Communities of practice and application in Asian organisations

1

Jeremy Blain, Director, Managing Director, Cegos Asia Pacifi c.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE: A GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS BENEFITS FOR ASIAN COMPANIES What are communities of practice? How can they help drive productivity and improve organizational performance? What are the key success factors?

CONTENTS

Page

3 1. INTRODUCTION

6 2. MARKET CONTEXT – THE KEY DRIVERS

10 3. THE BENEFITS OF COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

12 4. KEY FACTORS FOR SUCCESSFUL

IMPLEMENTATION

14 5. THE EVOLUTION OF COPS AND BEST PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

18 6. CONCLUSIONS

19 7. REFERENCES

20 8. ABOUT CEGOS GROUP

21 9. ABOUT JEREMY BLAIN

© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

3

1. INTRODUCTION

While the term “Community of Practice” (CoP) was coined relatively recently, the phenomenon, which centers on proactive collective learning, has been around as long as people have learnt and worked effectively together. Today a growing number of people and organizations across the world from different sectors and environments are now focusing on the concept as a key to improving their performance.

In this guide I will examine what CoPs are and how they have come about, as well as their role in learning and development today, and in driving organizational success. Furthermore, drawing on my experience at Cegos I will provide guidance on some of the key factors for setting up successful and sustainable CoPs in Asia.

Communities of Practice: The Characteristics

According to social learning theorist Etienne Wenger, communities of practice are formed by people who engage in a process of collective learning in a shared domain of human endeavor: a tribe learning to survive, a band of artists seeking new forms of expression, a group of engineers working on similar problems, a network of surgeons exploring novel techniques, a gathering of fi rst-time managers helping each other cope. In essence, a CoP is a group of individuals with a common area of responsibility, or similar interests, united by a joint desire to develop and grow by sharing ideas and best practices.

Wenger cites three key characteristics – a domain, community and practice – which are required to distinguish a CoP from other groups and communities such as workplace discussion groups or departmental teams. The domain: A community of practice is more than a club of friends or a network of connections between people. It has an identity defi ned by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people.

The community: In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other.

The practice: Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems – in short a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction.


Communities of

practice are groups

of people who share a

concern or a passion

for something they do

and learn how to do it

better as they interact

regularly.

Etienne Wenger, 2006

“

”

4

Communities of practice are found the world over and come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, usually focused on learning and building capacity. Well documented examples include learning networks such as ASTD (the world’s largest professional association dedicated to the training and development fi eld), technology clubs, and technology programs which are run by companies such as Microsoft for example.

ASTD Global HRD Community of Practice

Through the world’s largest training and development platform, ASTD reaches professionals on six continents and more than 80 countries.

The Global HRD CoP has been set up for professionals around the world to share regional best practices, conduct global benchmarking, and discuss cross culture and global talent development issues. A wide range of content is available in Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic, and many other languages. With ongoing support the community continues to grow providing a valuable tool for its members to connect, learn and share.

Microsoft Innovative Teachers Programme

The Microsoft Innovative Teachers Programme is an online CoP with the aim of creating a community of teachers who learn from and inspire each other. It supports IT innovation and best practice in schools and helps teachers use technology to connect and collaborate with colleagues, by providing training on and access to e-resources that integrate ICT into the learning process. Key programme aims include continuing professional development, managing the online sharing of knowledge, sharing innovation through virtual classroom tours, establishing online communities to help teachers exchange information and creating best practice examples of how technology can be used in education.

At one end of the scale CoPs are local with members limited to a single organization primarily interacting face-to-face while more complex set ups include global networks that mainly come together online and may span a number of different organizations. Some CoPs are formally recognized within organizations and have a dedicated budget, while others are completely informal.

The emergence of CoPs within businesses can come from a variety of activities such as the need to solve a specifi c problem – “Can we brainstorm some ideas to progress the development of this product?”; for gaining insight and experience – “Does anybody have experience of working with a customer in this region?”; and to map knowledge and identify skills gaps – “Who knows what within our organization, and what skills are we missing?”


Some CoPs are

formally recognized

within organizations

and have a dedicated

budget, while others

are completely

informal.

“

”

5


One of the key benefi ts of CoPs is their dynamic nature and the fact that learning and knowledge transfer is not limited to individuals at any particular level of the organization but occurs among everyone involved. While CoPs tend to be driven by a whole range of different individual and organizational needs, what they typically have in common is their ability to play a pivotal role in informal learning strategies and in helping organizations to move beyond more formal organizational and training structures and techniques.

