Dear com-prac members

I am a 4th year university student based in Melbourne Australia. And
I'd like your help. I am writing a literature review on language and
meaning in CoPs, and how emerging tools such as blogs and semantic-
community-web-portals can support CoP activity by enabling metadata
schema or informal-semantics (e.g. folksonomies) to emerge.

I would really like to hear from anyone with an interest in reading
my research, or sharing ideas. You may, for example, have an
interest in any of the following fields: community Web portals,
semantics, ontologies, collaborative tagging, social book-marking,
blogs, content management systems (CMS), the Semantic Web research,
RSS, content aggregation, health informatics, communities of
practice (CoPs) communities of interest, communities of networked
expertise, CoPs in e-learning, community informatics, social
informatics, or case studies of social-networks among communities of
teachers, cartoonists or scientific researchers.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Warren Crosbie
BA (media studies). Grad Cert Information Managment and Systems
http://hypertext.rmit.edu.au/~crosbie/wp

To network with content management rofessionals, in Australia, see:
http://www.cmprofessionals.org/organization/communities/australia/

Alternative perspectives for the curious. The leading edge (as it was in the
Autumn of 2004).

  ECO Journal

http://emergence.org/ECO_site/web-content/ECO_6_1-2.html

The Ancient Practice of Chinese Social Networking: Guanxi and Social Network
Theory Scott C. Hammond & Lowell M. Glenn

Principles of Self-organizing Systems (Originally published in 1962) Ross
Ashby (with an introduction by Jeffrey Goldstein)

General Systems Theory: The Skeleton of Science (Originally published in
1956) Kenneth E. Boulding (with an introduction by Kurt A. Richardson)

A book review.

Review of "From Complexity to Life: On the Emergence of Life and Meaning"
Kurt A. Richardson.

Might be a repost but a follow on from recent 'systems theory' related
postings.

peter

Folks,

in reading this:
http://emergence.org/ECO_site/ECO_Archive/Issue_6_1-2/Eoyang.pdf

I got thinking about potential metrics in CoPs (and VCoPs).

What about you?

Rosanna Tarsiero

dear
I hope to be not too late
Our research center has tried to develop a framework for evaluating
KMS functionalities.
http://cetic.liuc.it/UserFiles/File/publicazioni/itaisSec.pdf
Unfortunately, this version is in italian
Feel free to contact me for more information
bye

--- In com-prac@yahoogroups.com, "Jeffrey D. Hawley" <jhawley@a...> wrote:
>
> Vicki -
>
> Have you looked at CommunityZero from Ramius - http://www.ramius.net or
> WebOffice from WebExOne - http://www.webexone.com.  I have used both of
> these products and have been very happy with CommunityZero, which offers
> all of the functionality you are looking for with a very simple and
> intuitive interface.  It is a pay-for service.
>
>
> ___________________
> Jeffrey Hawley
> Systems Engineer
> ARES Corporation
> O: 440.962.3137
> C: 216.375.3853
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: com-prac@yahoogroups.com [mailto:com-prac@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of David Gibbens
> Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 3:30 PM
> To: com-prac@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [cp] Need advice on software "packages" for CoPs
>
> Hi Vicki
> I started on a similar search last spring.  I intended to do a detailed
> comparison of what looked like the main contenders but most of these
> came at a price that wasn't affordable for my little CoP.  Also I wanted
> to be able to replicate and set up prototype sites effectively for free
> which would have been particularly difficult with these paying packages.
> Anyway, my ambition to carry out a detailed comparison was completely
> unrealistic given the time available to me - I'm embarrassed to confess.
>
> So in the end I chose Drupal, an open source Content Management System,
> and built the system using that - it should go live over the next couple
> of weeks.  That did involve an investment of my time - to get familiar
> with all the capabilities of Drupal plus the whole process of having
> website at all, doing backups etc - and also of (well-spent) money to
> Ian Dickson who took me through the build process and effectively
> trained me in the use of Drupal.  And time refining the design of the
> site (which is a lot more time than just getting a site to work.....you
> have choice about how much you invest in that). But at this point I can
> replicate the site (= prototype a similar site) in probably half-an-hour
> or so and I think it fair to say the site you can see was built by me
> starting from a zero skill base (ie didn't know Drupal, never had a
> web-site, didn't know html or css).
>
> The reason I chose Drupal was:
> - free
> - lots of add-on modules
> - well-regarded in lots of posts I read as being both robust and with a
> sound underlying architecture
> - availability of 3rd party support from many people
> - highly configurable
> - able to be adapted to specific needs using php/mysql
> - sufficiently wide user-base to indicate stability and suitability
> - highly developed taxonomy feature
>
> Regarding yahoo!groups, which John has mentioned - at the moment my CoP
> does run as a yahoogroup.  My starting point was that I wanted an
> alternative to that, one that would be somewhat easier for my users to
> engage with as a website, that would feel more like home (and where
> out-of-office bounces are not distributed to the whole group, and
> corporate firewalls don't intercept emails or stop people connecting
> etc).  But my ideal has always been a very simple product.
>
> A caveat I must make is the obvious one that my site is not yet truly
> live so I cannot report on the user experience.  As far as your list of
> requirements is concerned the only bit I am not sure about from direct
> experience is the online av presentation - but I am confident that the
> necessary hooks would be there to incorporate such features.
>
> If you would like to see more of how my site works to get a better idea
> of what Drupal could offer a CoP then you can send me a private email
> and I can let you into my test site as an administrator for a limited
> period.
> It is very simple and primitive in Drupal terms.  Nevertheless it does
> include features such as private forums for the executive, access to
> different parts of the the site for associate and free members.
> Here's the url: www.naepp.org.uk
>
> 	 o0o
>
> It remains an interest to see how we (ie people like you and me) can use
> the web to support one another in these sorts of processes in more
> detail eg by building up a repository of shared experience - a
> project-oriented virtual community.
>
>
> David Gibbens
> Exeter, UK
> +44 1392 477735
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: com-prac@yahoogroups.com [mailto:com-prac@yahoogroups.com]On
> Behalf Of vksystacom
> Sent: 23 November 2005 13:40
> To: com-prac@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [cp] Need advice on software "packages" for CoPs
>
>
> Greetings!  My name is Vicki Kerman. I am in the initial stages of
> setting up a prototype CoP for medical researchers involved in fetal
> alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), and am looking for something very
> simple with which to get started -- searchable database of articles and
> grant awards, discussion forum, member list, capability for links to
> online a/v presentations, events calendar).
>
> I've noticed on the web that there are several/many software packages
> for CoPs (e.g. Tomoye, iCohere, OpenText, etc.), and they seem to
> provide "bells and whistles" beyond the capabilities for which I'm
> seeking.
>
> Can anyone recommend a package with which they've worked (or with which
> they're familiar) that would be good for initially setting up a simple
> prototype system?
>
> Thank you in advance for your help!
>
> Vicki :-)
>
>
>
>
>
> *-- The email forum on communities of practice --* Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
> Yahoo! Model Search 2005 - Find the next catwalk superstars -
> http://uk.news.yahoo.com/hot/model-search/
>
>
> *-- The email forum on communities of practice --*
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>

