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Communities of Practice<br />Mark Bennett<br />LearningCollaboration<br />mark.bennett@learningcollaboration.com<br />

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2<br />Presentation outline<br />Knowledge Management / Knowledge Transfer?<br />What are Communities of Practice (CoPs) – why are they important?<br />What have others done?<br />Global CoPs in practice….<br />Where do we go from here?<br />Questions & Answers<br />

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3<br />See how Communities of Practice are helping Rio Tinto people share expertise and collaborate across the world (available on YouTube and from Rio Tinto website)<br />

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4<br />Knowledge Transfer: What’s the problem?<br />“We can always know more than we can tell, and we will always tell more than we can write down. The nature of knowledge is such that we always know, or are capable of knowing more than we have the physical time or the conceptual ability to say.<br />I can speak in five minutes what it will otherwise take me two weeks to get round to spend a couple of hours writing it down.” <br />Dave Snowden<br />

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5<br />What types of knowledge exist?<br /><ul><li>The wealth of expertise, ideas and latent insights that lies scattered across or deeply embedded within organisations.

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It’s sometimes very difficult to write down, and is often transferred by conversations, informal e-mails, presentations and methodologies such as a Community of Practice & the RTCF.

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It can easily walk out of the door….</li></ul>Tacit Knowledge<br />Explicit Knowledge<br /><ul><li>“Hard” data, procedures, guidelines, policies, project plans, deadlines, reports. By definition it’s written down.</li></ul>Even though tacit knowledge is “soft”, there is far more of it in an organisation than explicit knowledge; Both are required and need different tools….<br />

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Transfer of <br />Best Practices<br /><ul><li>Groups that share, learn

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Held together by common interest in topic

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Trade tools, templates, best practices

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Solve business problems</li></ul> Networks <br />& CoPs<br /><ul><li>Facilitated transfer

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Internal benchmarking</li></ul>-Process Masters<br />-Knowledge Champions<br />-Best Practice Teams<br />Self-Service +<br />- Intranets<br />- Portals to key info<br />- Search<br />- Yellow Pages<br />- Expert directories<br /> Human Interaction <br />Higher<br />Lower<br />Knowledge Transfer Approaches<br />Tacit <br />Explicit <br />

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8<br />Yellow pages in action, linked to CoPs<br />

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Transfer of <br />Best Practices<br /><ul><li>Groups that share, learn

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Held together by common interest in topic

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Trade tools, templates, best practices

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Solve business problems</li></ul> Networks <br />& CoPs<br /><ul><li>Facilitated transfer

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Internal benchmarking</li></ul>-Process Masters<br />-Knowledge Champions<br />-Best Practice Teams<br />Self-Service +<br />- Intranets<br />- Portals to key info<br />- Search<br />- Yellow Pages<br />- Expert directories<br /> Human Interaction <br />Higher<br />Lower<br />Knowledge Transfer Approaches<br />Tacit <br />Explicit <br />

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10<br />Presentation outline<br />Knowledge Management / Knowledge Transfer?<br />What are Communities of Practice (CoPs) – why are they important?<br />What have others done?<br />Global CoPs in practice….<br />Where do we go from here?<br />Questions & Answers<br />

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11<br />What is a Community of Practice?<br />“Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a passion for something that they know how to do, and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better.” <br />Source: Etienne Wenger<br />

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12<br />Innovation - Focus on developing ideas and innovative practices<br />Helping - Focus on members <br />connecting to other each, allowing them <br />to request help for problem solving and <br />sharing ideas<br />Best Practice - Focus on <br />developing, validating and <br />disseminating leading practices<br />Knowledge Stewarding - Focus on organising and managing CoPs common <br />knowledge, including any material that members use on a regular basis<br />Communities of Practice are regarded as KM’s tour de force, but one size does not fit all: 4 types<br />Source: APQC / Wenger et al<br />