Asian Development Bank

ADB introduced the concept of CoPs when it reorganised in 2002 and these received a boost in 2009 when ADB empowered them under Action Plan for Knowledge Management, 2009 – 2011. ADB-hosted CoPs:

• Promote innovative approaches to address specifi c development opportunities

• Develop, capture, and transfer good practices on specifi c topics by stimulating the active generation and sharing of knowledge

• Link diverse groups of practitioners from different disciplines and are thus intertwined with ADB’s organisational structure

• Serve as an ongoing learning venue for staff (and outside practitioners) who share similar goals, interests, problems, and approaches

• Respond rapidly to individual inquiries from members and ADB clients, audiences, and partners with specifi c answers

Some defi ning traits of CoPs:

They are peer-to-peer collaborative networks

They are driven by the willing participation of their members

They are focused on learning and building capacity

They are engaged in sharing knowledge, developing expertise, and solving problems

They can operate regardless of geographical location

They can be reinforced through leverage of collaborative tools and technologies

! KEY POINTS

6


2. MARKET CONTEXT – THE KEY DRIVERS

In this section I look at the key drivers for CoPs in today’s global business environment and specifi cally in Asia.

Without doubt, informal learning tools such as CoPs are becoming an increasingly important part of today’s business and learning strategies for organizations worldwide.

Research by industry analysts Bersin & Associates shows that more than 80% of corporate learning now occurs through informal approaches such as coaching, mentoring, communities of practice, use of expert directories, and social networking. Those organizations that have begun to ‘formalize’ informal learning and have integrated it with more traditional learning techniques to create the perfect blend of learning for today’s learner centric workplace are achieving the greatest impact from their learning programs.

There are a number of factors driving the uptake of informal learning tools and CoPs – from economic benefi ts, globalization and the rise of technology, to the changing dynamics of the workplace and the war for talent.

Economic benefi ts

The global economic slowdown and now slow return to growth have shined the spotlight on the importance of maximizing the value of L&D budgets. While Asia has not suffered to the same extent as the United States and Europe, the ongoing Eurozone crisis has impacted growth in Asia. With slower growth rates than predicted, companies are increasingly focused on getting the maximum ‘bang for their buck’ from their training programs and are looking to adopt more fl exible and cost-effi cient learning tools.

More so than ever before, there is a need for learning to be integrated into employees’ day-to-day activities to ensure they remain productive and focused on core activities rather than spending too much time away from the workplace on off-site training courses.

The low cost of establishing and maintaining CoPs, combined with their fl exibility to be embedded into daily workplace activities such as problem solving make them a strong economic option in the current business climate.

The rise of technology

In today’s global multi-cultural 24/7 business environment, the rise of technology is enabling ‘learning-on-demand’, allowing people to learn ‘anywhere, anytime’, as well as helping to foster greater networking, collaboration and community access. It is also having an enormous impact on the bottom line by reducing costs from training away-days and enabling greater productivity through collective learning and collaboration in areas such as product development and customer services.

Over the past few years, the rise of the internet, faster and cheaper telecommunications infrastructures and the proliferation of smartphones and tablet computers have helped drive the uptake of CoPs in Asia, albeit many companies are still very much exploring this tool as a learning technique.

This increased adoption of technologies and potential for the future is evident in Asia if we look at their internet usage rates according to Internet World Stats. Figure 1 shows that nearly a billion Asians use the internet. While Figure 2 shows only a 24% penetration rate, it is worth noting that this is changing rapidly as better infrastructure is rolled out, tighter controls around IP are implemented, and wider applications to how technology is used continue to emerge.

The global economic

slowdown and

now slow return to

growth have shined

the spotlight on

the importance of

maximizing the value

of L&D budgets.

“

”

7

The changing dynamics of the workplace

Of key importance too is the changing demographics of the workforce which is evident across Asia and indeed globally. There are currently four different generations working side by side which fall into the following categories:

• Traditionalists born between 1925 and 1945 and tending to be characterized by a sense of duty and loyalty;

• Baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 – many of whom are in senior management positions today and tend to be more upwardly mobile with a greater focus on advancement and status;

• Generation X born between 1965 and 1981 who often believe in the values of resourcefulness and self-reliance; and

• Generation Y, or the Millennials, who born after 1982, tend to be highly technology literate, are often positive and confi dent and are prepared to challenge existing ideas.


Asia

Europe

North America

Latin America / Caribbean

Africa

Middle East

Oceania / Australia

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Source: Internet World Stat – www.internetworldststa.com/stats.htmEstimated internet users are 2,095,006,005 on March 31, 2011.Copyright © 2011, Miniwatts Marketing Group

Millions of users

922.3

476.2

272.1

215.9

110.9

68.6

21.3

Figure 1. Internet users in the world by geographic regions – 2011

North America

Oceania / Australia

Europe

Latin America / Caribbean

Middle East

World, Avg.