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***Apologies for cross-posting***

Complexity & Sensemaking Breakfast - Dave Snowden, Director, Cynefin Centre

WHAT: Organisational narrative is more than just the art of professional
storytelling. And traditional analytical techniques can be limited in this
area. Dave Snowden will be discussing his experiences of narrative,
sensemaking and complexity in organisations. He will be providing an
overview of the activites of the Cynefin Centre in narrative capture &
databases; social network analysis & stimulation; and the ABIDE framework.

WHO: Dave Snowden is Director of the Cynefin Centre for Organisational
Complexity which focuses on the development of the theory and practice of
social complexity. The A native of Wales, he was formerly a Director in the
IBM Institute for Knowledge Management where he led programs on complexity
and narrative. He pioneered the use of narrative as a means of knowledge
disclosure and cross-cultural understanding. He is adjunct Professor of
Knowledge Management at the University of Canberra, an honorary fellow in
knowledge management at the University of Warwick, Adjunct Professor at the
Hong Kong Polytechnic University and MiNE Fellow at Universita Cattolica
Del Sacro Cuore in Italy.

WHERE: IBM Tower, Level 12, Darling Park, 201 Sussex Street. Call Matt
Moore on 0423 784 504 if you have difficulties locating the venue.

WHEN: 8am start Thursday 8th December

HOW MUCH: Free! If you plan to attend, please RSVP by e-mail to:
nswkmforum@...

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) is an independent
body that advises the Dutch government on matters related to scientific
research, promotes international scientific co-operation, assesses the
quality of scientific research and is responsible for managing and defining
the policy for 17 research institutes in the life sciences, humanities and
social sciences. The Academy employs approximately 1,300 staff.

The VKS is a new five year research programme of the Royal Netherlands
Academy of Arts and Sciences. It aims to support researchers in the
humanities and social sciences in the Netherlands in the creation of new
scholarly practices using state of the art information and communication
technologies. The Studio also aims to analyse these new practices and the
development of e-research in a variety of disciplines. A core feature of the
Virtual Knowledge Studio is the integration of design and analysis in a
close co-operation between social scientists, humanities researchers,
information technology experts and information scientists. The VKS has three
research themes: data & digital information, communication & collaboration,
and virtual institutions. The VKS develops three new methodologies: virtual
ethnography, simulation & modelling in the humanities & social sciences, and
Web Archiving for research. The working language of the VKS is English. The
VKS will start on January 1, 2006 and will be evaluated in the course of
2010, after which the KNAW will decide whether and in which form the VKS
will be continued.

To realise this exciting interdisciplinary programme, the VKS is currently
seeking:


one senior research fellow
(38 hours a week
vacancy number: PZ277)


two senior researchers
( 38 hours a week
vacancy number: PZ 298)


one management assistant
(30,4 hours a week
vacancy number: PZ 279)


The Senior Research Fellow will play an important role in leading and
contributing to the empirical and theoretical development of the VKS
research portfolio. The Senior Research Fellow will be a member of the VKS
management team, and will be responsible for a theme as well as a
methodological collaboratory.

Appointment
This position involves a tenure track appointment beginning with a temporary
appointment for a maximum of 2 years. Given proven suitability for the job,
the position will become permanent.  Forms of secondment ('detachering') for
candidates having tenured positions at a Dutch university can be considered.
Candidates from the humanities and social sciences in the Netherlands are
particularly encouraged to apply.

