Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Social learning leadership incommunities and networks
State of the Art
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Professional BEtreatGrass Valley, California
July 7-10, 2014
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Introduction
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Origins in studies of apprenticeship
Learning as trajectory into a community of practice
legitimate peripheral participation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Phase II: self-organized professional developmentin international settings
English for Specific Purposes:
genres in international settings
Portuguese participation
in international practices
Communities of practiceas learning contexts
International networks of
communities of practice
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Communities of practiceacross sectors
Ontarioleading municipalities
provincial service
organizations
RADAR CHART - SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
"Success Wheel: Bigger is better"
2002 - 2007
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
60.0
65.0
70.0
75.0
80.0
85.0
90.0
95.0
100.0
Enrolment % of 1000Staff - Supportive Leadership
Staff - CoworkersStaff - Participative Decision Making
Staff - RecognitionStaff - Employee Development
Students- Self Confidence
Students Relating to others
Students- Interest in learning
Students - Commitment to community
Students - Work readiness
Students - Understanding social order
Students - Optimism for the future
Parents - Quality of Teaching
Parents - Learning outcomes
Parents - Student reporting
Parents Geeneral environment
Parents - Customer Responsiveness
Parents - General satisfaction
Student - Empathy
Student - teacher energy/enthusiasm
Student - fairness/Firmness
Student - Helpful/responsiveness
Student - High expectations
Student - Quality of instruction
Student - Feedback
Student - Difficulty of work
Student - Time allocation
Vet Participatipon
Retention
Attendance
L&N - Numeracy
L&N - Literacy
SS Mathematics
SS English
SS Science
SS SOSE
SS Lote
SS HPD
SS Arts
SS Technology
Sace results
MS Mathematics
MS English
MS Science
MS SOSE
MS HPD
MS Lote
MS Technology
MS Home EconomicsMS Arts
20022003
20042005
2006
PEM PAL
Transparency and accountability
Initiative
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Communities of practiceas a learning partnership
In gangs… they learn to survive on the streets
In organizations… they provide better service to clients
A community of practice is ...
… a self-governed learning partnership among people, who
• share challenges, passion or interest
• interact regularly
• learn from and with each other
improve their ability to do what they care about
define in practice what competence means in their context
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Practitioners need a community to …
… help each other solve problems
… hear each other’s stories and avoid local blindness
… reflect on their practice and improve it
… build shared understanding
… keep up with change
… cooperate on innovation
… find synergy across structures
… find a voice and gain strategic influence
When have you experienced this?
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
occasional
transactional
peripheral
active
coordinator
core group
lurkers
leaders
sponsors
experts
beginners
support
outsiders
Levels of participationa common picture
clients
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Community rhythmfinding the heartbeat of a learning partnership
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
A community is a living entity … not unlike a couple
It takes hard work and careful nurturing It depends on renewed passion
It becomes an entity in its own right
It takes initiative
It is voluntary
It involves responsibilities
It is fun
private and public
commonground
ongoinglegacy
recognizedstewardship
communalidentity
long-termviability
Transforming
Sustaining
Maturing
Coalescing
Potential
A learning partnership lifecycle and evolution
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Networksstructures of social connections
Professional networks …Social networksPersonal networks …
broad patterns of relationships
all the people one has access to
A network is ... … a set of connections among people, who
• may or may not have much in common
• rely on these connections for their own purposes
These connections
enable social exchanges
carry information flows
provide access to learning resources
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Practitioners need a network to …
… help each other solve problems
… hear each other’s stories and avoid local blindness
… reflect on their practice and improve it
… build shared understanding
… keep up with change
… cooperate on innovation
… find synergy across structures
… find a voice and gain strategic influence
When have you experienced this?
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Social learning … communities and networks
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Social learning horizontal learning partnership anchored in practice
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Phase III: Complex communities …… at the crossroads of multiple practices
missed learning potential
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner Etienne & Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Landscape of practice
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Create slide for social learning spacesand leadership
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Social learning leadership living at the intersection
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Café conversation
What is your journey into social learning?
What challenges are you bringing?
What would you like to achieve?
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Create slideWhat do SLLs do?