Asia

Africa

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%º 80%

Penetration Rate

Source: Internet World Stat – www.internetworldststa.com/stats.htmPenetration Rates based on a world population of 6,930,055,154and 2,095,006,005 estimated internet users on March 31, 2011.Copyright © 2011, Miniwatts Marketing Group

78.3%

60.1%

58.3%

37%

31.7%

30.2%

23.8%

11.4%

Figure 2. World Internet penetration rates by geographic regions – 2011

Of key importance

too is the changing

demographics of

the workforce which

is evident across

Asia and indeed

globally. There are

currently four different

generations working

side by side...

“

”

8

Today’s global information economy

CoPs have an increasingly important role to play in today’s global information economy where knowledge is increasingly recognized as a crucial differentiator in the marketplace.

But managing, sharing and leveraging knowledge and skills is more complicated than ever before due the global nature of business. Today’s teams tend to be cross-cultural and cross-functional with individuals and subject matter experts dispersed around the world so it is important to fi nd effi cient ways for these teams to maximize their potential.

Technology and social networking tools are providing platforms for informal networks and CoPs which are helping to solve this knowledge management issue and enable people in organizations to foster more effective and collaborative means of working together thus leading to greater value being generated.

The combination of these tools with techniques that enable greater collaboration, such as agile development using scrum teams, is helping to create organizations that are more dynamic and adaptable to change.

Last, yet by no means least, there is the skills and talent crisis. While this is a global issue, industry fi gures show that the problem is particularly acute in Asia, in particular in high growth markets such as India and China.

The ManpowerGroup 2011 Talent Shortage survey of 40,000 employers across 39 countries reveals globally, that one in three (34%) employers have reported experiencing diffi culties fi lling positions due to lack of available talent with 73% of respondents citing a lack of experience, skills or knowledge as the primary reason. In comparison, 45% of Asia Pacifi c employers reported diffi culty fi lling job vacancies due to lack of available talent – a 4% increase over 2010s fi gures. This is likely related to the fact that many of the countries surveyed across Asia suffered less impact from the global economic downturn. As a result they will have experienced an earlier, more robust recovery and there are only so many qualifi ed candidates available in the market to meet the continued strong hiring expectation.

Figure 3 shows the extent of the problem in Asia with Japan and India both reporting an increase in diffi culty in 2011 compared to 2010. India shows the most signifi cant increase – up from 16% in 2010 to a staggering 67% in 2011 – which most likely stems from increased demand as the economy rebounds. In China, organizations appear to be fi nding it less diffi cult to fi ll positions in 2011 than they did in the previous year.


Today’s teams tend

to be cross-cultural

and cross-functional

with individuals and

subject matter experts

dispersed around the

world so it is important

to fi nd effi cient ways

for these teams

to maximize their

potential.

“

”

9

When respondents were asked what strategies they were using to overcome the diffi culties fi lling positions in Asia, the most common response (17%) was to provide extra training and development to existing staff. While this is encouraging, clearly an even greater investment needs to be made in L&D to build a robust workforce for the future with informal learning tools such as CoPs providing the ideal platform in conjunction with other learning tools to upskill employees in the region.

When asked which position they fi nd the most diffi cult to fi ll, employers in the Asia Pacifi c region universally cited sales representatives. Indeed, sales representatives have consistently remained the most diffi cult position to fi ll in the region during the past seven years. In section 5 where I look specifi cally at best practice examples of CoPs there is a good example of how a dedicated learning program can achieve great results in terms of developing sales talent from within the organization. The human capital market in Asia today is clearly a ‘buyer’s market’ – constantly challenging organizations to fi nd the right strategies to attract, develop and retain staff. It is perhaps no surprise then that 12% of the Manpower survey respondents said that they were broadening their search outside their local region. However, if talent starts to move from organizations’ multinational counterparts in the West on a larger scale than currently seen today, this could lead to a mass ‘Talent Migration’ that no one is really prepared for.

As this happens, the protection of talent becomes even more critical with L&D strategies that fi t seamlessly into day-to-day activities such as CoPs having a key role to play in growing this talent into the Asian context, and supporting long-term talent management and succession planning strategies.

In my recent white paper Blended Learning and its Applications for Asian Companies Today I look at the implications of the movement of talent East in greater detail.

So in summary, the lack of available talent in Asia combined with the migration of skills from West to East highlights the need for a greater focus on the development of employees, managers and leaders throughout Asian organizations, domestically and through the absorption of international staff from overseas. This ticking talent time bomb is driving the rise in informal learning approaches and as a result more and more companies are experimenting with CoPs. Also more and more learners are driving CoPs out of necessity in order to raise their game and professional standing in the marketplace. © Cegos Group, 2011/2012

Key market drivers behind informal learning tools such as CoPs include:

Economic benefi ts

Globalisation

The rise of technology

Learning on demand

More effective collaboration

Changing workforce demographics

The War for Talent

! KEY POINTS

Figure 3: Manpower Talent Shortage survey – Diffi culties in fi lling positions amongst largest global economies

Japa

nInd

ia US

Germ

any

Italy

Canad

aChin

a

Fran

ce UK

%

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

2010

2011

76%

16%

67%

14%

52%

29%

40%

31%29%

21%

29%

40%

24% 23%20%

9%

15%

80%

10

3. THE BENEFITS OF COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

CoPs have the potential to provide a whole host of benefi ts to organizations across Asia, from both an L&D and broader business perspective such as reduced costs and improved performance with the individual learner standing to benefi t greatly too. These key benefi ts largely stem from the community’s passion for learning and sharing work-related knowledge and the ability to connect people across functional, divisional, organizational and geographic boundaries. While technology provides the infrastructure of modern day CoPs and enables the connection of people regardless of location, the beating heart of a CoP is the human interaction between its members, ensuring human capital is front and centre.

