Making collaboration happen:

Communities, change and lessons learned

Making collaboration happen:

Communities, change and lessons learned

Keith De La RueKeith De La Rue

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/

Outline

• Dynamics of collaborationand CoPs

• Which tools to use foreffective collaboration?

• Notes from the field– The OzCollab survey of collaboration technology

• Complexity and engaging people– Recent insights into effective organisational change

• Creativity, trust and openness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eamoncurry/

Questions

• Can you “make” collaboration happen?• What are your collaborative needs?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitosettembremusica/

What is a community?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/

Community

• A group of people living in a particular local area • A group of people having ethnic or cultural or

religious characteristics in common• Common ownership

– (“A community of possessions”)

• Agreement as to goals– (“A community of interests”)

• The body of people in a learned occupation• From Latin: “common, public, shared by many”

http://www.onelook.com/?w=community&ls=a

http://www.flickr.com/photos/MrTopf/

Communities of Practice (CoPs)

1. Community2. Practice3. Technology(Don’t put the cart before the horse)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/

Communities in organisations

CEO

Dept A Dept B Dept C

Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr

Not a project team

CEO

Dept A Dept B Dept C

Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr Mgr

Eng

Eng

Eng

Eng

Eng Eng

Communities in organisations

“Communities are living organisms and require gardeners, not mechanics, to provide them with leadership.”

– Fred Schoeps, KM manager, IBM

“Knowledge can only ever be volunteered; it cannot be conscripted.”

– David Snowden, Cognitive Edge

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/

Nature of a CoP

• It is a community• Not a “controlled” environment• Doesn’t have “deliverables”

– But should have community goals…

• Organic• It’s about the people• Local, regional, global

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drbeachvacation/

Purpose of a CoP?

• Common field of interests, specialisation• Sharing knowledge for mutual benefit

– Reuse good ideas– Ask questions

• Development of the individuals– Peer learning

• Development of a discipline• Solving unique problems• Innovation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfbps/

CoP Dynamics

Core

Active

Peripheral

CoP Dynamics

1

9

90

Needs a critical mass

Creating a community

“Trust comes on foot, but leaves on horseback.”– Johan Thorbecke

• Attempts to “control” lead to evaporation• Community needs nurturing

– Community moderator

• Leaders need passion• Invite potential participants • Regular scheduled activities

http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/

Building a community

• Rewards & Recognition?– Link to desired outcomes

• Cognitive work motivation (Dan Pink):– Autonomy– Mastery– Purpose

• Goals– Activity– Participation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vizzzual-dot-com/

Practice – group identity

• A shared common practice• “I am a …”• Not too broad or too narrow• Need to recognise affinity• Mutual understanding• Avoid redundant communities• Be able to both learn and contribute

http://anecdote.com.au/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/europedistrict/

Practice – group utility

• Relationship to day-to-day work• Community must become part of the practice• Obvious direct benefits

– WIIFM?

• Assistance with work issues• Problem solving• Professional support

http://delarue.net/blog/2008/09/practice-makes-perfect/

Technology?

• May not need any technology!• Start with people first• Starting with technology may lead to failure

– Field of Dreams does not necessarily apply

• Deprive of technology until needs expressed?• Make it as easy as possible to use• If not all face-to-face, communication first• Social Media principles apply – trust, openness

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivyfield/

Supporting member interaction – ‘SCENT’• Site: home page - information• Calendar: community events - interaction• Events: F2F, conference calls, webinars• News: newsletter or blog - comms & publicity• Threads: discussion board - virtual interaction

http://sites.google.com/site/stangarfield/home/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/misteraitch/

Blog as a community site

http://www.melbournekmlf.org/

Calendar of events

http://www.melbournekmlf.org/?page_id=84

Other tools - Wiki

Building a body of knowledge

http://knowledgebucket.wik.is/

Other tools - Microblogging

http://www.yammer.com/

Networking, awareness, chat

http://www.facebook.com/smcmelb

Measuring outcomes

• Achieving team goals and participation• Testimonials on value• Anecdotes – stories of usefulness• Solutions to business problems• Publicise outcomes widely

http://sites.google.com/site/stangarfield/home/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/

Fluor Corporation

• Construction and Project Management• 2007 Case Study• 44 global knowledge communities• Total 25,000 active members• 12,000 forum submissions• Voluntary membership• Community leaders trained• ‘Knowvember’ – Annual celebration and awards

http://www.ikmagazine.com/bookshop.asp

http://www.fluor.com/

Fluor Corporation

“We harness the company’s considerable intellectual property… to solve complexproblems other companies cannot. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, the most potent competitive weapon any company can have is skilled, dedicated people working hard to ensure its success. At Fluor, we are blessed with a community of outstanding individuals who come together to accomplish things that no one else can.”

