Communities of Practice in Local GovernmentCommunities of Practice in Local Governmentonline information 20075 December 2007

online information 20075 December 2007

Steve Dale

Semantix (UK) Ltd

www.semantix.co.uk

What I will coverWhat I will cover

Moving from a culture of knowledge repositories (people-to-information) to one of knowledge collaboration (people-to-people).

Introducing a sceptical and mature staff demographic to the concept of virtual collaboration using social computing/Web 2.0 facilities.

Creating, developing and growing trusted communities of practice in local government

Moving from a culture of knowledge repositories (people-to-information) to one of knowledge collaboration (people-to-people).

Introducing a sceptical and mature staff demographic to the concept of virtual collaboration using social computing/Web 2.0 facilities.

Creating, developing and growing trusted communities of practice in local government

About Local GovernmentAbout Local Government

Local government in England and Wales employs a workforce of 2.1 million people across 410 local authorities.

Each authority is working to deliver the same 700 services to their residents.

Has an annual operating budget of over £83 billion for delivering services.

Local government in England and Wales employs a workforce of 2.1 million people across 410 local authorities.

Each authority is working to deliver the same 700 services to their residents.

Has an annual operating budget of over £83 billion for delivering services.

Addressing the cultureAddressing the culture

TrustTrust

BMaking a Community of Practice

BMaking a Community of Practice

Purpose

Place

ProfileParticipation

Process

The path to enlightenmentThe path to enlightenment

Join our list Join our forum Join our community

Increasing collaboration and transparency of process

CoP’s on the IDeA platform (flavour of the month!)

CoP’s on the IDeA platform (flavour of the month!)

•Kent Member DevelopmentKent Member Development•Local Area AgreementsLocal Area Agreements•Member Development & Support Member Development & Support Network – Yorks and HumberNetwork – Yorks and Humber•Milton Keynes Every Child Matters Milton Keynes Every Child Matters CoPCoP•Soundbyte – Adult Social Care and Health Services•Policy and PerformancePolicy and Performance•Regional Improvement Regional Improvement Partnerships NetworkPartnerships Network•Risk ManagementRisk Management•Rural ExcellenceRural Excellence•IDeA Web Reference GroupIDeA Web Reference Group•……and about 170 other ones!and about 170 other ones!

•Changing the view of the world, GI CoP•Facilitator’s CoPFacilitator’s CoP•CoP for InnovationCoP for Innovation•Cornish Language Written FormCornish Language Written Form•Rural MentoringRural Mentoring•Corporate, Transactional and Corporate, Transactional and Shared ServicesShared Services•Customer Services CoPCustomer Services CoP•EMIE at NFER Information Service EMIE at NFER Information Service DevelopmentDevelopment•Social Media and Online Social Media and Online CollaborationCollaboration•Staffordshire Plus Improvement Staffordshire Plus Improvement PartnershipPartnership

Types of CoP (on IDeA platform)

Types of CoP (on IDeA platform)

Facilitator’s CoPFacilitator’s CoP

IDeA Managed and IDeA Managed and Facilitated networksFacilitated networks

Self-organising networksSelf-organising networks

CoP CharacteristicsCoP Characteristics

CharacteristiCharacteristicc

IDeA-Managed IDeA-Managed networknetwork

Self-organising Self-organising networknetwork

Type of knowledge

Product/service oriented

Process or learning oriented

Purpose Innovation, improved products/services

Improved products/services and management practices

Facilitation Professionally facilitated

May or may not be facilitated

IPR Owned by IDeA (for the sector)

Shared by community

Professional expertise

Shared by agreement

No agreement

Metrics & ROI

Measured ROI Basic statistics

CoP Maturity (Dec07)CoP Maturity (Dec07)

20%20%60%

Time

PlanLev

el o

f en

erg

y an

d v

isib

ilit

y

Start-up

Nurture

Sustain/Renew

Close

Discover/imagine

Incubate/ deliver value

Focus/ expand

Ownership/ openness

Let go/ remember

Metrics – I&DeA CoP Platform

Metrics – I&DeA CoP Platform

Total Registered Users

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Feb-07 Mar-07 Apr-07 May-07 Jun-07 Jul-07 Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07

MetricsMetrics

Don’t rely on metrics to claim your community is successful.

Use metrics to understand your community better.

Don’t rely on metrics to claim your community is successful.

Use metrics to understand your community better.

Some lessons learntSome lessons learnt

Tips for managing a successful CoP

Tips for managing a successful CoP

Form the community around a clearly defined and strategically important area of practice, technology and knowledge

Find key practitioners in a strategically relevant knowledge domain, with a good spread of expertise and experience

Inspire people to actively participate in CoP Support development of strong interpersonal

relationships within CoP Sensitise COP members for other communities and help

them to find connections to others Ensure the CoP has appropriate time and resources:

balance CoP and daily job Clear roles & responsibilities Balance longer term projects with quick wins

Form the community around a clearly defined and strategically important area of practice, technology and knowledge

Find key practitioners in a strategically relevant knowledge domain, with a good spread of expertise and experience

Inspire people to actively participate in CoP Support development of strong interpersonal

relationships within CoP Sensitise COP members for other communities and help

them to find connections to others Ensure the CoP has appropriate time and resources:

balance CoP and daily job Clear roles & responsibilities Balance longer term projects with quick wins

Went well/not went wellWent well/not went well

NOT GONE WELL Disconnected CoPs -

many CoPs being created that do similar things

Poor/little use of tagging Most self-organising

networks did not attend IDeA CoP training

Management can hamper or kill a community…..it cannot make it thrive!

NOT GONE WELL Disconnected CoPs -

many CoPs being created that do similar things

Poor/little use of tagging Most self-organising

networks did not attend IDeA CoP training

Management can hamper or kill a community…..it cannot make it thrive!

WENT WELLWENT WELL Evidence of greater Evidence of greater

collaboration across collaboration across councilscouncils

Evidence of more joined-Evidence of more joined-up thinking and new up thinking and new ways of workingways of working

Greater knowledge (and Greater knowledge (and use) of social media toolsuse) of social media tools

Continued and growing Continued and growing enthusiasm for enthusiasm for community collaborationcommunity collaboration

A QuoteA Quote

I'm now convinced that sharing knowledge, I'm now convinced that sharing knowledge, information and experience through CoPs is the information and experience through CoPs is the future of success in local government, and that social future of success in local government, and that social media tools such as those employed within the IDeA media tools such as those employed within the IDeA CoP platform are the glue that can stick cross-sector CoP platform are the glue that can stick cross-sector collaboration projects together collaboration projects together

Local Authority CoP facilitatorLocal Authority CoP facilitator

…but some will never get it!

…but some will never get it!

A final thought….A final thought….

Innovation becomes possible whenever and wherever the right combination of need and solution arises without being killed stone dead by process.

Euan Semple, September 2006.

Innovation becomes possible whenever and wherever the right combination of need and solution arises without being killed stone dead by process.

Euan Semple, September 2006.

Steve DaleSemantix (UK) Ltdsteve.dale@semantix.co.uk