Cost and performance

Bersin & Associates 2011 Corporate TalentWatch® shows that reducing costs is the number one challenge for organizations in 2012, cited by 42% of organizations surveyed, with the next biggest challenge being expansion into new markets, cited by 35% of respondents.

For companies today, the focus remains fi rmly on doing more with less while ensuring that performance within the workplace is maximized. As austerity measures continue to bite organizations must be creative and accountable in the ways that they develop and retain their staff in these diffi cult times. CoPs provide a low cost way of building knowledge and access to knowledge within an organization, regardless of location with cost savings particularly evident amongst global teams.

In addition, the collaborative culture brought about by CoPs can overcome barriers in larger organizations where teams can have a silo mentality and can lead to decisions being made more quickly, bringing benefi ts to the business and customers. A collaborative culture is more effi cient and innovative and helps to build stronger bonds within and between companies which directly impacts the bottom line.

CoPs represent a low-cost learning tool – one that is even more powerful and has the potential to deliver a greater return on investment when implemented as part of a blended learning program. Organizations need to carefully consider their mix with technology enabled tools such as e-learning but also face-to-face interventions such as coaching and classroom training for which there is a strong cultural preference in many countries in Asia.

In today’s technology-driven workplace, we must not forget that the ‘human touch’ remains key to engaging people as they work and learn. Indeed our annual 2011 Learning Trends survey found that the human touch still remains core to training today despite the rise in technology-led learning techniques. Modern day CoPs represent a low-cost way of connecting people in a new way that maximizes the use of technology for cross cultural and remote collaboration yet maintains the essential human elements of communication and dialogue.

Dynamic informal learning for everybody, locally or globally

CoPs tend to be self-selected, autonomous and inclusive so every individual ‘member’ can benefi t regardless of their location. They can address the tacit and dynamic aspects of knowledge creation and sharing, as well as the more explicit aspects. CoPs allow the individual learner to share their experiences and learn from others spontaneously when they need to. This learning in real-time, in a non-hierarchical way, from talent regardless of where an individual is located, can help accelerate learning. © Cegos Group, 2011/2012

!!!As austerity measures

continue to bite

organizations must

be creative and

accountable in the ways

that they develop and

retain their staff in these

diffi cult times.

“

”

11


For the individual the benefi ts are numerous and include greater access to subject-matter experts and valuable information resources, as well as ongoing professional development and helping the individual to remain at the forefront of their discipline and gain confi dence in their own expertise.

Closing cross-generational skills gaps

As part of broader talent management and L&D strategies CoPs help organizations harness the experience of older generation’s and close skills gaps by up-skilling younger generations. As mentioned earlier, this is important given the fact that so many Baby Boomers are due to retire during the course of the next few years taking crucial knowledge and experience with them in areas such as leadership and decision making.

How we engage today’s different generations is of great importance. CoPs provide an effective means to harness the enthusiasm of the younger tech-savvy generations, providing a stimulating collaborative learning environment. The autonomy of such learning tools can help people feel a valued part of the team or company where their opinions count and are contributing to the bigger picture and this in turn impacts productivity, staff retention and organizational performance.

Innovation and reduced re-invention

CoPs help connect people to experts thus decreasing learning curves. They provide a safe and trusted environment for brainstorming that can help stimulate idea creation and problem solving through thinking outside of the box which in turn leads to greater innovation in the workplace.

They also offer the advantage of reducing rework and prevent the ‘wheel being reinvented’ all of the time. Indeed, research carried out by David R. Millen, Michael A. Fontaine, and Michael J. Muller from IBM Research’s Collaborative User Experience Group nearly a decade ago which explored the benefi ts and costs of communities of practice within large, geographically dispersed organizations, found that by far the most compelling benefi ts for the organization was in the area of time savings. In particular, the key benefi t was the reduced time to perform information seeking and sharing tasks that contributed to improved operational effi ciency.

Relationship-building and networking

CoPs break down communication barriers among individuals from different levels within an organization, different functions and different geographical regions. This is particularly powerful for Asian companies seeking to bring knowledge from West to East.