The framework
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Learning-value framework
Cycle 1Immediate
value:
Cycle 2Potential
value:
Cycle 3Applied value:
Cycle 4Realized
value:
Gro
un
d n
arra
tive: co
mm
unity/n
etwo
rk activities
As
piratio
nal n
arra
tive: fra
min
g su
ccess
Document
Relation-ships
Collaboration
Failure
Useful caseclinic
Excitingproject
Goodmeeting
Promisingadvice
New approach
Newpractice
Outcome
Measure
Insight
Advice does not
apply
Challenginginquiry
Perspective Perspective
Reframing loops
ConditionsConditions
Improving loops (short or long)
(short or long)
Prospective Retrospective
Learning capability
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Information Informal
Formal
WithFrom
Models of practice
Project/after-action
reviews
Case clinics
Document sharing
Collections
Learningprojects
Hot topicdiscussionsStories
Formalpracticetransfer
Visits
Invitedspeaker
Mutual benchmark
External benchmark
Broadcast inquiry
Readinggroup
Problem solving
News
Jointresponse
Boundarycollaboration
Trainingand
workshops
Pointers to resources
Systematic scan
Guests
Jointevents
Documentingpractice
Field trips
Exploringideas
Eachother
1
2
7
4
3
6
5
Tips
Practice fairs
Warranting Helpdesk
Outsidesources
1.Exchanges2.Productive inquiries
3.Building shared understanding
4.Shared memory
5.Creating standards
6.Formal access to knowledge
7.Visits
a great variety
Debates
Q&A Role play
Casestudies
Peerassis
t
Polls
Learning activities
Followpractitione
r
Demos
Challenge
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Facilitating group activitiesformats for engaging community members
Mutual discovery Fair/booths Quick booth scan Gallery walk Social network mapping Matrix of practice
Networking Ice breakers/intro Speed dating Geek dating Knowledge market Breaks
Presentations and Q&A Traditional TED talks Ignite presentation Multimedia tools Brown bag lunches
Visioning Appreciative Inquiry Envisaging the future Time line Design templates
Enactments Forum theatre Role play Character archetypes
Mutual learning Apprenticeship Peer mentoring Buddying
Working together Open Space Leadership groups Discussion groups Working groups
Large conversations
World café Discussion guides Fishbowl Panel/Round table Debates Talk show Hot buttons Conversation guides
whole-group small-groups
one-to-many
many-to-many
one-to-one
few-to-few
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Leadership roles and cultivation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
A social discipline of learning
key processes
Community
Domain
Learningpartnership
Practice
Bring practice in
Reflect andself-design
Push practiceforward
Create self-representation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Success factors
Learning agendaSocial learning
process
Memory and messages
Technology Value creation
Internal leadership
Engaged sponsorship
Social learning team
Identification with domain
Personal passion
Sense of ownership
High expectations
Practice-driven trajectory
High value for time
Horizontal interactions
Generative activity design
Attention to different voices
Learning trumps power
Candid inquiry
In the service of learning
Multiple tools and devices
Integration, integration, integration
Different entry points
Persistence
Driving community development
Articulate value proposition
Strategic relevance
Continuity over time
Continuity across boundaries
Shared memory
Awareness of stakeholders
Intentional communication
DynamicDistributed
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
A social discipline of learning key self-design processes
Community
Domain
Learningpartnership
Practice
Reflect on process
Interface withorganization
Manage community
memory
Get the message out
Bring voices in
Drive the learning agenda
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
A social discipline of learning internal leadership
Community
Domain
Learningpartnership
Practice
Reflect on process
Interface with organization
Manage community memory
Get the message out
Bring voices in
Drive the learning agenda
Critical friends Institutional brokers
Community keepers Agenda
activists
Social reportersExternal
messengers
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Cultivating activitiesfostering high value for time
Distribute leadership Cultivate core group Form leadership groups Coach leaders
Backchannel work Keep in touch Invite members to act Send notes and newsletters
Enabling participation Convene meetings Initiate activities Facilitate interactions
Self-care Pursue own learning Meet other leaders Visit other communities
Institutional brokering Talking with sponsors Making business case Budgeting
Learning agenda Challenges of practice Emerging issues Hot topics
Communitycultivation
Assessment Health checks Monitor indicators Value-creation stories
Community building Manage boundaries Welcome newcomers Build identity and trust
Enabling reification Blogging, tweeting etc. Creating summaries Capturing insights
Ensure quality Model inquiry culture Coach participation Garden website
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Launch
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Involve and prepare internal leaders Choose a launch approach Plan launch activities Prepare a follow-up Do it
4. Launch design
Value to organization Value to people How could a community help? What would success look like? Why would people participate?