Salary
Depending on education and work experience, the maximum gross monthly salary
with a full-time appointment will amount to € 4.996,--, scale 13, Collective
Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-Nederlandse Universiteiten), excluding
8% holiday pay and a year-end bonus. We offer an extensive package of fringe
benefits.

Work location
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The two Senior Researchers will play an important role in the empirical and
theoretical development of the VKS research portfolio. Beside developing
their own research and acquiring external funding in one of the VKS themes
or methodological foci, they will have specific responsibilities within the
team. One senior researcher will be responsible for the peer review process
of the VKS, the other senior researcher will organise one of the VKS
collaboratories.

Appointment
This position involves a tenure track appointment beginning with a temporary
appointment for a maximum of 2 years. Given proven suitability for the job,
the position will become permanent. Forms of secondment ('detachering') for
candidates having tenured positions at a Dutch university can be considered.
Candidates from the humanities and social sciences in the Netherlands are
particularly encouraged to apply.

Salary
Depending on education and work experience, the maximum gross monthly salary
coming with a full-time appointment will amount to € 4.605,--, scale 12,
Collective Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-Nederlandse
Universiteiten), excluding 8% holiday pay and a year-end bonus. We offer an
extensive package of fringe benefits.

Work location
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

All candidates for these research positions should
-          be strongly focused on ground-breaking basic research in one of
the relevant fields in humanities and social sciences
-          have a PhD in either humanities or social sciences
-          have a strong international orientation in their research
-          have expertise in, or willingness to develop, the use of digital
tools in research
-          have, or be willing to develop, expertise in the methodological
innovations necessary for the specific tasks within the VKS
-          enjoy theoretical plurality and be able to engage with, and
contribute to diverse theoretical perspectives based on empirical research
-          have excellent organisational skills
-          have a strong research track record, as demonstrated by an
excellent publication list and acquired funding for research projects
-          be proficient in English. Applicants who are not proficient in
Dutch are expected to acquire a sufficient level of Dutch language skills
within two years.
____________________________________________________________________________
__________

The Management Assistant will have a central role in the organisation of the
VKS. He/she will perform all administrative and secretarial duties and be
responsible for the planning of meetings. The Management Assistant will
organise VKS lectures, seminars and scientific conferences. He/she will also
be responsible for the production of the VKS Website, newsletter and for the
VKS information services.
Candidates for the Management Assistant position:
-          should have outstanding organisational and administrative skills
-          will be excellent communicators in both English and Dutch
-          will be used to working in innovative work environments and
taking the initiative will come naturally to them
-          should have expertise in project management or be willing to
acquire these skills in a short time.

Appointment
This position involves a permanent appointment, beginning with a temporary
appointment for a maximum of 2 years. Given proven suitability for the job,
the appointment will then be converted into a permanent appointment.

Salary
The position is part-time (4 days a week). Depending on education and work
experience, the maximum gross monthly salary coming with a full-time
appointment will amount to € 2.796,--, scale 8, Collective Agreement for
Dutch Universities (CAO-Nederlandse Universiteiten), excluding 8% holiday
pay and a year-end bonus. We offer an extensive package of fringe benefits.

Work location
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

____________________________________________________________________________
__________

Information
Information about the VKS programme can be obtained from the VKS Website
www.virtualknowledgestudio.nl. Questions about the programme can be sent to
the programme leader Paul Wouters, paul.wouters@....

Application
You may send your application, consisting of a letter of motivation, copies
of two publications, and curriculum vitae, to the VKS to the  attention of
Lianne Heuschen, Postbus 95110, 1090 HC Amsterdam, the Netherlands by 15
January  2006 at the latest.
You may also email your application by forwarding a Word document to
lianne.heuschen@...  stating the vacancy reference.

Any acquisition further to  this advertisement will not be appreciated.

Folks,

nice blog entry as intro to CoP and learning:

http://westonedes.blogspot.com/2005/12/connectivism-and-communities-of.html

Wish more blog entries were like this (meaty & backed-up) rather than
blabbings.

Rosanna Tarsiero

Does anyone have something to share that would serve as a starting
point? I am involved with a community where one person has been serving
both roles and can't keep up, but doesn't seem to want to let go.

Thanks,

John Barrett

John Barrett writes:

"I am involved with a community
where one person has been serving
both roles and can't keep up, but
doesn't seem to want to let go."

I was in a community where one person led and led too much.  It wasn't that
he was bad in any way, just that his leadership had become a bit of a lid on
the community's growth.  Over the course of several months a small group of
us organized a series of community dialogs that clarified the situation.
One important aspect of a leader who's hanging on past his time is that
they're probably out of touch with some legitimate members of the community.
Finding a way to expose those blind spots or dead lines of communication
without too much blame is a bit of a trick.  In the case I'm referring to,
the leader stepped aside (and started smiling again) and gradually worked
his way into some new roles that were less dominating (and less of a burden
on him).

John
*
* John D. Smith - John.Smith@... Voice: 503.963.8229
* "Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their
blunders." -- Nietzsche

At 07:06 AM 12/8/2005, you wrote:
>Does anyone have something to share that would serve as a starting
>point? I am involved with a community where one person has been serving
>both roles and can't keep up, but doesn't seem to want to let go.

