Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Leadership in social learning
communities and networksExploring the art
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Leadership plaza workshopIceland, October 2-3, 2012
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Introduction
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Communities of practicea central type of social learning space
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
Negotiation of
mutual relevance
Provider
Recipient
Different from training horizontal learning partnership
anchored in practice
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
product or service
task
single problem
personal connections
expert service
strategic capability
department
team
task force or committee
social network
center of excellence
community of practice
need structure
Matching needs and structures ...
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Social learning initiativesacross 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
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Types of domains
Professional communitiesProfessions or disciplines usually recognized outsideFairly stable over one’s careerCharter: advancing discipline, professional
development
Technical communitiesSpecific technologies or processesAcross business processesCharter: evaluating and managing technology
Issue-driven communitiesOngoing business concerns or issuesCharter: bringing all perspectives to bear on issue
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
Learning process
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Social learning … communities and networks
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Learningpartnership
A social discipline of learning communities of practice as learning
partnerships
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Community
Domain
Learningpartnership
Practice
A social discipline of learning
key dimensions
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
Leadership tasks
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
Value creation
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Framing narratives aspirations and experience
Gro
un
d n
arra
tive
: com
mu
nity/ne
two
rk activities
As
pira
tion
al n
arra
tive
: fram
ing
succe
ss
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Cycle 1Immediate value:
Cycle 2Potential value:
Cycle 3Applied value:
Cycle 4Realized value:
Cycle 5Reframing 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
Level of participation
Inspiration
Skills acquired
Level of engagement
Level of reflection
Change instrategy
Personalperformance
Reuse of products
InnovationIn practice
Quality ofinteraction
Organizationalperformance
New learningapproaches
New metrics
Tools and documents
Socialconnections
New viewsof learning
Havingfun
Implementationof advice
Use of socialconnections
Organizationalreputation
New expectations
Institutionalchanges
Assessing value-creation cycles and indicators
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Cycle 1Immediate value:
Cycle 2Potential value:
Cycle 3Applied value:
Cycle 4Realized value:
Cycle 5Reframing 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
Value-creation cyclesValue-creation stories
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Value-creation cyclesValue-creation matrix
Cycle 1Immediate value:
Cycle 2Potential value:
Cycle 3Applied value:
Cycle 4Realized value:
Cycle 5Reframing 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
Use of connection
Feedback
Retweetedtweet
Excitingproject
Goodmeeting
Insight
Use ofconnection
Newpractice
Criticalreflection
Outcome
Measure
Case study
Appliedadvice
Challenginginquiry
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
What meaningful activities did you participate in?
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?
Did your experience change your sense of what success is?- Personal, professional?- Organizational? Key metrics?
Community/date: Member/role:
Value-creation storiesconcrete examples
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Learning activities and formats
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Involve and prepare internal leaders Choose an approach Plan activities Prepare a follow-up Do it
4. Dynamic design
Value to organization Value to people How could a community help? What would success look like? Why would people participate?
2. Value proposition
Other potential participants What are your challenges? Who do you talk to? Is there a community
process?
1. ConversationsHow to get moving
… four-step cycling
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
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
Twitter/Yammer
discussion boardblog
google doc
web conferencing
wiki
YouTubeblen
ding
syn
ch
and
asyn
ch
ramping up/dow
n
remixing
modeling
spotlighting
integrating
coaching and hand-holding
shared
memory
one member leading
time delimited facilitated
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
video interviewsdifferent media
publish
comment and discuss
series
Storiesrandom inquiry multimedia
guaranteed response
broker replies
summary or FAQ
Broadcast inquiry
post reading 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
mobile
design engagement
triggerartifact
host
analytics
back channel
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
Roles and cultivation activities
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Facilitator Logistics Journalist Technology support Interpreters
Support roles
Convening elder Core group member Domain expert Networker/weaver Broker Outpost/scout Questioner Newcomer Observer/guest Representative
Member roles Coordinator Working group leader Cybrarian Technology steward Host
Community roles
Election
Consensus
Nomination
Volunteer
Rotation
TacitAppointmentAssigned Emergent
An ecology of leadership community nurturing roles
Invitation
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
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
Thank you!
Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://wenger-trayner.com
Workshops: http://wenger-trayner.com/betreat/