Their informal and dynamic nature based on continuous communication offers a social environment ideal for building and nurturing relationships. CoPs can also provide a strong networking platform.

Collective responsibility

CoPs can help tackle some of the toughest business problems. By promoting collaboration, CoPs allow common outcomes to be achieved. They enable members to take collective responsibility for managing the knowledge they need. Furthermore, according to Wenger they create a direct link between learning and performance, because the same people participate in them as in business teams and business units. Collective responsibility leads to a more engaged and motivated workforce.

Members can access and share resources regardless of location

CoPs are a fl exible learning tool enabling learning anytime, anywhere

CoPs can lower costs of operation, increase effi ciency and improve customer service which are essential for a healthy bottom line

CoPs have a key role to play in solving problems quickly and effectively, developing professional skills, infl uencing strategy, and in engaging and retaining talented employees.

! KEY POINTS

12

4. KEY FACTORS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL

IMPLEMENTATION OF COPS

The potential for CoPs in organizations is enormous, but their success hinges on a wide range of factors. Drawing on my experience at Cegos, in this section I focus on what basic ingredients are needed to establish productive and sustainable communities of practice.

Here are my 10 guiding principles for establishing a successful CoP in Asia:

1. Ensure there is a clear purposeIt is important to establish from the outset what your CoP will be used to do. What problem or business issue will it address? It is worth developing a simple ‘manifesto’ defi ning the vision, rationale and scope with clearly stated goals and success criteria. Make sure that the benefi ts are clearly identifi ed for both members and sponsors.

2. Identify participantsGet together a list of potential participants – think locally and globally. I fi nd it particularly useful to use a referral system where individuals are asked if they can recommend others in the organization that would be valuable participants. Also consider whether your CoP would benefi t from a more diverse membership to gain a different perspective. Remember to establish expectations in terms of peoples’ time commitment.

3. Defi ne key roles and responsibilities Do not underestimate the power of the facilitator. This is a key role which need not necessarily be one individual or indeed a subject expert. The facilitator focuses on process and is responsible for understanding knowledge and learning needs, designing and facilitating meetings, maintaining distribution lists and working behind the scenes to maintain commitment and working as a focal point both internally and for those outside the CoP.

The champion has a powerful role to play in communicating the benefi ts of the CoP and engaging participants. The sponsor is largely responsible for ensuring the CoP has the resources it needs to thrive and for monitoring business outcomes.

4. Hold a kick-off meeting The fi rst meeting should introduce participants to the benefi ts of the CoP and the roles and responsibilities of the key personnel. An important focus will be to ensure all participants share a common understanding and vision for the CoP. The fi rst meeting should be all about building relationships, trust and commitment. Given that many of the interactions are likely to be via email or telephone, it can be very useful to kick-off with a face-to-face meeting including a social activity.

5. Establish behaviors from the outset If participants or the organization is new to this approach, you need to make sure that you start as you mean to go on by engaging members in developing good practice. This can cover, for example, a code of conduct or expectations of responsiveness to queries. It can be useful to have to hand some seed questions to stimulate discussion. The facilitator has a key role to play here in pressing for answers behind the scenes.


!!The fi rst meeting should

introduce participants

to the benefi ts of the

CoP and the roles and

responsibilities of the

key personnel.

“

”

13

6. Promote the CoPWork with your marketing team to promote the CoP in internal and external media/magazines. The more people who know about it the better. Try and show how the CoP is helping employees to solve daily work challenges. In the early stages advertise quick wins and publicize milestones as they are achieved which will help build momentum and commitment.

7. Maintain connectivity Success depends on maintaining and building on the relationships between the participants of the CoP. It’s helpful to establish a blend of face-to-face and online activities which can be achieved by good active facilitation.

8. Monitor the effectiveness of the CoPThe effectiveness of the CoP should be evaluated on an ongoing basis. Consider metrics such as frequency of contribution/response, number of unanswered questions, and for larger networks the churn rate for participants. How can you improve activity? What techniques and approaches can you use to make sure people remain engaged?

9. Review performance How is the CoP delivering against its manifesto and key goals? What feedback do the participants have? Are there still regular examples of success stories? Ensuring you have quantifi able evidence that the CoP is delivering against its objectives will help with ring-fencing further resources to ensure the CoP can continue to develop and meet future challenges.

Measuring and demonstrating the value of a CoP is not always an easy process and there is much work to be done in this area. Cost savings can be quantifi ed in a number of ways by tracking expenses accumulated in training new and existing employees for example, the time spent on group projects and travel time that would have been spent seeking out advice from experts and meeting with people.

10. Test for continued relevance CoPs are dynamic and can last for as long or as short a time as their members need them to exist as interests and issues shift and evolve. Periodically re-evaluate the ‘business plan’ of the CoP. Should it continue, be disbanded, redefi ned or sub-divided into new CoPs? CoPs require nurturing if they are to remain valuable and viable over the course of their evolution.