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13<br />SHORT-TERM VALUE<br />LONG-TERM VALUE<br />Help with challenges<br />Access to expertise<br />Confidence<br />Fun with colleagues<br />Meaningful work<br />Personal development<br />Reputation<br />Professional identity<br />Network<br />Marketability<br />MEMBERS<br />Strategic capabilities<br />Keeping abreast <br />Innovation<br />Retention of talents<br />New strategies<br />Problem solving<br />Time saving<br />Knowledge sharing<br />Synergies across units<br />Reuse of resources<br />ORGANISATION<br />Source: Etienne Wenger<br />The Value of Working Together<br />

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14<br />Presentation outline<br />Knowledge Management / Knowledge Transfer?<br />What are Communities of Practice (CoPs) – why are they important?<br />What have others done?<br />Global CoPs in practice….<br />Where do we go from here?<br />Questions & Answers<br />

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15<br />Many other companies have made significant use of CoPs <br />British Petroleum<br />British Telecom<br />Buckmann Laboratories<br />Caterpiller<br />Cap Gemini Ernst & Young<br />ChevronTexaco<br />DaimlerChrysler<br />ExxonMobil<br />Ford<br />Halliburton<br />IBM<br />Schlumberger<br />Shell <br />Siemens<br />The World Bank<br />Xerox Corporation<br />

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16<br />Shell’s experience (II)Sharing Expertise<br />

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17<br />Concept of a Global Network (CoP)<br />The answer is<br />new “Information”<br />Discussion Group,<br />High traffic area<br />What do others know ?<br />Add the new Information<br />Coordinator &Subject Focal points<br />Start with<br />inserting your <br />current Information<br />Knowledge Base<br />What information do we already have ?<br />

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18<br />Shell’s experience: show me the money!<br />Pecten Cameroon (a Shell company) shared its techniques for improving production from a gas lifted well, by injecting demulsifier, reducing viscosity in the production string and thereby increasing production. They obtained a gain of 500 barrels a day ($5 million per annum), and the approach is being extended to 17 other wells with prospective gains of 9 million per year.<br />A ~US$200m benefit<br />

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19<br />The ExxonMobil Approach<br />First priority: Discover & Adopt<br />Second priority: Discover & Adapt<br />Last Resort: Develop (&Share!)<br /> We work for ExxonMobil – not just a BU<br />

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Community<br />of <br />practice<br />Maintaining a Knowledge AssetDual Citizenship<br /> Kwinana Nerefco Toledo <br />Dual<br />citizenship<br />

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21<br />Presentation outline<br />Knowledge Management / Knowledge Transfer?<br />What are Communities of Practice (CoPs) – why are they important?<br />What have others done?<br />Global CoPs in practice….<br />Where do we go from here?<br />Questions & Answers<br />

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22<br />Linking local and global CoPs<br />Linking BU CoPs with global CoPs….<br />It’s a win-win when we get it to work.<br />Global CoP structure – source McDermott<br />

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23<br />RTCF Usage<br />

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24<br />Presentation outline<br />Knowledge Management / Knowledge Transfer?<br />What are Communities of Practice (CoPs) – why are they important?<br />What have others done?<br />Global CoPs in practice….<br />Where do we go from here?<br />Questions & Answers<br />

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25<br />Build Trust; FTF meetings<br />Coordinators<br />WIIFM?<br />Shared Ownership<br />Incentives<br />Executive Sponsorship<br />Culture of “Discover & Adopt”<br />Evangelise<br />Overcome fear of groups<br />Facilitate<br />PEOPLE<br />PROCESS<br />Sell, educate & train<br />Spark debate<br />“Dual Citizenship”<br />Learn by doing<br />TECHNOLOGY<br />Customer focus – making collaboration ridiculously easy<br />RTCF<br />Portal<br />RioNet<br />WebeX, phone conf<br />Community of Practice - Enablers<br />Wiki<br />

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26<br />A simple process to keep building a vibrant portfolio of Communities of Practice<br />Before any business activity: Ask and Search <br />During any business activity: Learn<br />After any business activity: Share<br />With thanks to Shell International<br />

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Communities of Practice<br />Mark Bennett<br />LearningCollaboration<br />mark.bennett@learningcollaboration.com<br />