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CSC CONFIDENTIAL – Not to be reproduced without prior permission from Civil Service College

Communities Of Practice



Gopinathan is a Principal Consultant with the Civil Service College (CSC). He has

worked with several public agencies to help educate and implement Communities of

Practice (CoP). He continually engages CoP leaders to provide advice and build a body

of knowledge on cultivating CoPs. He has co-facilitated workshops with Prof Etienne

Wenger who is a globally recognised thought leader in the field of CoP. He conducts a

module on CoP for the Master of Science (KM) programme offered by Nanyang

Technological University. He is also experienced in developing and implementing

information and Knowledge Management (KM) systems for Private and Public Service

organisations. He is a certified corporate KM trainer by Knowledge Associates Ltd,Cambridge UK and has developed and delivered KM training workshops offered by

CSC. His recent achievements include the development of a KM roadmap for the

Singapore Public Service and publishing a book on KM for the Singapore Public Service.

A speaker at several conferences and seminars, Gopi is often called upon as a resource

person for KM and CoP within the Singapore Public Service.

Biodata




4

Agenda

IntroductionDefinition of CoP

Stories of CoPs

Basic Model of CoP

Community Cultivation Issues

Organisational Issues to Support CoP

CoPs in Public Service – what worked well, challenges

Q&A





A Community Of Practice is….

… a self-governed group of people, who

• share challenges, passion or interest

• interact regularly

• learn from and with each other

•

improve their ability to do what they care about




• To help each other solve problems

• To hear each other s stories and avoid localblindness

• To keep up with change

• To reflect on their practice and improve it

• To build shared understanding

• To find a voice and gain strategic influence

Practitioners need a community

When have you experienced this?



Negotiation of

relevant issues

Provider

Recipient

Different from traininghorizontal learning partnership anchored in

practice



F e d e r al M i ni s t r y A

F e d e r al M i ni s t r y C

F e d e r al M i ni s t r y B

F e d e r al M i ni s t r y D F e d e r al M i ni s t r y E

B i o l o g i c a l

R a d i o l o g i c a l - N u c l e a r

C h e m i c a l

E x p l o s i v e s

F o r e ns i c s

P E M P AL

Municipalculturalplanning

Ontario

leading municipalities

provincialservice

organizations

NGOs

government

departments

and agencies

AustralianSecurity and Investment Commission

Seven directorates

E x e c u t i v e

O p er a t i on s

C om pl i an c e

C on s um er

pr o t e c t i on

E nf or c em en t

F i n an c e

R e g ul a t i on s

Derivatives

Insurance

Investigations

Insolvency

Leadership

Changemanagement Information

management

ASICgraduates

Financialinstrument

management

S M E o w

n e r s i n L a n c a

s t e r

Communities in the 21st century

World Bank



Communities of practice are keyto the strategyof becoming theknowledge bank.

Communities of practice are key

to the strategyof becoming the

knowledge bank.

More than 100

thematic groups cut across

regions. E.g. rural

development, slumpupgrading, public health,

nutrition, or water resourcemanagement.

All groups are formedspontaneously from the

ground, bottom-up

World Bank




Elite consulting firm

Industry-specific andfunctional practice

development networks or CoPs

Wide variety of intentionallycultivated strategic and

bottom-up CoPs

Performance in communities

are closely monitored, andpre-requisite for promotion.

McKinsey & Company




Community

Domain

Learningtogether

Key dimensions

Participation

Sponsorship

Nurturing

Support

Practice

A Social discipline of Learning

What is the community about ?

Who should be involved ? What knowledge to share,develop and document ?




Community Definition

Organization(s):

Why is it important

to the organization

(s)?

Ministry XXX intends to harness the col lective experience andknowledge of various min istries with regards to their customerservice pol icies and issues .The collective knowledge will enableMinistry XX to develop and deliver suitable training and consultinginterventions to build capability of front line officers in the publicservice

Communitymembers:

Why is itimportant to

them?

The community provides opportunities for members to learn fromother agencies on their service qua lity practices and the tips andguidelines on how to handle difficult customers. It also enable officersto learn from more experienced officers, build rapport and networkwith fellow practitioners.

Service Quality CoP

Domain: What is the community about ?

The community aims to build capability and

build network among officers involved indealing with service quality issues among

public agencies

Community: for whom? The community is primarily targeted

for practitioners whose work involvesdesigning service quality policies,

handle quer ies from customers and seethrough follow-up actions

Practice: what knowledge to share,develop & document ?

The various service quality policiespracticed by agencies, with

particular focus on how doagencies handle difficult customers




• Professional communities• Domain speaks to the professional identities of members

• Members usually share a similar education background,certified on particular disciplines

• Use community to keep in touch with their disciplines and

continue their professional development

• Doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers etc.

•

Technical communities• Focus on specific technologies, techniques, or processes

• Do not speak to the professional disciplines of members

but it is something members care about or need it in their

work

• Project management, event management, scenario

planning etc.

