1. © 2006, Etienne Wenger The art of learning together Etienne Wenger Learning for a small planet P.O. Box 810 North San Juan, CA 95960, U.S.A. Phone (530) 292-9222 E-mail etienne@ewenger.com Website: www.ewenger.com

2. © 2006, Etienne Wenger

3. … a group of practitioners, who q share similar challenges q interact regularly q learn from and with each other improve their ability to address their challenges

4. © 2006, Etienne Wenger q From support to practice q From support to practice q Gaining a voice in research and policy practice and voice

5. © 2006, Etienne Wenger q To help each solve problems q To hear each other’s stories and avoid local blindness q To keep up with change q To reflect on their practice and improve it q To push the boundaries of their field q To find a voice and gain influence

6. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Quantitative biologists develop a community of practice after an acquisition. They create a common identity, build trust, and develop a shared practice. They learn to collaborate, avoid repeated tests, pool supply purchases, share equipment-- saving frustration, time and money.

7. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Key dimensions Practice Community Domain ParticipationParticipation SponsorshipSponsorship NurturingNurturing SupportSupport Learning together

8. © 2006, Etienne Wenger At DaimlerChrysler, Tech Clubs cut across formal structures: They provide the connections that keep the platforms from diverging into islands. Large cars Trucks Small cars Minivans Jeeps Advanced Vehicle Engineering Chassis Vehicle development Interior Powertrain Electrical/Electronics Scientific Labs and testing grounds Body

9. © 2006, Etienne Wenger … two complementary paths to the same vision CoP Just when CoPs need a more strategic focus … Just when the organization focuses on knowledge … Rio Tinto is designing a new service organisation to focus on excellence in strategic domains We already have a set of functioning communities of practice in key domains: informal infrastructure -> some passionate coordinators

10. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Australian Security and Investment Commission Seven directorates Seventeen communities of practice ExecutiveExecutiveOperationsOperations ComplianceCompliance Consumer protection EnforcementEnforcementFinanceFinanceRegulationsRegulations DerivativesDerivatives InsuranceInsurance InvestigationsInvestigations InsolvencyInsolvency LeadershipLeadership Change management Information management ASIC graduates Financial instrument management

11. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Municipal cultural planning Ontario leading municipalities provincial service organizations NGOs government departments and agencies departments and agencies downtown revitalization cultural tourism heritage site preservation economic development in local culture

12. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Key dimensions Practice Community Domain ParticipationParticipation SponsorshipSponsorship NurturingNurturing SupportSupport Learning together

13. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Each other Advice Informal Formal WithFrom Outside sources Models of practice Project reviews Case clinics Document sharing Tool/asset development Learning projects Hot topic discussions Stories Local practice transfer Visits Invited speaker Mutual benchmark External benchmark Specialized workshops Broadcast inquiry Reading group Mentoring Problem solving News Practice fair Shared response Learning collaboration Training sessions Pointers to resources Distributed scan Guest Joint events Documenting practice Expedition Debating solutions

14. © 2006, Etienne Wenger occasional transactional peripheral active coordinator core group lurkers leaders sponsors experts beginners alumni outsiders

15. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Communities of practice are key to the strategy of becoming the knowledge bank. Communities of practice are key to the strategy of becoming the “knowledge bank.” More than 80 “thematic groups” cut across regions and sectors. Now some communities are taking a strategic lead, applying the principles beyond the bank, to organize knowledge among client countries.

16. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Negotiation of mutual relevance Provider Recipient

17. © 2006, Etienne Wenger For more information, go to www.ewenger.com Etienne Wenger Learning for a small planet P.O. Box 810 North San Juan, CA 95960, U.S.A. Phone (530) 292-9222 E-mail etienne@ewenger.com Website: www.ewenger.com

18. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Issue Issue Issue What are we about? Issue domain issues fluid participation enduring commitment connections big picture Issue focus

19. © 2006, Etienne Wenger initial list q Issue 1 q Issue 2

20. © 2006, Etienne Wenger for our issue q What are the key questions associated with this issue? q What kind of knowledge do we need to share to address these questions? What knowledge do we have? What knowledge do we not have? Where could we find it? q Who needs to be involved? Everyone? Subgroup? Others? q What kind of activities would help us make progress in practice?

21. © 2006, Etienne Wenger On a scale of 0 to 4 Community activities oriented to … … general ftf meetings … visits … specialized ftf workshops … input from experts … project teams … open-ended conversation … content publishing … training sessions … regular videoconferences © 2006 Wenger

22. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Indicators of success Where do we see ourselves … Where do we see ourselves … … in 6 months … in 12 months … in 24 months

23. © 2006, Etienne Wenger Who is going to do what ? Who is going to do what ? By when? What resources are needed?

24. © 2006, Etienne Wenger on our workshop q What did I expect? q What happened? q What did I learn? q What are my hopes now?

25. © 2006, Etienne Wenger For more information, go to www.ewenger.com Etienne Wenger Learning for a small planet P.O. Box 810 North San Juan, CA 95960, U.S.A. Phone (530) 292-9222 E-mail etienne@ewenger.com Website: www.ewenger.com