I have to reply with a pure gut response. It is about the letting go
piece. This is a fundamental issue for any leadership role (and I see
coordinator as a form of leadership, so it might be useful to pick
apart the two roles you mention to see if we are all talking around
the same concepts.)

When someone has nurtured something, like a CoP, their own attachment
to it has to be explored before they can turn all or part of it over
to others. This can be a difficult, inward reflection. Has the person
in question had a chance to do this? Are they clear what they
do/don't want to let go of and, more importantly, why?

As a person who has a hard time letting go, this is not insignificant! :-)

N


Nancy White - Full Circle Associates - http://www.fullcirc.com - 206-517-4754
Blog: http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/onfacblog.htm


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hmm.. I would have to agree with Nancy; what is a  leader and what is a
coordinator.  The leader part means many  different things in many oganizations.
There is a good level of  agreement on the definition and role of CoP
Coordinator but is the  strength of the individual involved.

   For me the leader is the vision and defines the intial spirit and  direction
of the CoP with the occasional foray into the community to  reinspire.  The
coordinator is the faciltator and guide.   Typically these people tend to need
different work practices.  In  the DiSC world leaders tend to have a high D
quotient and don't usually  like to be tied into a formal framework of activity
that will in many  ways dictate the interaction between the coordinator and the 
community.  Coordinators will generally have high i with a liking  to influence
the group and create the sense of team.

   One way to start the letting go would be to help the individual assess  their
strengths and help them decide which role they are better suited  to.

   With all of that said it will also depend on the maturity of the  community. 
Here there is still a lot of coordination required  from the leader as the CoP
hasn't found it's shape yet and still needs  some gentle reminders and the
occasional influx of D energy.

   Cheers
   David

John Barrett <johnfb@...> wrote:  Does anyone have something to share that
would serve as a starting
point? I am involved with a community where one person has been serving
both roles and can't keep up, but doesn't seem to want to let go.

Thanks,

John Barrett






*-- The email forum on communities of practice --*
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

David,

Could you help us understand what you mean by "High D" or "High I"
quotients?

Also, what's the DiSC world?

John
*
* John D. Smith - John.Smith@... Voice: 503.963.8229
* "Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their
blunders." -- Nietzsche

DiSC is a way of profiling people to help understand motivators, working methods
and how people interact with one another:

   D = dominance
   i = influence
   S = submissive
   C = compliance

   for more information have a look at http://www.discprofile.com/whatisdisc.htm

   I've used it here and it is a good way of understanding personal and  team
dynamics.  Leaders typically have a lot of dominance, high D,  they come up with
new ideas and drive them to closure.  Because  they are motivated by new tasks
and like to push the status quo they  can be inspiring with new ways of
thinking.  Coordinators would be  high I because they need to be able to
influence a group and try to  reach consensus.  They care about people and
therefore work well  as moderators, a good coordinator will also demonstrate a
lot of C  straits with the organisation required to ensure that communities meet
frequently and helping maintain focus on the community core.

   Hope this helps, if you would like some more info then shout.

   Cheers for now,
   David

"John D. Smith" <john.smith@...> wrote:  David,

Could you help us understand what you mean by "High D" or "High I"
quotients?

Also, what's the DiSC world?

John
*
* John D. Smith - John.Smith@... Voice: 503.963.8229
* "Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their
blunders." -- Nietzsche




*-- The email forum on communities of practice --*
Yahoo! Groups Links










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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At the risk of going off on a theoretical tip - I like DiSC and may look
into it more.

It also makes me wonder how Belbin team-based roles apply to communities:
http://www.belbin.com/belbin-team-roles.htm

Ideally you want Coordinators rather than Shapers "leading" your
communities (which is another way of saying what Dave said below).

And the issue of leadership highlights the difference between a team and a
community...




              David Mould
              <fungalguy@yahoo.
              com>                                                       To
              Sent by:                  com-prac@yahoogroups.com
              com-prac@yahoogro                                          cc
              ups.com
                                                                    Subject
                                        RE: [cp] Contrasting the Role of
              09/12/2005 01:11          Coordinator and Leader
              PM


              Please respond to
                  com-prac






DiSC is a way of profiling people to help understand motivators, working
methods and how people interact with one another:

   D = dominance
   i = influence
   S = submissive
   C = compliance

   for more information have a look at
http://www.discprofile.com/whatisdisc.htm

   I've used it here and it is a good way of understanding personal and
team dynamics.  Leaders typically have a lot of dominance, high D,  they
come up with new ideas and drive them to closure.  Because  they are
motivated by new tasks and like to push the status quo they  can be
inspiring with new ways of thinking.  Coordinators would be  high I because
they need to be able to influence a group and try to  reach consensus.
They care about people and therefore work well  as moderators, a good
coordinator will also demonstrate a lot of C  straits with the organisation
required to ensure that communities meet  frequently and helping maintain
focus on the community core.

   Hope this helps, if you would like some more info then shout.

   Cheers for now,
   David

"John D. Smith" <john.smith@...> wrote:  David,

Could you help us understand what you mean by "High D" or "High I"
quotients?

Also, what's the DiSC world?

