With the emergence of Enterprise Social Networking platforms, communities are the new operating model within organisations. They’re the major key accelerators of effective change & transformation initiatives. Yet very few businesses have got successful online community building programmes in place. For most the old adage ‘build it and they will come’ would still apply hoping once they have got the technology in place communities will *just* flourish ‘on their own’. Alas, reality shows us that’s never been the case.
Join us to learn plenty more about the actual Community Building Programme framework that’s been running rather successfully some of the oldest online communities at IBM over the course of the last 21 years and still going strong.
3. Social Connections 13 Philadelphia, April 26-27 2018
Average Ratings per Category
Data Analytics
Online Communities
Library of Use Cases
Governance
Education & Enablement
0,00 1,25 2,50 3,75 5,00
2,6154
2,5
2,7692
2,6923
2,0385
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Business opportunities
• Embracing online communities as new
operating model
• Helping accelerate your digital adaptation
& change initiatives through communities
• Facilitating ‘Community’ as the new
Management (Connected Leadership)
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But … what is a community?
• ‘Groups of people who share a
passion for something’ -
Wenge, 2004
• ‘Groups of people who come
together to share and learn
from one another’ - Vestal,
2003
• ‘Communities are powerful
tools, as long as you put
members’ needs first’ -
Forrester, 2008
An interactive group of people joined together by a common topic of interest
Source - http://bit.ly/2HYWqlo
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In short…
• A community is a group of
people with similar
professions, job functions
and shared interests, who
come together voluntarily to
share openly (information,
knowledge, good practices,
Q&A, etc.) and spark new
collaborations and ideas
without a particular set of
outcomes or goals in mind.
Source - http://bit.ly/2r0mW5J
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Communities
Enterprise
Knowledge
Organizational
Capabilities
Value
Social
Networking
Open
Collaboration
Forums
Content
Sharing
Wisdom of
Crowds
Collective
Intelligence
Knowledge
Retention
Good
Practices
Cross
Pollination
Knowledge
Database
Worker
Efficiency
Problem
Solving
Business
Processes
Decision
Making
Innovation
Understanding
Customers
Insights
Profitability
Better
Products
Better
Services
Operational
Efficiency
Customer
Sat.
Higher
Quality
1. Customers
2. Employees
3. Partners
4. Other Stakeholders
Find Experts
Value of communities
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Capabilities
1.Create a content repository
2.Connect members to content
3.Identify most valued content
Methodologies
1.Community templates
2.Community education offerings
3.Daily/weekly community leadership activities
Relationships
1.Easy for members to form new relationships
2.Linkages with other communities
People
1.Community Manager is passionate
2.Exec Sponsor is committed and
models collaborative behavior
3.Members share a common interest
Management
System
1.Secure resources (&
funding?)
2.Form a Core Team &
establish a Community
Charter
3.Establish cadence of
meetings
4.Manage to a balanced
scorecard
5.Create sense & respond
capability
People
TechnologyProcess
Knowledge
Technology
1.Rich Member profiles
2.Simple to use social
collaboration platform
3.Community Manager Tools
4.Platform measures value,
participation, and reputation
of membership
Critical elements
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Executive
Sponsorship in
place
Community
Manager in place
AssessmentStart-Up /
Discovery
Current State
Assessed
Core Team in
place
Iteration 1
Community
Charter
Iteration 2
Community
Charter
Design Launch
Community
Infrastructure in
Place
Community
Launched
Community
Designed
Sustain
Satisfied
Members
Business
Performance
Reviews
Health & Maturity
Checks
Iteration 4
Community
Charter
Business Value
Approach
Designed
Iteration 3
Community
Charter
Business
Value
Time to Value
Shape and rate of incline curve depends on
successful execution of combination of People,
Process, Technology and Knowledge
Community Launch Plan
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Before you start …
Should You Even Launch A Community?
1. Is there a sense of energy and passion around the
community topic or domain?
2. Is there a recognized need that the community can
meet, thus providing value to the members and their
organizations?
3. Is management aware of the potential value, utility,
and benefits to members? To the organization?
4. Is there top-level sponsorship?
5. Can potential members be identified?
6. Is there an existing sense of community among
potential members?
7. Is there a significant or critical issue facing the
potential community membership that knowledge
sharing can positively impact?
8. Are there resources (e.g., people, technology,
funding) to support the community?
Good Practices
1.Leader Is Passionate and Very Active
2.Establish Clear Goals and Purpose
3.Needs of Members Comes First
4.SME Talent Assigned to Core Team
5.Management Has Committed Time, Resources, (and
Funding?)