Launching and sustaining a successful CoP requires thought and commitment but with the right people, technology infrastructure and the steps outlined above it can be one of the most effective ways to develop your knowledge capital.

There are also key lessons we can learn from the software industry’s use of agile development and from the Agile Manifesto – a statement of values defi ned by a group of software developers which originally formed in 2001. Through their work, they have come to value individuals and interactions over processes and tools; collaborative technology over documentation; collaboration with the customer – the end user – over contract negotiations; and the all important ability and fl exibility in responding to change rather than adhering rigidly to an existing plan. More details of this can be found in my “Informal Networks – How they are changing the World of Work” white paper.

Any embracing of CoPs must inevitably lead to a culture change within an organisation. Going back to the Agile Manifesto, there needs to be a paradigm shift away from processes and tools towards individuals and interactions and an increased fl exibility and agility within an organisation.


!!

1. Ensure there is a clear purpose

2. Identify participants3. Defi ne key roles and

responsibilities 4. Hold a kick-off meeting 5. Establish behaviours

from outset6. Promote the CoP7. Maintain connectivity 8. Monitor the

effectiveness of the CoP

9. Review performance 10. Test for continued

relevance

SUMMARY: CEGOS TEN STEP PLAN FOR SUCCESS

14

© Cegos Group, 2012

14

5. THE EVOLUTION OF COPS AND BEST PRACTICE

EXAMPLES

The CoP concept is being applied to some degree in virtually every business today with government organizations, educational institutions, professional associations and other broader society initiatives all realizing benefi ts from this approach to learning and knowledge management.

It is perhaps not surprising that it is within the business sector that CoPs have gained the most ground. Why? This largely comes down to recognition among businesses that knowledge is a critical asset that needs to be managed strategically.

Early efforts to manage knowledge were underpinned by large information systems, many of which failed to make a signifi cant impact. CoPs provided a refreshingly new approach through their focus on people rather than technology, with social interaction enabling learning and knowledge to be transferred through greater collaboration. Arguably technology does play a pivotal role today in CoPs, however its’ core role is in creating an infrastructure that enables the people who use it to connect, communicate and interact. It is not the be-all and end-all in the way that knowledge management systems were created and rolled out back in the 80s and 90s.

CoPs have grown up around the rise of informal networks and in the context of today’s virtual organization. You can fi nd more information on both of these themes in two further white papers I have written entitled “Informal Networks – How They are Changing the World of Work” and “The Rise of Virtual Learning”.

So how are CoPs evolving today globally, and what challenges do they bring?

As I mentioned earlier in this paper, in the past few years we have seen a shift in effort and investment towards informal learning. This has been accompanied by the need to ‘formalize’ the more collaborative approaches to learning in order to drive value and achieve measurable business results.

As the worldwide economy slowly recovers, organizations and their HR, learning and talent development teams remain fi rmly grounded in cost-containment but are now starting to shift their focus towards innovation and growth and this is shaping the evolution of CoPs. CoPs are becoming an increasingly important part of informal learning and blended learning strategies today with more and more local companies in Asia exploring their potential. Many organizations leading the way in this fi eld are indeed International companies with the need to build and share knowledge globally being a key driver. Much can be learnt from such companies.

Grant Thornton, Underwriters Labs and JetBlue Airways are all good examples of companies that have closely integrated CoPs into their L&D strategies – the latter being an example of a company that has taken CoPs a step further than many organizations by inviting trainers from other airlines to join their CoP. These three companies all feature in Bersin and Associates’ Learning Leaders® 2011 research-driven program which recognizes innovation and excellence in critical areas of corporate training and talent management.

!!Early efforts to manage

knowledge were

underpinned by large

information systems,

many of which failed

to make a signifi cant

impact.

“

”

15


15

Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton LLP is the US operation of Grant Thornton International, the global accounting, tax and business advisory organisation which employs more than 30,000 employees globally and serves public and private clients in more than 100 countries.

Grant Thornton is using CoPs for continued learning as part of its innovative learning and leadership development initiative called LEADS. LEADS’ mission is to develop leaders who live the organisation’s global vision and values, excel in client service and technical expertise, develop the fi rm’s people and support continuous leadership development.

One of its most visible and impactful programmes is a live three day sales simulation event for senior managers. The CoP is used alongside regular-scheduled online learning events as a follow-up to the event to help embed key learnings in the workplace.

Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certifi cation organisation that has been testing products and writing standards for safety for more than a century. To keep pace with its organic growth rate, in 2009 the company had a pressing requirement to recruit and train around 1,000 product safety engineers throughout 19 countries within three years.

This was made possible through a blended learning programme and ‘boot camp’ with the Underwriters Laboratories University’s knowledge management system providing support for informal and collaborative learning through online communities, blogs for Q&A, wikis, and a global community of experts.