John
*
* John D. Smith - John.Smith@... Voice: 503.963.8229
* "Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their
blunders." -- Nietzsche




*-- The email forum on communities of practice --*
Yahoo! Groups Links










---------------------------------
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  Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



*-- The email forum on communities of practice --*
Yahoo! Groups Links

Hey folks,
anybody has a spare Orkut invite to send me? I really want to see what it is
like. Thanks.
Rosanna Tarsiero

Further to David's post. DISC is 'fab' for seeking explanations of group
dynamics and individual profiles may also be related to Belbin roles. It's
promoted in the UK by Thomas International but there appears to be a
difference in the trait labels compared to David's post. Taking the trait
defintions I would use from Thomas's version of DISC.

D is drive or dominance
I is influence or the ability to Induce change in others
S is STEADINESS or STABILITY, and is very different to submissiveness.
C is almost a three dimensional trait consisting of willingness to comply
with rules, about being diplomatic, and about being content or otherwise to
work in detail or with precision (like a software developer/programmer).

A stereotypical leader would have a combination of 'High' D and High I,
higher I than D, indicating a preference to work through people, and,
depending on the context, would have low steadiness, and low compliance with
the rules (always seeking change, rebellious of thought) . This may differ
according to the context. For example, I once did a lot of profiling on
academic leaders (Full profs) and found a high proportion of individuals
with High 'S' (steadiness/stability) to go along with Hi d and hi I. These
are leaders in their academic contexts but could be viewed as 'good
co-ordinator' material in more turbulent kinds of organisation.

As is the case for the Belbin based explanations, people will emerge from
different contexts with different roles. They will adopt different roles
(with the limits of their profiles) depending on the context.


peter bond

Hello,

I've been up in the Lake Tahoe/Reno area for a few years now and
haven't found any local CoP Builders?  Does anyone know any CoP builders
in this region I could connect with (I enjoy virtual but also looking
for a local chapter coming together?)

Additionally, have any of you worked with any Community Builders at
Gaming Software or Hardware companies?  Yes, I live in Nevada and was
wondering if IGT and others have Communities?

I'd love a few introductions.. Thanks in advance

Lauren


Lauren Klein
CoP Program Manager
775.853.6296
775.336.8204 (mobile)
Novell, Inc.

I use DiSC profiling with my clients... if anyone wants to take the
assessement, I can help you out, but please note, it's not a free offer!

Contact me offline if you're interested.

Grace

Grace L. Judson
www.svahaconcepts.com

hi grace

i have been reading quite a lot about DISC personality tests. how do
zou benefit from this technology for CoPs? are you happy with the results?

in which context are you using it with your client?

thanks for your input

cheers tim

--- In com-prac@yahoogroups.com, "Grace L. Judson" <gljudson@c...> wrote:
>
> I use DiSC profiling with my clients... if anyone wants to take the
> assessement, I can help you out, but please note, it's not a free offer!
>
> Contact me offline if you're interested.
>
> Grace
>
> Grace L. Judson
> www.svahaconcepts.com
>

I love the DiSC tool. I use it with groups who are trying to figure
out how to work more effectively together, and the results are
tremendous. The tool is so simple to understand, that people who
have been through a DiSC workshop together soon adopt a DiSC-based
vocabulary to talk about their communication hurdles, and to look at
challenging interactions from the perspective of "how could I be
more effective in communicating with this person?"

For instance, let's say that a group takes DiSC training together,
but has had an ongoing issue with the way they make group decisions.
During the DiSC workshop, they'll begin to understand that one team
member has a lot of "D" (dominance, driver) in her profile that gets
her to push for results, maybe before the group has had as much time
to discuss alternatives  as the other members would like. After the
DiSC training, people will say, "Anna, we love you, but your D is
overwhelming us" and she will get the message, and there's suddenly
a way to surmount the problem without bad feeling; rather, there's
an acknowledgement that sometimes our communication styles bump into
one another. So DiSC is a great tool to provide a common framework
(and a terrific appreciation for the benefits and limitations of
each favored communication style).

If you would like to take a DiSC assessment yourself online (it
takes about 10 minutes) and receive the results by email, please let
me know. It costs me about $15 per DiSC instrument from the
publisher and you are welcome to it at that rate if you like.

yours

Liz Ryan

Dear All,
Please visit www.kmtalk.net, the site focusing KM initiatives in
Malaysia. We need your feedback and advise on how to build a strong KM
culture in Malaysia, as KM is in a very infant stage here.
Cheers.

Naguib Chowdhury

The welcome email from John invited this self-introduction.

My name is Vic.

I wear several hats and most are related to knowledge, eLearning,
research, collaboration, etc. My background, in no particular order, is
as follows:

     * I am an Assoc. Professor at Auburn University. I specialize in
       operations management, with an teaching interest in management
       control systems and lean manufacturing - actually lean operations.
     * My research has dealt with an eclectic combination of subjects:
       ISO9000, new product development, corporate risk management,
       empirical learning curves for populations of learners, and
       management control systems.
     * I am one of the very few researchers (maybe still the only one) to
       have empirically fitted a learning curve to performance data for
       each individual in a population of hundreds and thousands of
       individual workers. This effectively illustrated the texture and
       magnitude of the differences in learning curves across individuals
       within the population.
     * The closest that I have come to direct research on communities of
       practice is a paper I co-wrote for California Management Review
       that explored the Internet community's reaction to the Pentium
       Flaw. We proposed a new risk management model for corporations to
       account for the speed and ferocity of the public reaction. Many of
       the knowledge development mechanisms that we identified among
       Internet participants are ones that would be very positive
       developments in any community of practice.
     * I have been teaching via video and the Web for more than 15 years
       - undergraduate, graduate specialization and MBA. I have made a
       special effort to draw students into collaborative class
       activities using web technology. Some experiments worked, others
       .... oh well.
     * A few years ago (7 or 8), I helped found a small company
       (www.ipov.net) to do web-like stuff. My partners changed and the
       company has morphed into an eLearning company. We produce custom
       eLearning materials for large companies - but exhibit some
       peculiar philosophical differences:
           o We want to bring lean manufacturing techniques to the
             production of eLearning - lower cost, faster development,
             more consistent quality. In other words we want to learn how
             to make the Toyota Camry of eLearning content.
           o In our view, the initial knowledge elicitation phase is the
             key bottleneck in the process. Most knowledge management
             processes start with the statement: 'assume we have a lot of
             information to manage'. We are interested in how you get
             that 'lot of information' in the first place.
           o We have been experimenting with techniques to use video and
             web technologies to simplify and speed up the knowledge
             elicitation and capture process. Most people think of video
             and think it's a cool way to present information to
             potential learners. We look at video and see the fastest,
             simplest, most convenient, most comprehensive, least
             intrusive (with certain tricks applied), cheapest, most
             'comfortable' way to suck a SME dry.
           o Once the knowledge is captured, it can be shared in a myriad
             of ways. You can even convert the knowledge to another
             format and throw the original video away.
     * Another unique feature of the company is its near total reliance
       on student labor. In my view, undergraduate students are the last
       pool of high quality, low cost labor on the continent. Wendys' and
       the GAP know that. Why haven't our corporations figured it out.
       Before we outsource to India, we should explore insourcing to our
       university towns. Don't get me started unless you want to hear my
       pet rant :-) You can view our company employment model here
      
<http://www.ipov.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=121&Itemid=138>.
     * The company is currentluy working on ways to elicit technical
       knowledge from hardcore engineering experts. We are working with a
       couple of large companies to do ultra-informal video interviews
       and then publish the result with random access search tools -
       think about Googling a 10 to 20 hour movie for the topics you are
       interested in.
     * The company is a big part of my professional persona and my
       research agenda. Through it, I have been able to try out  crazy
       ideas and turn them into reality in a tiny fraction of the time
       that it would have taken me in a university research setting.
     * The main drawback is that I have to sell the ideas and deliver on
       time to earn the money to keep going. Put simply - I have to sell
       stuff to make payroll. Consequently, I make no apology for my
       willingness to deliver a sales pitch at the drop of a hat.
     * My publications have dropped off in the past 4 years due to the
       time I invested in my side company. I hope to get it back on track
       this year - with a focus on knowledge harvesting, knowledge
       elicitation and eLearning systems design. We have learned a lot
       and it is time to start writing about it.
     * I have a special soft spot for technical knowledge. Even though I
       left my engineering degree behind 30 years ago, I have always
       worked in or around engineering and technology. I do that because
       I love it. I find few things as aesthetically pleasing as a truly
       'elegant' design. The iPod is a wonderful inspiration.
     * I am pretty fluent in web technology. Not just HTML and
       javascript. My company works very deeply with AJAX,
       DTD/RelaxNG/XML/XSLT, Java, Ant, Eclipse, Flash, Actionscript,
       MySQL, SCORM, PHP, state machine simulators, etc. I actually know
       what those mean and I have programmed in most of them. However, I
       have some employees that are even smarter than I am.
     * I think that great industrial designers walk on water. I would
       give anything to have their understanding of the essence of the
       humanity in a product or design. Why hasn't the education and
       knowledge community co-opted more of these folks?
     * I am greatly distressed by the widening gap between the
       technologists in our society and everyone else. If you aren't a
       scientist, engineer or 2yr community college technical graduate,
       you probably don't understand how the electricity in your house works.
     * I am currently working with a colleague on the development of a
       new minor (15 course hours) to put non-engineers into an
       electricity and electronics teaching lab (at a nearby community
       college no less) and use that basic science to explore systems
       design, control theory, troubleshooting and non-linear systems
       behavior.
           o Our goal is not to produce competitors for engineers or
             technicians. Rather it is to produce graduates that can
             combine the minor with some other major to create a
             'technically trainable' graduate in the major. Think
             industrial sales personnel, technical customer service reps,
             operations management graduates that can learn about RFID,
             biologists that can read the manual for new instrumentation,
             etc.
           o Amazingly, the idea has been accepted by our engineering
             school and our next stop is the university curriculum
             committee - with good prospects. I am actively soliciting
             interest from companies in order to build a stack of
             supporting letters to give it a final push.

I can go on ... but I suspect everyone would rather that I stop :-)

Any questions?

--
Vic Uzumeri, PhD
interactive Point of View
vic.uzumeri@...
Mobile: 334.220.2126
www.ipov.net

Associate Professor, Operations Management
College of Business
uzumeri@...



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Rosanna,

I'm new to the group .. just found it in course of a google search ...  so this
is my first post and I haven't read all of the prior traffic in an obviously
active group. Please be gentle!

Your point about knowledge being 'situated' is undebatable. But I don't think
that means that knowledge harvesting is an impractical concept. It just means
that knowledge harvesting has critical practical limits.

