sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 Dr Sandra Jones Assoc. Prof. Employment Relations School of Management RMIT Health Service Leaders LEADERSHIP AND Communities of Practice (CoPs)

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 OBJECTIVES To discuss the potential role of CoPs in assisting knowledge sharing To explore challenges of CoPs for leaders in the Health sector

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 WHY A KNOWLEDGE STRATEGY? In order to decide HOW to establish a CoP it is first necessary to agree on WHY CoPs are being considered-what are the critical imperatives influencing this change?

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 The challenges in a knowledge era are : Ambiguity is a given- t here is no final solution Change is constant No-one is really in charge - you can’t impose rules and systems, rather, focus on risk management Knowledge is messy and seeks community-t he more you try to pin it down, the more it slips away There is no clear division between free thinking and accountability – rather this exists on a continuum There is no silver bullet - how you define the question defines what and how you respond

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 WHAT KNOWLEDGE? Having established the WHY- the next question is the WHAT – ie WHAT knowledge are you seeking to develop

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec STRATEGIC KNOWLEDGE What knowledge is critical to success?

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 KNOWLEDGE DEFINED definitions of the term ‘knowledge’ vary considerably. there is often little recognition of the difference between forms of knowledge.

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE First, knowledge can be explicit or tacit

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE things that can be committed to some form of communication medium, write down and share with others ‘Know what’ Can document, have rules about, test technology is extremely useful in this as it can be used to: collect and save explicit knowledge in databases share through communication networks eg

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 TACIT KNOWLEDGE resides within an individual, often as a skill, an ability or knowledge is deeply embedded, often unconscious ‘know-how’ (rules of thumb, experience, insights and intuition) eg ‘goodwill’, ‘Corporate knowledge’, technology is less useful more dependent on people’s willingness to share and thus the environment and level of trust are important

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE IN ORGANISATIONS Second, knowledge can be context specific eg similarities and differences of knowledge between the private and public sector.

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE IN ORGANISATIONS Third, knowledge can be individual or collective, ie something a person knows or something a group knows

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE IN ORGANISATIONS Fourth, knowledge can be: declarative (knowledge about) procedural (know-how) causal (know-why) conditional (know-when) relational (know-who) (Zack, 1999)

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 HOW-CoPs 1. Engage practice domains (CoPs)-where will people come from? 2. Develop communities – how to help communities reach their full potential? 3. Work the boundaries-how to link communities into broader learning systems? 4. Foster belonging-how to engage people’s identities and sense of meaning? 5. Run the business-how to integrate CoPs into running the business of the organisation?

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 WHAT ARE COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE (CoPS)? (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder 2003) Groups of people who share a concern, or set of problems, or passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder 2003, p.4) Voluntary association of people who value the learning they do together

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 CHARACTERISTICS OF CoPS Main Aim learn from each other through sharing and collaborating

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 CHARACTERISTICS OF CoPS Mutual engagement Shared repertoire Joint enterprise

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 CoPS AND OTHER STRUCTURES (Wenger et al 2002) PurposeMembersBoun- dary AttractionLength CoPS Create, expand & exchange knowledge & develop individual capabilities Self-selection based on expertise or passion FuzzyPassion, commitment & identification with group Evolve and end organically Depnt Deliver a product or service Everyone who reports to the groups manager ClearJob requirements & common goals Intended permanent Oper’ln teams Ongoing operation or process Membership assigned by management ClearShared responsibility. Intended ongoing Project teams Accomplish a specific task People who have a direct role in accomplishing task ClearProjects goals and milestones Pre-determined ending

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 HOW DO CoPs FUNCTION Domain – focal issues and members’ identity Community – a group of people who interact, learn together, build relationships and in the process develop a sense of belonging, trust and mutual commitment Practice – common knowledge, explore existing body of knowledge and latest advances in field, repertoire of tools, methods and skills, learning and innovation activities

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 WHO JOINS CoPs? anyone interested in the issue members do not necessarily work together

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 OUTCOME OF CoPs? overtime members develop a unique perspective on their topic as well as a body of common knowledge, practices and approaches often develop personal relationship can develop a common sense of identity

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 WHY ENCOURAGE CoPs – Bridging the Knowing-Doing Gap Union Wisdom Philosophy Meaning Knowing-Doing Gap Communities of Practice Knowledge Information Data

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 BARRIERS TO KNOWLEDGE SHARING Structural Cultural Power Human Resource Issues

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 Measuring wrong things output-traditional and emerging approaches Current-lagging ROI physical assets expenses patents A/C receivable A/C payable lT debt ST borrowings Emerging-leading intangibles human capital structural capital business relationships social capital balanced score card intellectual capital green business triple bottom line

sj/mydocs/Hlth Service leaders/Lship and CoP dec 2004 Thank you – to reiterate The challenges in a knowledge era are: Ambiguity is a given- t here is no final solution Change is constant No-one is really in charge - y ou can’t impose rules and systems, rather, focus on risk management Knowledge is messy and seeks community- he more you try to pin it down, the more it slips away There is no clear division between free thinking and accountability – rather this exists on a continuum There is no silver bullet - how you define the question defines what and how you respond