2. Value proposition
Potential members What are your challenges? Who do you talk to? Is there a community?
1. ConversationsHow to get going
… the first four steps
What do you think of the idea? Are you willing to help make it
happen? What would that mean to you? Who else could help?
3. Internal leaders
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Explore existing networks Define overall approach Locate potential members and leaders
Discovery andpreparation
Action plan andfollow-up
Launch workshopdesign
Anticipate follow-up Logistics and invitations Action plan and next steps
Context setting and education Exciting learning activities Community self-design
Designing a launch processkey steps
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
What happened in Cape Town?
Day 1: exploring Day 2: working Day 3: planning
Prioritized issues Learning plans Community design
In mixed and separate groups, we discussed what were the main challenges we needed to address together and we voted on the most pressing ones
We formed several practice groups to start working on the issues we had prioritized and to explore how we can make progress on them together
We formed new groups to bring the different work plans together into an overall community design, including activities for the coming year
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Online practices and tools
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
● Use it for your own good
● Open it up for your team
● Support the early adopters
● Create a culture of experimentation
● Collect analytics
● Recognize technology stewards
● One size fits all
● New tools without practices
● IT department leads decisions
● Build it and …
● Underestimate the time
● Expect the tool to do it
Warning signs
Strategic advice
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Twitter/Yammer
discussion boardblog
google doc
web conferencing
wiki
YouTubeblen
ding
syn
ch
and
asyn
ch
ramping up/dow
n
remixing
modeling
spotlighting
integrating, tools
coaching and hand-holding
shared
memory
one member leading
time delimitedfacilitated
discussants (primed)
summary
Hot topics
back/front channel chatassisted Q/A chat
pollsthumbs up/down
recordphone integration
public note-taking
Guest speaker
tagg
ing
someone to follow
regular check-in
synthesize/aggregate
reflect
Follow the leader
select stories
interviewsdifferent media
publish
comment and discuss
series
Storiesrandom inquiry multimedia
guaranteed response
expert following discussion
summary or FAQ
Broadcast inquiry
post on read/write web
discussion/comments in document
springboard into parallel discussion board
Reading group
shared note-taking
time zones
language
Online versions of selected activities
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
3. Value creation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
What meaningful activities did you participate in? What was your experience?
What specific skills or insights did you gain? What access to useful information or material?
How did this influence your practice? What difference did it make to your performance? What did it enable that would not have happened otherwise?
How did this contribute to your success?- Personal, professional?- Organizational? Key metrics?
How has this been fed back into the community’s learning:- improvement- reframing
Community/date: Member/role:
Value-creation storiesconcrete examples
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Organizational environment
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Newstructures
Existingstructures
Advisorycouncil
Coordinatorcouncil
Supportteam
Strategicteam
R&D
IT
HR
Portfoliosponsors
Communitycoordinators
Domainsponsors
Individualsponsors
Localsponsors
Communitymembers
Support teamleader
Sponsorship and support structuring strategic conversations
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Value proposition
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Why should I care? How will your community contribute to
the strategy/mission of my organization?
Making a business casequestions from a sponsor
Why
How
What
How will you operate? What resources will you need? What do you expect from me? What
role do you want me to play?
What capabilities will your community develop? What new connections will it enable? What
boundaries/silos will it cross? What will success look like and how will you
know?
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Support: social learning team
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Be the voice of communities across agencies
Legitimize their work in terms of strategic priorities
Help develop a sponsorship structure and negotiate accountability around communities
Social learning teamhow to lead and support an initiative
Strategy
Support
Cultivation
Steward the use of technology for communities
Promote cross-structure knowledge exchange
Coordinate overall research, assessment, measurement, and reporting
Offer training about communities of practice
Provide coaching to community leaders
Help with community launch and renewal
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
● Passion for domain
● Relevance to practice
● Ownership of agenda
● Internal leadership
● Energized core group
● Learning trumps power
● Community rhythm
● Trust
● High value for time
● High expectations
● Engaged sponsorship
● Skilled support
● Distributed leadership
● Lack of time
● Leader neglect
● Groupthink
● Build it and …
● Stuck in complaining
● De-energizing tasks
● Red tape
● HQ - field
● Command/control
● Cookie-cutter approach
● Fad or mandate
● Ideology
● Lack of strategic thinking
Key success/failure factors
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Thank you!
