Collaboration can happen directly or indirectly. They use one another as sounding boards, teachers and learners. CoP's contain a diverse group of people that are engaged in a task over a period of time. Together the community builds things, solves problems, learns from each other,invents new things, and shares the groups expertise and knowledge. A commitment to knowledge, problem solving, learning, and building can take many forms depending on what those inside the circle are committed to at that time.
Newbies come to the circle of old timers with their own ideas.
These ideas are made a part of the circle as they are discussed and enveloped. These ideas become a part of every individual within the circle. Yet, these ideas are ever changing as they are synthesized by each member. The knowledge within the CoP continually changes as each colleagues practice continually grows and evolves. When you mix mentoring and CoP's the mixture provides a larger community working collaboratively toward shared, significant goals.