• Issue-driven communities• Focus on ongoing business concerns or issues

• Bring multiple perspectives to bear on issue

• Healthcare, education, transport upgrading etc.

Types of Domains




Community

Domain

Learningtogether

How did these dimensions play out?

Participation

Sponsorship

Nurturing

Support

Practice

Your Case CoPs

Apply this model to your case community. Can you

see these dimensions? Are some missing? Why?




A community is a living entity…like a couple

It takes hard work and careful nurturing

It depends on renewed passion

It becomes an entity in its own right

It takes initiative

It is voluntary

It involves responsibilities

It is fun

private and public

common

ground

ongoing

legacy

recognized

stewardship

communal

identity

long-term

viability

Transforming

Sustaining

Maturing

Coalescing

Potential

Life Cycle & Evolution



Information Informal

Formal

With From

Models of practice

Project/

after-actionreviews

Case

clinics

Document

sharing

Collections

Learning

projects

Hot topic

discussionsStories

Formalpractice

transfer

Visits

Invitedspeaker

Mutualbenchmark

External

benchmark

Broadcast

inquiry

Readinggroup

Problemsolving

News

Joint

response

Boundary

collaboration

Trainingand workshops

Pointers toresources

Systematicscan

Guests

Joint

eventsDocumenting

practice

Field trips

Exploringideas

Each

other

1

2

7 4

3

6

5

Tips

Practice

fairs

Warranting

Helpdesk

Outside

sources

1. Exchanges2. Productive inquiries

3. Building shared

understanding4. Producing assets

5. Creating standards

6. Formal access toknowledge

7. Visits

a great variety

Debates

Q&ARole

play

Case

studies

Peer

assist

Polls

Learning Activities




occasional

transactional

peripheral

active

Communityleader

core group

lurkers

leaders

sponsors

experts

beginners

outsiders

Forms Of Participation




Elected

Consensus

Volunteer

Rotation

Facilitator

Administrator

Journalist

Support roles

Core group member

Subject matter expert

Net-worker

Broker

Outpost/scout

Member roles

Community Leader

Practice leader

Cybrarian

Technology steward

Community roles

Appointed

Assigned Emergent

community nurturing roles

Leadership Roles



Role of Sponsor

Responsibili*es

§ Careaboutmakingthe

organisa1onhospitableto

communi1eswithrespecttoissues

oforganisa1onalstrategy,culture

andstructure

§ Bringvisibilitytocommuni1esby

talkingpubliclyabouttheirwork,

andthuslegi1mizecommunity

ac1vi1es,inspirepar1cipa1on

§ Workscloselywithac1vecommunity

leaders

§ Headhuntindividualstoformcore

groupofcommunity

§ Helpotherexecu1vesunderstandtheini1a1ve

§ Providehigh-levelrecogni1ontohighlightandrewardaccomplishments

andsuccesses

RecommendedPeople

§ Senior-levelmanagement



Community rhythmfinding the heartbeat of a learning partnership




Tracking health of CoPs

Ø Quantitative indicators e.g.v Number of members

v Number of times community meets

v Number of documents producedv Number of experts in community

Ø Collection of Anecdotes (Check In and Check Out)

v What did you learn from the sharing session?

v How did you apply them at work?

v What difference did it make?

Ø Conduct surveys at regular intervals

v "What did you hope to get from joining the community and to whatextent is it satisfying your needs?, followed up with focus groups to

explore issues that arise.



● Passion for domain

● Relevance to practice

● Ownership of agenda

● Internal leadership

● Energized core group

● Quality content & members

● Community rhythm

● Trust

● Line management support

● Strategic alignment

● Engaged sponsorship

● Skilled support

● Lack of time

● Leader neglect

● Groupthink

● Build it and …

● Stuck in complaining

● De-energizing tasks

● Red tape

● Policy Vs Practitioners

● Command/control

● Cookie-cutter approach

● Fad or mandate

● Ideology

Key Success/Failure Factors




needproduct or service

task

single problem

personal connections

expert service

strategic capability

department

team

task force or committee

social network

center of excellence

community of practice

structure

Match needs and structures




Organization

Short-term Long-term

MembersImprove experience

of work

Professional

development

Develop

capabilities

Solve business

problems

Build

momentumJustify

investment

Participate

Support

Creating Value



Peer Collaboration & Communities

CoP Framework

1. Prospect2. Prepare

3. Launch

4. Engage

5. Evaluate

Communitydesign

sponsor

invita*onsupport

community

designsharing

educa*on

Context

se:ng

cri*caltobusiness reasonstoshare

common

experiencesharedprac*ce

crea*ngknowledgeresources

distributed

leadershipLearning

ac*vi*esrhythmofevents

usefulness

survey

anecdotes

resources

relevanceIndicatorsof

success

r e v i e w &c o n * n u e


Adapted from Straits Knowledge

(www.straitsknoweldge.com)



v 5CoPsforprincipals,5+CoPsforvice-principals(VPs)/HODs

withinNorthZoneSchool

Cluster

v Communi1esareformedto

deepencapabili1esaround

varioussubjectdomainse.g.Science,Maths,English,PE

v MembersaRendlearning

journeys,doprojects,aRendtalks

v Communi1esmeetmonthly

Background

KeyInsightsofMOECoPs

Benefit

LearningPointsrelatedtoSupport/Resources

WhatwerecrucialelementsforthefirstfewCoPmee1ngs?