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://wenger-trayner.com
Workshops: http://wenger-trayner.com/betreat/
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Convening in complex systems
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
CoP
Vertical and horizontal accountability the need for transversality
Vertical accountability… Hierarchy
Institutionalized accountability
Evidence-based prescription
Codification and regulation
Standards of qualification
Horizontal accountability… Communities and networks
Peer-to-peer learning
Personal meaning
Engagement and creativity
Individual identity/reputation
Transversal accounts through… People
Processes and practices
Objects
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Systems conveners: convening across complex landscapes
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Pioneering innovationbalancing long and short term
Getting buy-inbrokering across boundaries
Managing the intersectionvertical and horizontal
Sustaining coherencemoving parameters
personal mission
passionate and strategic
upbeat and persistent
legitimacy across boundaries
leverage personal networks
Aspirational narrative: capturing imagination
Meaningful engagement: cross-boundary encounters
Strategic alignment: enabling significant results
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Leadership roles and cultivation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
occasional
transactional
peripheral
active
coordinator
core group
lurkers
leaders
sponsors
experts
beginners
support
outsiders
Levels of participationa common picture
clients
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
A social discipline of learning key self-design processes
Community
Domain
Learningpartnership
Practice
Reflect on process
Interface withorganization
Manage community
memory
Get the message out
Bring voices in
Drive the learning agenda
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
A social discipline of learning internal leadership
Community
Domain
Learningpartnership
Practice
Reflect on process
Interface with organization
Manage community memory
Get the message out
Bring voices in
Drive the learning agenda
Critical friends Institutional brokers
Community keepers Agenda
activists
Social reportersExternal
messengers
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Cultivating activitiesfostering high value for time
Distribute leadership Cultivate core group Form leadership groups Coach leaders
Backchannel work Keep in touch Invite members to act Send notes and newsletters
Enabling participation Convene meetings Initiate activities Facilitate interactions
Self-care Pursue own learning Meet other leaders Visit other communities
Institutional brokering Talking with sponsors Making business case Budgeting
Learning agenda Challenges of practice Emerging issues Hot topics
Communitycultivation
Assessment Health checks Monitor indicators Value-creation stories
Community building Manage boundaries Welcome newcomers Build identity and trust
Enabling reification Blogging, tweeting etc. Creating summaries Capturing insights
Ensure quality Model inquiry culture Coach participation Garden website
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Systems conveners: convening across complex landscapes
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Launch
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Involve and prepare internal leaders Choose a launch approach Plan launch activities Prepare a follow-up Do it
4. Launch design
Value to organization Value to people How could a community help? What would success look like? Why would people participate?
2. Value proposition
Potential members What are your challenges? Who do you talk to? Is there a community?
1. ConversationsHow to get going
… the first four steps
What do you think of the idea? Are you willing to help make it
happen? What would that mean to you? Who else could help?
3. Internal leaders
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
What happened in Cape Town?
Day 1: exploring Day 2: working Day 3: planning
Prioritized issues Learning plans Community design
In mixed and separate groups, we discussed what were the main challenges we needed to address together and we voted on the most pressing ones
We formed several practice groups to start working on the issues we had prioritized and to explore how we can make progress on them together
We formed new groups to bring the different work plans together into an overall community design, including activities for the coming year
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Learning activities and formats
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
“It was fantastic to see everyone digging their teeth into these issues we all struggle with
individually ...”
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Capturing the value creation of social learning is strategic, but subtle. To be both rigorous and
helpful our framework is held to five disciplines: Relevance - recognizing different kinds of
value to members and multiple stakeholders
Attribution - creating plausible causal links between outcomes and activities
Mixed methods - integrating quantitative and qualitative sources of data
Ease of use – commonsense, hence usable by community members as well as professional
evaluators
Learning orientation – not be purely evaluative, but a learning tool for members
and stakeholders
Toward a discipline of value creation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Conditions
Aspirations Aspirations
Conditions
Aspirations
Conditions
Aspirations
Conditions
Reframing loops
Improving loops
Immediate value Potential value Applied value Realized value
Strategic value
Enabling value
AspirationsConditions
AspirationsConditions
Useful caseclinic
Excitingproject
Goodmeeting
Challenginginquiry
Promisingadvice
Document
Relationship
Insight
Advice does not apply
New practice
Collaboration
Differentapproach
Customersatisfaction
Improved performanceor outcome
Personalsuccess
Failure
Social learning team Secretariat
Vision
Sponsorship
Transformative value
Learning activities
Value-creation cycles
Technology
Strategicconversations
Good leadership
Crossingboundaries
Boundary
Aspirations
Conditions
Criteria
Institution
IdentityP
racticeLandscapeorientation
Alignment
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Value-creation stories: template
What got you involved?
