As universities change in response to their environment, so also do staff roles. In parallel with these changes, in recent years there has been significant incremental growth of provision designed to support the learning and development of university staff in the United Kingdom, so that several intersecting but distinct development communities now exist. It is timely to consider what approaches to development support are now appropriate to help sustain and enhance the capacity of universities in the future. A model is proposed, with four main aspects--inclusion, strategy, integration and scholarship. Existing development communities are considered in relation to the model. A new concept of development community is advocated, aligned with the proposed model. A research agenda is also proposed, to inform thinking and practice about university work. (Contains 5 notes.)