– Alan Boeckmann, chairman and CEOhttp://www.ikmagazine.com/bookshop.asp

OzCollab - Collaboration Software in AustraliaOzCollab - Collaboration Software in Australia

The OzCollab Survey

• Conducted with Matt Moore of Innotecture– http://innotecture.wordpress.com/

• All details available at http://ozcollab.com/• Use of collaborative tools

– Identify/Select/Deploy/Operate– Functions & benefits– Lessons learned

• Jun – Dec 2009• N=42

What is collaboration?

Organisational collaboration strategy

Who drives the strategy?

• “It depends”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoonabar/

• “Almost everyone”– IT– Support area (KM/HR/IM/Finance)– Line of business– Head office– No-one– Other

Top 5 factors for interest

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Recommended

Don't know

Competition

Reduce costs

Reduce travel costs

Records compliance

Product/time to market

Customer service

Reduce risk of lost info

Individual productivity

Decision-making

Team productivity

Importance of functions – top few

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Tagging/bookmarking

Text edit (blogs)

Collaborative images

Offline replication

Workflow

Data feeds

Messaging (email)

Calendars & Schedules

Single sign on

Forums & discussion

Collaborative text (wiki)

Shared Documents

Search

Critical

Nice-to-Have

Irrelevant

Importance of functions – the rest

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Virtual Worlds (2nd Life)

Audio pub (podcasts)

Video pub (vodcasts)

VoIP conferencing

Social nets (Facebook)

Microblogging (Yammer)

Mobile Device access

Instant Messaging

App Sharing

Web conference

Directories

Integration (APIs, SoA)

Critical

Nice-to-Have

Irrelevant

Collaboration products considered• 27 responses / 50 products• iCtye, Google Docs, Blackboard Wiki, Microsoft

(SharePoint, Outlook, Exchange), Ektron, Allette Systems (Pageseeder), EMC Documentum (eRooms), Kavi, Alfresco, Jive SBS, Telligent, OpenText Social Media, Lotus (Notes, Quickr, Connections), MindTouch, Atlassian (Confluence, JIRA), Salesforce, MediaWiki, Drupal, Edna, Blackboard, Sakai, BSCW, Matrix, Teamcenter, Windchill, Webex, IM, Sitescape (Novell), SAP, Socialtext, Traction, Novell Teaming, Govdex, Twiki, Intralogics, Drop Box, Skype, K2 BlackPearl, Joomla, Twitter, Yammer, DotNetNuke, WordPress, OpenCMS.

What would you do differently?

• Needs new approach from IT & decision-makers• Needs time, focus on peoples’ needs• Ensure that these needs are met• Needs senior-level support and investment• Be clear on how parts work together• Be clear on expectations• Needs training, and engagement• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

http://www.flickr.com/photos/officenow/

Key words

• People• Engagement• Change• Time• Scope

• Benefits• Training• Structure• Support• Features

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elvire-r/

Collaborative exercise

• What approaches, methods or tools apply to your collaborative environment?

• KM Method Cards– From Straits Knowledge, Singapore

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/

KM Method Cards25

39

16

http://www.straitsknowledge.com/store

The exercise

• You will be dealt a card– 3 Approaches– 5 Methods– 5 Tools

• Find one partner with a card you can connect to yours in some way

• Think about how you can use this• Explain the connection and the application to

the group

http://www.flickr.com/photos/recoverling/

The IdeaMonopoly?The IdeaMonopoly?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/http2007/

Or… Orgsourcing?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescridland/

Why does change fail?

“Nearly 60 percent of projects aimed at achieving business

change do not fully meet their objectives”

2008 IBM study of more than 1,500 change management executives from 15 countries

“Nearly 60 percent of projects aimed at achieving business

change do not fully meet their objectives”

2008 IBM study of more than 1,500 change management executives from 15 countries

http://www.flickr.com/photos/misserion/

http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/25492.wss

A brief history of change

Change by command…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyng883/

Change management…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cote/

Change communication…Change communication…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewfeinberg/

Employee engagement…Employee engagement…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ideai/

But aren’t we forgetting something?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pookhy/

Organisations today are complexOrganisations today are complex

http://www.flickr.com/photos/odreiuqzide/

Because they depend on peopleBecause they depend on people

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beglen/

Complexity theory?Complexity theory?

We need to understand how organisations work, before we can effectively change them

• People are:– Complex, unpredictable, dynamic– Resistant to engineering

• Change is only made possible by people

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevindooley/

The Cynefin Framework• A way to look at the nature of organisations• Tools to work with the environment• Developed by David Snowden, Cognitive Edge• Welsh: “habitat, place”

– Conveys the sense that we all have multiple pasts of which we are only partly aware: cultural, religious, geographic, tribal, etc

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clspeace/

• ComplexCause and effect coherent in retrospect, repeat accidentally– unpredictable

• ComplicatedCause and effect separated over time & space, but repeat – analysableKnowable

• SimpleCause & effect relations repeatable & predictableKnown

• ChaosNo cause and effect relationships generally perceivable

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joestump/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/clspeace/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/g_kovacs/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/111 emergency/