What was the CoP-related activity?
What was your experience of engaging with the CoP this way?
What did you get out of it? How did you apply it?
Did it transform your view?
Did you feed this back into the CoP?
Were there specific enablers that you think made this story possible?
Was there a significant connection to strategy?
Start here
What was the result?
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Conditions
Aspirations Aspirations
Conditions
Aspirations
Conditions
Aspirations
Conditions
Reframing loops
Improvement loops
Immediate value Potential value Applied value Realized value
Strategic value
Enabling value
AspirationsConditions
AspirationsConditions
Useful caseclinic
Excitingproject
Goodmeeting
Challenginginquiry
Promisingadvice
Document
Relationship
Insight
Advice does not apply
New practice
Collaboration
Differentapproach
Customersatisfaction
Improved performanceor outcome
Personalsuccess
Failure
Social learning team HR recognition
Vision
Sponsorship
Transformative value
Learning activities
Value-creation cycles
Technology
Strategicconversations
Good leadership
Crossingboundaries
Boundary
Aspirations
Conditions
Criteria
Institution
IdentityP
racticeLandscapeorientation
Alignment
Retrospective narratives
Applications of the framework
Aspirational narratives
Feedback narratives
Aspirational narratives
Feedback narratives
Retrospective narratives
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Conditions
Aspirations Aspirations
Conditions
Aspirations
Conditions
Aspirations
Conditions
Reframing loops
Improving loops
Immediate value Potential value Applied value Realized value
Strategic value
Enabling value
AspirationsConditions
AspirationsConditions
Useful caseclinic
Excitingproject
Goodmeeting
Challenginginquiry
Promisingadvice
Document
Relationship
Insight
Advice does not apply
New practice
Collaboration
Differentapproach
Customersatisfaction
Improved performanceor outcome
Personalsuccess
Failure
Social learning teamSecretariat
Vision
Sponsorship
Transformative value
Learning activities
Value-creation cycles
Technology
Strategicconversations
Good leadership
Crossingboundaries
Boundary
Aspirations
Conditions
Criteria
Institution
IdentityP
racticeLandscapeorientation
Alignment
Learning how to learn
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Support: social learning team
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Be the voice of communities across agencies
Legitimize their work in terms of strategic priorities
Help develop a sponsorship structure and negotiate accountability around communities
Social learning teamhow to lead and support an initiative
Strategy
Support
Cultivation
Steward the use of technology for communities
Promote cross-structure knowledge exchange
Coordinate overall research, assessment, measurement, and reporting
Offer training about communities of practice
Provide coaching to community leaders
Help with community launch and renewal
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
● Passion for domain
● Relevance to practice
● Ownership of agenda
● Internal leadership
● Energized core group
● Learning trumps power
● Community rhythm
● Trust
● High value for time
● High expectations
● Engaged sponsorship
● Skilled support
● Distributed leadership
● Lack of time
● Leader neglect
● Groupthink
● Build it and …
● Stuck in complaining
● De-energizing tasks
● Red tape
● HQ - field
● Command/control
● Cookie-cutter approach
● Fad or mandate
● Ideology
● Lack of strategic thinking
Key success/failure factors
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Value proposition
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Why should I care? How will your community contribute to
the strategy/mission of my organization?
Making a business casequestions from a sponsor
Why
How
What
How will you operate? What resources will you need?
What do you expect from me? What role do you want me to play?
What capabilities will your community develop? What new connections will it enable? What
boundaries/silos will it cross? What will success look like and how will you
know?
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Thank you!
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://wenger-trayner.com
Workshops: http://wenger-trayner.com/BEtreat/
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Communit
y Domain
Practice
Participation and
Reification
Imagination, engagement and alignment
Identity Identification
Sponso
rship
Social learning
leadership
Learning capability
Landscap
es of
practice
Systems convener
Boundaries
Brokering
Competen
ce
Knowledgeability
Vertical, horizontal
and transversal
accountability
Technology stewarding
Negotiation of
meaning