types of CoPs prioritised | Existing or naturally emerging, organic, often uniprofessional | Deliberate, often multiprofessional and/or multi-organisational | Multiple, overlapping CoPs forming wider landscapes of practice |
Potential application | Researching boundaries, identities and their influence on knowledge sharing; informing theory-driven implementation interventions [17] | Delivering joint projects by CoPs comprised of committed and legitimate members, placed in favourable context and supported by infrastructure and resources [55] | Implementing service improvement interventions in complex multiprofessional and multi-organisational contexts with numerous barriers to knowledge sharing |