6.Make it Social & Communal
Worst Practices
1.Starting With Technology
2.“Build it and they will come”
3.Focus on Value to Organization Only
4.Wrong Focus: Metrics vs. Business Measures
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Critical roles: Community Leader
1. Interacts with members
2. Leads community:
1.Member advocate
2.Community evangelist
3.Creates editorial content
4.Harvests market insights
5.Balances the needs of the community with
organizational objectives
6.Leader of the Core Team
3. Skills required:
1.Strong online communication skills
2.Approachable and conversational
3.Has the ability to relate to members online and
offline
4.Comfortable with Enterprise Social Networking tools
Key Activities
1.Promotes community
2.Encourages participation &
discussion
3.Connects members with each
other
4.Produces deliverables
5.Reports community metrics
6.Monitors & responds
7.Communicates news
8.Organizes events
9.Surveys for needs
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Forrest identified four tenets of the community leader
Description of Core Activities
Community
Advocate
The community manager’s primary role is to represent the members of the
community. They must listen, monitor, and respond to requests and
conversations, both within the community platform and in email.
Brand Evangelist
Community manager promotes events, products, and upgrades using
traditional marketing tactics as well as being part of conversations within the
community. The community manager must first earn and maintain trust.
Facilitator
Defines, plans, and executes content strategy. Uses forums, blogs, podcasts,
and other tools to create content. Mediates disputes: Encourages advocates
and deals with — or when necessary removes — detractors. Works with
corporate stakeholders to identify content, plan updates, publish, and follow-
up.
Research and
Development
Contributor
Gathers the requirements of the community and presents to product teams.
Plans and analyzes results of surveys or focus groups. Facilitates
relationships between product teams and customers.
Forrester: “Online Community Best Practices” by Jeremiah Owyang, Feb, 2008
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Critical roles: Core Team
1. Core Team Members
1.Sample Roles:
1.Knowledge broker / curator
2.Learning coordinator
3.Various process owners (e.g., welcome process, metrics, monthly newsletter)
2.Sample Responsibilities:
1.Support the Community Manager in all the activities needed for the ongoing health of the
community
2.Provide expert review of assets and intellectual capital
3.Provide thought leadership
4.Inspire member participation and promote the community
5.Keep the stakeholders informed and supportive
6.Help to obtain support/funding for community activities
7.Attend and participate in community events, activities, and discussions
8.Support and advise the community leader
9.Serve as the initial body of decision makers for the community
10.Provide the momentum needed to sustain the community’s evolution and vitality
These are key people to
support the ongoing vitality
of the community
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Ready to start? The Community Charter
Name: (The name of the Community, i.e., Developer Community, Customer User Group)
Target Member Demographics: (List the characteristics of the members that the community is hoping to attract)
Purpose/Intent: (What is the purpose/intent of the community?, i.e., Skill Building, Listening, Learning)
Domain: (What is/are the topic(s) of interest that best supports the community’s purpose)
Assigned Roles: (Identify by name the individuals who are filling roles)
1. Community Sponsor(s):
2. Community Manager(s):
3. Core Team Members:
Critical Business Issues: (Identify the critical business issues faced by the community)
Collaboration Tools: (List the primary collaboration tools that will be used)
Resources Required: (Identify the resources required to support the community, i.e., existing resources that are
available, required contractor support, and content that needs to be developed)
Measures of Success: (List measures of success.)
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Implementation Checklist - Example
1. Document why the community is needed
2. Create a business case
3. Identify an initial community leader
4. Define the scope of the community
5. Recruit a core team of core team members
6. Assign roles
7. Document community main activities and processes
8. Develop a Knowledge Management Plan
9. Develop a Technology Platform plan
10.Finalize the Community Charter
11.Inventory and post existing content
12.Document a 90 day Launch Plan
13.Hold Pre-Launch Review Meeting
14.Launch the Community
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Additional Resources
Source - http://bit.ly/communitymaturitythecr
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Thank You!
Luis Suarez
Digital Transformation & Data Analytics Adviser
panagenda GmbH – Make Your Data Work For You
Lahnstr. 17 ! 64646 Heppenheim (Germany)
Skype: l.s.r. ! Cell: +34 679 722 947
Office: +49 721 47040-111 !
E-Mail: luis.suarez@panagenda.com
Special acknowledgements: Chris Cooper & Michael Martin, Bill Chamberlin, Darrel Rader
and the IBM BlueIQ Ambassadors & IBM CommunityBuilders Communities