1. remove knowledge from its environment to an abstraction - very difficult
2. move knowledge from its environment to a different environment - dangerous
3. move knowledge from one person to another person in the same situation -
feasible and valuable.

I perhaps naively view communities of practice as being tightly connected most
often to the third category.

Knowledge can be harvested and made available to others - provided that they
reside in and recognize a common (albeit unspoken) situational component. For
example, teaching methods, tips and techniques can be harvested from 5th grade
English teachers and shared with other 5th grade English teachers to good
effect. It might be 'dangerous' if the band coach tried to apply them.

Paying close attention to situational constraints is not only a good idea - it
can be very dangerous not to do it.

Vic Uzumeri, PhD
CEO, interactive Point of View
&
Assoc. Prof., Management
Auburn University.


--- In com-prac@yahoogroups.com, "Rosanna Tarsiero" <rosanna@g...> wrote:
>
[stuff deleted]

> It all depends on how people conceptualize knowledge. Coming from a social
> construction framework, I subscribe to the conceptualization of knowledge as
> *situated*, unable to be disembodied from whom created it (aka people,
> groups, CoPs, teams, etc). Therefore, the concept of "knowledge harvesting"
> doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever.
>
> It's interesting, tho, to see how people in the CoP field can speak of
> knowledge from a perspective that does not situate it...
>
> I guess it's pretty much like wanting to eat the "apple of knowledge" and
> thinking the apple IS knowledge. Way too literal for me.

[stuff deleted]

Vic,

You wrote:
"Your point about knowledge being 'situated' is undebatable. But I don't
think that means that knowledge harvesting is an impractical concept. It
just means that knowledge harvesting has critical practical limits."

In fact, I wasn't denying the value of knowledge harvesting, I was
expressing doubts about using CoPs for that purpose :)

Rosanna

Sorry to come in late :-), and after so much interesting writing.

This situation is fairly common both in business and in CoPs (and in any
other initiative, I guess :-)). It may help to think of it as a
family-owned company situation.

The founder-builder feels that he/she knows what the company "is really
about", knows "all the strings" and the "processes, inside and out". But
he/she's just too old, tired or past it to keep up with a setup that is
bigger, more complex... or simply made up of a newer generation of
people. So the founder becomes a bottleneck for decisions and change,
and projects start to fail, and motivation in the team plunges, and
bright people start to stop contributing or walk away.

In a CoP, the usual reason for "nor being able to keep up" is just a
lack of spare time. Causes can be many and varied, and anyhow are
irrelevant: the net result is long-term lack of management time. It can
be worse; there could be burnout or other degradations. But you seem to
imply this is just a case of lack of time.

As some co-listers have written, a leader and a CoP coordinator need not
be the same people. The leader need only keep the reins of the "vision
thing" and the dominant voice on some aspects; coordination can be very
easily delegated if you can build the right environment. But (here's
arguing for reality) a good coordinator needs to be a good leader
also... if voluntarily restricted to some areas. A taskhorse is not a
coordinator.

So in other words, the suggestion I'd make is:

- Make clear what the old leader regards as the type of decisions he
does not feel confortable delegating. And try to restrict them :-), but
be aware that short-changing the departing leader is a recipe for
trouble.

- Devise some mechanism for him/her to keep on top of that (i.e. a
commitee of team chaired by the old leader with exclusive competences
on, for instance, rule-setting and intellectual property management,
plus the approval and selection of new moderators and collaborators).

- Allow the old leader to pick some (never just one) coordinators for
the different areas. Those people would be in the commitee, and would
have to act in agreement over the general principles of everything. The
old leader could even stay in charge of some area.

- Try to find some people who could stand in for the leader if urgent,
particular decisions need to be taken and the old leader is not at hand
(really trusted people).

- Let the old leader keep a back-channel veto on particular coordinator
actions (to be exercised discreetly and never in public, thus saving the
new coordinators' face and authority).

Sounds complicated, but I think it works :-).

Over the last few years, I've let go of the direct day-to-day management
of a 25.000-strong CoP system. We now have a multinational team of (very
many) writers, 38 moderators, 6 technical collaborators, 12 area
coordinators, 3 lawyers and 3 overall admins. I'm technically only an
admin and the "editor", retaining ultimate control of every single thing
but taking only occasional direct action in the CoP forums: I handle
such things as enabling new proposals (videocast courses), new
businesses (a technical roadshow next year), disciplinary action (an
online fraudster caught early), outside relations (magazine link-up,
public rows and general PR coordination), technical evolution (new
search system) and general rule-setting (both rules of use and
moderation rulebook), plus the content publishing side (pushing,
pulling, writing and proofing... as part of a team). In none of those
areas do I act alone, and most of the tasks are delegated once the
framework is built.

Keeping so many things in a single pair of hands is a recipe for (CoP)
stagnation and (personal) breakdown. Rules and frameworks were invented
for that: freeing the creative energy of so many people, within a
coherent vision.

And I could not do that if all of the coordinators, moderators and
sundry collaborators were not leaders in their own way :-). Which in
turn means that they have to be convinced and harnessed (and
occasionally given their own way), not just led, for the team to be
really powerful. CoPs of a certain size are a type of organism that (I
believe) can only be led in a very participative style.