• ComplexInformalEmergenceSocial Media

• ComplicatedDomain of expertsGood practice20th Century

• Simple“Business as usual”Best practice19th Century

• ChaosNovelCrisis

Catastrophic changeCatastrophic change

Ord

ered

Ord

ered

Uno

rder

edU

nord

ered

DisorderDisorder

• ComplexMultiple small and diverse interventions to create optionsProbe-sense-respondProbe-sense-respond

• ComplicatedAnalytical techniques to determine facts and option range Sense-analyse-respondSense-analyse-respond

• SimpleStandard processes with review cycles and clear measuresSense-categorise-respondSense-categorise-respond

• ChaosSingle or multi actionsto stabilise situationsAct-sense-respondAct-sense-respond

Organisations are complexOrganisations are complex

• Dynamic, with rich interactions• Different people operating at different levels• Feedback• Non-linear, unpredictable• Emergent characteristics

– Whole different to sum of parts

• Small changes can have large impacts• History can make a difference

• Dynamic, with rich interactions• Different people operating at different levels• Feedback• Non-linear, unpredictable• Emergent characteristics

– Whole different to sum of parts

• Small changes can have large impacts• History can make a difference

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randysonofrobert/

EmergenceEmergence

• Fly to the centre• Match speed• Avoid collision

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moriza/

Simple wisdom doesn’t apply Simple wisdom doesn’t apply

• ““The definition of insanity is doing the same The definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result”thing twice and expecting a different result”– In a complex environment, doing the same thing In a complex environment, doing the same thing

twice twice willwill give a different result give a different result

• ““You can't fix what you can't measure”You can't fix what you can't measure”– You You cancan intervene in a complex environment, even intervene in a complex environment, even

though you though you can’t can’t measure it reliablymeasure it reliably

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmettanderson/

In modern, complex, people-centric organisations, it is people and what they know that provide the only real competitive advantage

http://www.flickr.com/photos/isayx3/

People create value

I came to see in my time at IBM that culture isn't just one aspect of the game - it is the game!

In the end, an organisation is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create

value. - Lou Gerstner, IBM

There is no monopoly on ideas!There is no monopoly on ideas!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaetanlee/

People need to be creative

I believe that a focus on creativity is absolutely essential for current business success…

I maintain that creativity is possible and desirable in all forms of work, no matter what people are doing. In particular, knowledge workers require

creativity.– Teresa Amabile, Harvard Business School

How to encourage creativity

• Support people emotionally• Monitor work in a positive way• Recognise good performance, in public• Consult with people on the team• Collaborate –spend time with team on tasks

Cognitive rewards

• Monetary rewards don't work where more cognitive work required:– Autonomy– Mastery– Purpose

• Self-directed = better engagement• eg Atlassian

– Dan Pink, Drive

The myth of control

Peter Drucker constantly advisedbusinesses to give employees directcontrol over their own work andenvironment, with teams of “knowledge workers” responsible for work toward goals stated as broad business objectives rather than prescriptive plans. Drucker stated that management could only achieve sustainable profits by treating people as an enterprise’s most valued resources, not as costs.

- Greg Lloyd http://traction.tractionsoftware.com/traction/permalink/Blog1163

Everyone can contribute

When leaders learn to creatively engage their subordinates in everyday decision making,

they can make change happen. - John Smythe, Engage for change

McKinsey Research

• 2008 report• 59 organisations researched globally• Single, most influential cause of more engaged

employees:The appetite and ability of leaders at every level to engage their subordinates in everyday decision making and bigger-ticket change

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cell105/

All of us are smarter than any of us• The Wisdom of Crowds - James Surowiecki• Under certain conditions• Works for cognition problems• Diversity• Independence

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephanridgway/

Tools for complexity

• Anecdote circles• Safe-fail probes• Social Network Stimulation• The Future, Backwards• Sensemaking• Knowledge cafés• Change Cards• Organizational Zoo

Build trust through social media

What is the result?

Leaders who engage the right groups in everyday decisions and in designing and executing change

will benefit both in terms of the quality of decisions and the speed of execution that derives from people who feel ownership of the outcome.

- John Smythe, Engage for change

The theory and practice of communitieshttp://delarue.net/blog/2009/03/the-theory-and-practice-of-communities/

The communities manifesto (Stan Garfield)https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddj598qm_44fx54rbg5

Being a Successful Knowledge Leader(Arthur Shelley, Ark Group) http://www.ikmagazine.com/bookshop.asp

Surveying the collaboration battlegroundhttp://idm.net.au/article/007933-surveying-collaboration-battleground

The theory and practice of communitieshttp://delarue.net/blog/2009/03/the-theory-and-practice-of-communities/

The communities manifesto (Stan Garfield)https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddj598qm_44fx54rbg5

Being a Successful Knowledge Leader(Arthur Shelley, Ark Group) http://www.ikmagazine.com/bookshop.asp

Surveying the collaboration battlegroundhttp://idm.net.au/article/007933-surveying-collaboration-battleground

@kdelarue 0418 51 7676

keith@delarue.nethttp://acknowledgeconsulting.com/