Year over year, the product safety engineer training programme has met or exceeded the goal of cutting the speed to qualifi cation, and therefore speed to productivity, by 50% compared to the instructor-led apprenticeship model it previously relied on. The online CoPs have played a key role in facilitating knowledge-sharing.

CoPs are becoming more and more sophisticated as organizations gain more experience in integrating them into the fabric of their business.

According to Josh Bersin, one of the key challenges facing organizations today is not only rethinking how learning content is developed and consumed, but rethinking how a company works as a set of business communities and designing learning and development solutions that fi t each community’s needs. Two companies that are beginning to embrace this approach are Intel and Lufthansa.

!!CoPs are becoming

more and more

sophisticated as

organizations gain more

experience in integrating

them into the fabric of

their business.

“

”

16


16

A community-based learning approach to develop female

engineers at Intel

The role of women in the workforce has dramatically changed in the last 10 years. Today, more than 58 percent of graduates are women and many leading organisations like HP, IBM and PepsiCo now have female executives at the helm. Corporate programmes that attract, develop and support women have a crucial role to play in winning the war for talent.

Intel recognised that there is still a subtle bias against women in technical roles in many parts of the world. Rather than simply train managers on the role of women and how to counter gender bias, Intel proactively set up 32 community chapters called the Women at Intel network, empowering women to work together as a local community and learn from each other.

Corporate HR and learning and development teams have helped to build and support these communities with infrastructure, communications and training, but ultimately it is the communities themselves which surface cultural, training or leadership issues that must be addressed.

Lufthansa – Developing people to support their own communities

Lufthansa’s Coaching Ourselves programme gives high-potential leaders a set of high-value coaching skills and formal leadership development and is designed to change the organisation itself not just the people it trains.

With over 100,000 employees and internal communities in place among service agents, fi nance, IT and country operations teams, a key goal of the corporate HR department was to empower these communities to improve leadership, internal coaching, knowledge sharing and development.

Lufthansa developed a highly blended training programme for high potentials, teaching them how to coach themselves with the goal of working on projects that are very specifi c to their own communities using the skills they learned through the programme.

One team addressed the problem – “If only Lufthansa knew what Lufthansa knew” – by creating an active social network that put in place a formal programme for sharing best-practices, and the programme was replicated across different countries using country-specifi c approaches and tools.

Lufthansa’s innovative approach of developing people to support their own communities and giving them the freedom and action plans to implement solutions within their community has helped drive signifi cant improvements in operational execution and has resulted in greater engagement and career growth throughout the organisation.

!!Lufthansa’s innovative

approach of developing

people to support

their own communities

and giving them the

freedom and action

plans to implement

solutions within their

community has helped

drive signifi cant

improvements in

operational execution

and has resulted in

greater engagement

and career growth

throughout the

organisation.

“

”

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17

As I mentioned earlier, many of the best examples of CoPs which we can learn from come from large multinational organizations that are using the concept to unite learning among teams across the world. However, it is important to remember that there will always be local issues and nuances that need to be taken into account given today’s multi-cultural workplace and that success will often be dictated by the ability to fi nd the right approach in the local context.

In Singapore for example, HCS (Human Capital Singapore Academy) the national CET centre for HR WSQ competency-based training, has received support from the Workforce Development Agency to create 12 CoPs across six industries in the Human Resources profession to pilot CoP concepts for professional fraternities.

The aim of the pilot project is to adapt general CoP ideas to work in the professional context in Singapore to develop an additional approach to professional learning and knowledge development. Experience has shown that fi nding the right approach in the Singapore context has not been easy and will require considerable time and effort. However, HCS believes that the rewards will easily justify the investment for everyone involved and will enable organizations to compete more effectively.

!!...it is important to

remember that there

will always be local

issues and nuances that

need to be taken into

account given today’s

multi-cultural workplace

and that success will

often be dictated by the

ability to fi nd the right

approach in the local

context.

“

”

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6. CONCLUSIONS

Without doubt, CoPs have a valuable role to play in today’s L&D strategies with CoPs clearly offering the potential to deliver many key benefi ts to individual users, teams and the overall business on a local and global scale. CoPs are all about connecting people who have a passion to learn and drive the business forward. They provide the perfect antidote to the economic crisis which has resulted in a reduced focus on L&D and employee engagement, while providing a catalyst for change and growth to create a more agile and enduring business for the future.

While much progress has been made in this area in the past few years, I believe we will see an even greater shift towards the application of CoPs in Asia and around the world in the next fi ve years as innovation becomes an ever more essential factor in helping to win the war for talent. Those companies that nurture their CoPs, use them as part of broader blended learning programs and truly integrate them within the culture and structure of their businesses are most likely to reap a return on investment in the years to come.

!!Those companies that

nurture their CoPs, use

them as part of broader

blended learning

programs and truly

integrate them within

the culture and structure

of their businesses are

most likely to reap a

return on investment in

the years to come.