So John, I don't know if that will help in your particular situation.
But rule-setting, splitting responsabilities and commitee-building work
a charm for troublesome succession in many places ;-).

Best regards,

Miguel







-----Mensaje original-----
De: com-prac@yahoogroups.com [mailto:com-prac@yahoogroups.com] En nombre
de John Barrett
Enviado el: jueves, 08 de diciembre de 2005 16:07
Para: com-prac@yahoogroups.com
Asunto: [cp] Contrasting the Role of Coordinator and Leader

Does anyone have something to share that would serve as a starting
point? I am involved with a community where one person has been serving
both roles and can't keep up, but doesn't seem to want to let go.

Thanks,

John Barrett






*-- The email forum on communities of practice --* Yahoo! Groups Links

Rosanna,

I'm curious about your view that CoPs may not have a role in knowledge
harvesting. I fear I'm missing something. I would have thought that a
lot of knowledge expressed in CoPs would be well situated almost
automatically  - if not explicitly, then through shared and commonly
understood inferences.

The spontaneous, organic way that knowledge typically surfaces may make
it hard to record, categorize and find, ... but wouldn't it still be
there like valuable mineral scattered through ore - waiting for the
right mining and refining technique?

Vic U

Rosanna Tarsiero wrote:
> Vic,
>
> You wrote:
> "Your point about knowledge being 'situated' is undebatable. But I don't
> think that means that knowledge harvesting is an impractical concept. It
> just means that knowledge harvesting has critical practical limits."
>
> In fact, I wasn't denying the value of knowledge harvesting, I was
> expressing doubts about using CoPs for that purpose :)
>
> Rosanna
>
>
>
> *-- The email forum on communities of practice --*
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Hallo to you all!!

I'm new in here and would like to introduce myself:

I'm a german student (theory of business management)located in
Cologne/   Germany and actually writing my degree dissertation. The
topic is the "implementation" of competencies networks in the form of
CoP's located in the intranet of a large international groupof companies.

For that reason I have read many papers and started to read
"Cultiating CoP" from Wenger/Snyder..., but I think I'm still not more
shrewdly than before.

Therefore I thought it might be a good idea to get myself a little
practice about communities and I'm looking forward to learn from you
and share my little bit of experience with you.

As you can see/read I also have to improve my english...

Now, I will surf the files, databases, links - think it 'll be more
than interesting and I'll be online for hours.

Untill later, Heike

On 12/12/05, Vic Uzumeri <vic.uzumeri@...> wrote:
> Rosanna,
>
> I'm curious about your view that CoPs may not have a role in knowledge
> harvesting. I fear I'm missing something. I would have thought that a
> lot of knowledge expressed in CoPs would be well situated almost
> automatically  - if not explicitly, then through shared and commonly
> understood inferences.
>
> The spontaneous, organic way that knowledge typically surfaces may make
> it hard to record, categorize and find, ... but wouldn't it still be
> there like valuable mineral scattered through ore - waiting for the
> right mining and refining technique?

Perhaps it's the very word 'harvesting' which may well have negative
connotations from the COP's point of view.

It really all depends upon who is doing the harvesting or mining and
how they got own the mineral rights. Harvesting the fruits of your own
labour is always commendable, and COPS may arrange to do that for
themselves, but if there's the suggestion of somebody coming along
from outside and strip-mining the carefully tended hillside then
that's going to be seen as threatening.

I prefer the metaphor of  stocks and flows which sees knowledge as
being surfaced in the flow of  conversations, like a river going past
and with the possibility of accumulating some of that knowledge by
building a dam right next to where the river is, and making sure it's
still part of the same body of water, still accessible to all the
people who have been part of the conversation, and not in any way
fenced off or diverted away somewhere for the benefit of a completely
different set of people with alternative motives.

The thing to do with communities is to join them, not harvest them.

--
Andy Roberts

http://distributedresearch.net/blog
http://distributedresearch.net/wiki

Interested in the roots of Maturana's Biology of Cognition? This new book
come highly recommended.  Its called "From being to doing". Will make a
great christmas pressie. Write up below . Other systems oriented book also
from the same publisher.

http://www.carl-auer.com/program.php?isbn=3-89670-448-6

The synopsis.

At the beginning of the last century, physicists revolutionised the
scientific view of the world. Today biologists are radically transforming
our understanding of the processes of life and cognition. Probing the
mysteries of the mind, they have been able to prove that, in the act of
knowing, the observer and the observed, subject and object, are inextricably
enmeshed. The world we live in is not independent from us; we literally
bring it forth ourselves.

One of the protagonists of this new kind of thinking is the internationally
renowned neurobiologist and systems theorist Humberto R. Maturana who was
interviewed for several weeks by Bernhard Poerksen, journalist, and
communication scientist. In this book, they explore the limits of our
cognitive powers, discuss the truth in perception, the biology of love, and
give, all in all, an introduction to systemic thinking that is down to
earth, imaginative, and rich in anecdote.

Reviews

A most fascinating and valuable book. This is a book in which even the
expert on Maturana will find insights, and, particularly, ways of saying
things that bring more into focus, shed more light.
Poerksen has managed to help Maturana find a simpler way by which we can
gain insight and understanding into his extraordinary inventions.
Cybernetics and Human Knowing
--
peter bond