1. ITCILO/ACTRAV COURSE A Capacity Building for Organizing and Managing Trade Unions to 24 May Community of Practice

2. What is a Community of Practice?
An environment connecting people and encouraging the sharing of ideas and experiences.
A network of individuals with common problems or interests who get together to explore ways of working, identify common solutions and share good practice and ideas.
A Community of Practice:
Puts you in touch with like-minded colleagues
Allows you to share your experiences and learn from others
Allows you to collaborate and achieve common outcomes
Accelerates your learning
Validates and builds on existing knowledge and good practice
Provides the opportunity to innovate and create new ideas

3. Three Characteristics Define a CoP
Domain
Practice
Community

4. Continues… Domain of knowledge which defines a common purpose
Community of people who care about this domain
Shared practice that they are developing to be effective in this domain

5. Developing Successful CoP
STEP 1:
Establish or identify a purpose – what problem are we trying to solve?”
Ensure a degree of transparency and trust of those who:
Join our list
Join our forum
Join our community
Increasing collaboration and transparency of process

6. Step 2: Identify Your Community
Inner Circle: Leaders and Facilitator
Experts, Active Members
Occasionally Active Members and Beginners

7. Understand the Culture and Behaviours
Why does a person engage with a CoP?
Attractive purpose grabs and retains attention
Perceived benefits:
Socialization
Co-learning
Knowledge sharing
Co-production
Each person chooses to be a member:
Volition
Training in – and learning!

8. Patterns of Contributions The 1-9-90 Rule
1% active contributors
9% occasional contributors
90% readers (aka ‘lurkers’)

9. Attributes of a Successful CoP
Critical success factors
Seekers (I need someone)
Contributors (I am someone)
Awareness
How do I know who is out there?
How can I become more known?
Competence
Is this person competent?
How do I advertise my skills?
Benevolence
Will this person help me?
How do I develop my recognition as a trusted member?
Motivation
Do I want to work with this persons?
Access
How do I approach this person?
Skills
Does the CoP have tools to collaborate effectively?
Mechanism
De we have a method to collaborate?

10. Building an Environment to Support Collaborative Working
Find and connect with experts
Find and connect with your peers
Find and connect with threaded discussion forums, webinars, wikis, blogs, document repository
Follow event calendar, news feeds, news and news letters, etc.

11. What Makes a Successful Community?
Clear governance agreement (goal, objectives, functions, membership, decision-making & resolving conflicts)
Committed core group of active participants
Analysis of the type of assistant needed for attainment of goal, objectives and targets
Safe and trusted environment
Uniting the needs of participants

12. Continues… Clear action plan with activities to address felt needs
Quality of evidence (credibility and legitimacy)
Making use of informal links & complementing official structures
This can all be achieved by good, active facilitation.

13. What are the Attributes of a Good Facilitator/Coordinator
Creates a safe working environment in which members can contribute their thoughts and ideas.
Gets agreement through consensus on desired outcomes/agenda.
Supports ways to proceed and checks for agreements, as a process advocate.
Makes sure everyone has a chance to participate.
Promotes respectful listening.
Keeps discussions and interactions orderly and on track.
Ensures that time is monitored and information is recorded.

14. Continues… Listens and observes. Defend others from personal attack.
Knows when and how to get others to perform the facilitating and recording functions.
Balances process and content focus.
He/she must be a person of desirable attitude and a pleasant manner of dealing with other people.
He/she must be patient and preserving.
He/she must be demonstrated i.e. ability to communicate, manage and lead a group.

15. Any Questions?