“

”

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7. REFERENCES

ADB (Asian Development Bank), http://www.adb.org/site/knowledge-management/communities-of-practice/effectiveness ASTD – State of the Industry Report, 2010, http://www.astd.orgBersin and Associates, http://www.bersin.com Cegos – Blended Learning and its Applications for Asian Companies Today, Jeremy Blain, http://www.cegos.com Cegos – Informal Networks – How They are Changing the World of Work, Jeremy Blain, http://www.cegos.com Cegos – The Rise of Virtual Learning, Jeremy Blain, http://www.cegos.comCommunities of Practice Lave and Wenger, http://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html Elearning! magazine, http://www.2elearning.com/www/magazine/articles/single-news-article/article/learning-leaders-focus-of-winners-is-changing.html Etienne Wenger, http://www.ewenger.com HCS Human Capital Singapore Academy, http://www.hcs.com.sg Grant Thornton LLP, http://www.grantthornton.com Intel, http://www.intel.com Internet World Stats, http://www.internetworldstats.comJetBlue Airways, http://www.jetblue.com Lufthansa, http://www.lufthansa.com ManPower Group, http://us.manpower.com/us/en/multimedia/2011-Talent-Shortage-Survey.pdf Microsoft, http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/teachers/innovative-teachers.aspx Morgan Stanley, http://www.fi nfacts.ie/irishfi nancenews/article_1018583.shtml The World Bank, http://www.worldbank.orgUBS, http://www.ubs.com/global/en/about_ubs/media/asiapacifi c/releases.htmlUnderstanding the Benefi ts and Costs of Communities of Practice – David R. Millen, Michael A. Fontaine, and Michael J. MullerUnderwriters Labs, http://www.ul.com

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8. ABOUT CEGOS GROUP

Cegos, Europe’s largest training organization, is one of the major International players across the Asia Pacifi c region, based at its HQ in Singapore, and with operations in China and Hong Kong. A network of region-wide Most Valued Partners, and Collaborators, ensures Cegos can support Client training and development anywhere, in any language, consistently and with a truly “Think Global / Learn Local” approach – meaning Cegos is experienced at driving training in the Asian context, not just in the context of the origin country / company.

The Cegos Group was founded in 1926 in France, and is one of the world leaders in professional training for managers and their teams. In 2011, the Cegos Group achieved a turnover of SGD300 million and trained more than 200,000 managers internationally.

www.cegos.com.sgwww.elearning-cegos.comwww.cegos.com.cn

For more details, debate or discussion, please contact: [email protected] or + 65 9069 3291

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9. ABOUT JEREMY BLAIN

Jeremy Blain is Managing Director for Cegos, Asia Pacifi c, where he heads up Cegos’s Region-wide operations and activities from the company’s Singapore hub.

Prior to this, Jeremy was responsible for Cegos’ strategy for international expansion through a value adding Global Distribution Partners Network.

An L&D entrepreneur responsible for growing Cegos’ business worldwide through his various roles within the company, Jeremy has 10 years experience in the industry as a managing director, partner, trainer, coach and program author. In previous roles at Procter and Gamble, Pepsico and as CEO of his own business, Jeremy’s background includes marketing, sales, operations and account management.

As one of Cegos’ senior executives, Jeremy is a frequent international conference speaker and media commentator on topics related to the global L&D market. Themes include: the integration of emerging and informal learning technologies; the importance of performance measurement and proving ROI; developing ‘core’ leadership, management and commercial skills to achieve competitive business advantage; and change management and how to implement successful international training strategies.

For more details, debate or discussion, you can fi nd Jeremy on LinkedIn http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeremyblain and also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/learntheplanet

Jeremy has also published a series of white papers on issues relevant to L&D. These are still current and available, and include:

• Blended Learning and its Applications for Asian Companies Today, March 2012

• Developing Multicultural Leadership and Management Skills in Today’s Increasingly Globalised Workplace, November 2011

• Global Themes & Trends – European, US and Brazilian Comparisons on the Key Drivers and Issues in L&D Today, October 2011

• Learning in the Cloud – Opportunities & Threats, September 2011• Cegos/ASTD global learning trends research: A comparison between

what is happening among learners today and the perceptions of learning professionals, July 2011

• Training Today, Training Tomorrow – An Analysis of Learning Trends Across Europe and Global Comparisons, May 2011.

• Corporate Philanthropy: How Strategies are Changing and How Cegos is Helping to Make an Impact, May 2011

• The Rise of Virtual Learning, April 2011• What has L&D Learned from the Economic Slowdown, March 2011• Informal Networks – How They Are Changing the World of Work,

December 2010• Exploring and Interpreting the Most Important Learning Trends across

the Globe’, May 2010

!!

Business

Communities of practice and application in Asian organisations