Knowledge ecology related to facilitating CoPs
The other day I posted about the role of “Community Manager” and also about-in Euan Semple’s words-“following the energy”.
Euan’s post on the knowledge ecology is one of those posts that I keep re-visiting (just like Peter-Anthony Glick’s post on knowledge sharing barriers).
I really don’t like n-step processes (they do have a place in repetitive routine work, but are abused beyond their useful application, as are best practices)…my brain just doesn’t like it…but when it comes to rules of thumb, co-values, heuristics and frameworks; then I’m in. These types of lists trigger lots of thinking, and like poetry say so much with so little.
Let’s hear from Euan:
2. Don’t have a clear idea where you are headed. The more fixed you are in your aspirations for your ecology the less likely you are to achieve them. Be prepared to go where people’s use of the tools takes you and enjoy the ride.
3. Follow the energy. Watch where the energy in the system is and try to copy the factors that generated it. Get others interested in why energy emerges and they will want some of it themselves.
4. Be strategically tactical. You can have an overall strategy of behaving in certain ways depending on how your ecology develops. It is possible to sell this as a strategy to those who need strategies.
As global lead for CoPs I educate my users on this type of advice (I too have a 10 point list which I should make available one day)
Here’s an excerpt:
Not all members are enthusiastic or intrinsically motivated as you to move communications from email, so the more simple it is to begin with the better
Just start off with this first small goal. Don’t be tempted to design how you want the CoP to ultimately be, instead keep it simple and let it gradually reach your vision over time (this also allows for emergence)
The members will demand more when the current blog and Q&A is handling too much content and too many topics; at this stage your members will be technologically capable and familiar with the CoP environment to take on more communication channels
If you need to coordinate a task or have a lot of specific content to discuss then forums are a good option. But your main two channels can be your blog and Q&A
I have also posted about the emergence factor of our CoPs ie. CoPs being used in ways we didn’t think of.
This also relates to KM. Lately I’ve been getting calls from various units at work on advice for their tasks; they are interested in a KM perspective. eg I never thought I’d be involved in onboarding. Slowly this work is finding us, where we can start to build a portfolio of the type of work we do. ie. we are finding who we are and what we do as it evolves by making ourselves known…yes we have an attitude and approach, but we just don’t know where that’s going to be applied till it happens. I like this idea of not boiling the ocean and matching your usefulness to things that emerge.
Back to Euan:
6. Build networks of people who care. Don’t try to manage your ecology by committee but cultivate communication and trust between those who care that it works and have the commitment to do something about it - whoever they are and whatever their role.
In my post Focus attention on creating magnets, I talk about finding the people who demonstrate interest and sourcing them to help me out with the load, by channeling their interest as volunteer guides…this is quite self organising, you just have to notice what’s going on.
Back to Euan:
5. Keep moving, stay in touch, and head for the high ground. Keep doing things, keep talking about what you are doing and why, and have a rough idea of where the high ground is.
7. Be obsessively interested. Notice everything that happens and consider why. Tell great stories about what you are observing.
8. Use the tools to manage the tools. Blog about what is going on with your corporate blogging, ask questions in your forum about security, tweet when something is changing in your ecology and ask people why it is interesting.
Spreading stories to get people to collectively create new norms is very subtle and effective, see my post You change a culture with stories. I talk about showcasing CoPs via blogging about them and presentations in the hope that other managers see their success and want to be like them…this also goes for spreading stories about people that give their time and expertise.
This also ties in with crucial facilitation duties like monitoring CoPs and giving advice, feedback and “big ups” to those facilitators. And also constantly communicating to them about tips and what other CoPs are doing.
More of the same in the post, Nurture the spark in people…hint hint facilitators and leaders
Here’s an excerpt from another post of mine:
Rob Weare gave a great talk on CoPs in Rio Tinto Iron Ore
I took a few things home from this talk including a way to promote the effectiveness or report on the benefits of CoPs via anecdotes.
Operational Excellence videos on our CoP interactions that demonstrate sense-making and effectiveness. Collaboration in Action pages to disseminate to the organisation as a print version of CoP success interactions…this also recognises the individual at the same time.
Back to Euan:
10. Unleash Trojan Mice. Don’t do big things or spend loads of money. Set small, nimble things running and see where they head.
More of my CoP advice:
Don’t boil the ocean, just start off with one activity, for example:
- People asking for help is a quick way to start a CoP
- Email list broadcast announcements and questions, are now done in a blog and Q&A
- Shorter meetings (use a blog to share updates leading up to and after the meeting)
Utilising the CoP for too many types of interactions at the start is overload; members need to get used to the idea of the CoP (and changing their habits and routines), which can happen more subtly by experimenting with one type of activity in the CoP
As people slowly get used to the CoP rather than email for a portion of communications, then introduce new ways to use the CoP
Some of my related posts on this point:
Much change is of the ‘Trojan horse’ variety
Skip the buy-in and get ‘em addicted!
We treat our ideas like albatrosses treat their chicks
Related
Why is it so hard to get smart people to share?
Making Knowledge Management Manageable
One of the key concepts which links with any ecological approach is co-evolution. As things interact with other things patterns form and you can never reverse. Its a radical break from engineering or idealistic (define where you want to be and close the gap) approaches as it managers in the “present now”
- Dave Snowden (comment 13)
UPDATE - Followup post Take your pick - Facilitating, leading, managing, hosting, community-ship
(Source: euansemple.com)