• EngageconsultanttolevelupCoPknowledge

• Legi1misecommunitysharing1me

HowwasinternalleadershipfortheCoPsecured?

• VPs(advisor),HODs(leader)areappointed,supportedby

coreteam

HowistheCoPsustained?

• Coregroupmeetsregularly(F2Fandon-line)toreviewCoPs

direc1on

• Fundsavailableforopera1onalandprojectneeds• LeverageonCODforon-goingsupportandadvice

KeySuccessFactors

Legi1misingcommunityexistence,levelingupofCoP

knowledge,quickforma1onofinternalleadershipand

availabilityoffunds

Challengev NocommononlineplaYorm,limits

collabora1onamongcommuni1es

v ImproveNAPFAscoreforStandingBroadJump(PE)




v FormedinApril2008

v Startedinten1onallybyCODtostrengthenODcompetenciesand

buildnetwork;growthorganic

v Hasabout60registeredmembers

from56agencies

v Meetsonceevery2-3months

v Memberspar1cipateinlearning

journeys,doprojects,conductsharing

Benefits

KeyInsightsofODCoP

Background

v Increaseproduc1on,exchangeofresources&knowledge

v DevelopacommonODlanguage



• Needtofindsolu1onsforcommonpain/frustra1ons

• Volunteershostthenext2-3mee1ngs

• Secretariatcoordinatethemee1ngs


• Secretariatproac1velyenlistedvolunteers


• Secretariatdevelopstheagendaanddesignofthemee1ngs

• CoregroupmeetsquarterlytoreviewCoPsdirec1on

• OnlineplaYormavailableforknowledgeexchange

KeySuccessFactors

Goodsecretariatsupport,suppor1vecoregroup,needtofind

solu1onstocommonfrustra1ons/pain

Challengev ODdomainishuge.Unabletosustain

interestallmembersonalltopics.




vv

Overview

v CSC/iKMSstartedacommunity

todeepencompetenciesin

IntranetDesignand

Management

inSept200.

v Todate,25agenciesarerepresentedinthecommunity

v Memberslistentotalks,share

experienceandseekadvice

v Memberslearnleadingideason

Intranetdesignfromexpert,

learnfrompeers



• CSC/iKMSprovidedsecretariatsupportto‘hand-hold’

communitywhiletryingtosecureinternalleadership


• Leadersvolunteeredaerexperiencingbeingpartof

communityandseeingvalue


• Talkbyintranetexperttoserveasmagnettodraw

members

• Membersvolunteertosharechallengesandseekadvice

fromothermembers

• Membersvolunteertohostcommunitymee1ngs(defray

venue,refreshmentcost)

Challenges

Ini1alhand-holdingbeforeforma1onofinternalleadership,

experttalks

Benefit

v Nosponsor,lackoffundsv Choiceofon-lineplaYormlimited

tofreesites

KeySuccessFactors

KeyInsightsofIntranetCoP


Wh t h k d ll



Ø Critical mass of engaged members to provide internal leadershipv Core team who regularly attend meetings, contribute ideas & help other

members

v Highly dependent on single leader risk collapse when leader leaves CoP

Ø Discussions centred around issues members face and possible solutions

v Helps to gain insights quickly, increase social energy level and create a supportnetwork

Ø Secretariat support

v Creates high value for time among its membersv OD & IP Mgt CoPs have secretaries to take notes, liaise with members, handle

logistics and admin details

Ø Strong leadership, sponsorship and recognition

v Strong sponsorship by MOE NZ committee to kick start CoP

v Budget set aside to support CoP

Ø Organisation does not institutionalise CoP but institutionalise its existence

v Institutionalise community existence through legitimizing time and recognition

v Micromanagement of learning activities and outcomes may not lead to optimumresults

What has worked well



• Not a roll-out

• Not a reorganization

• Not additional

bureaucracy

Multiple levels of formality

Sponsorship and support

Community leadership as recognized function

Strategic commitment

Ongoing alignment

Formalized strategicconversation spaces

but

Varying versions of:

Lessons from leading organizations

H t t i



Choose a launch approach Plan a launch activity

Prepare a follow-up Do it

3. Launch CoP

What do you think of the idea?

Are you willing to help make it

happen? What would that mean to you?

Who else could help?

2. Internal leaders Potential members

What are your challenges? Who do you talk to?

Is there a community?

1. Conversations

How to get going … the first three steps




CSC CONFIDENTIAL N t t b d d ith t i i i f Ci il S i C ll

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