Coaching community leaders on community cultivation and technology integration

Workshop

John Smith, Lauren Klein and Theodora FitzsimmonsCommunities and Technology, 3rd International Conference

Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, Michigan

June 28, 2007

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Today’s Workshop AgendaToday’s Workshop Agenda

Introductions Review our study

context process findings

Conduct Coach-Coachee demonstration Workshop exercise Discussion

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Our Study Our Study

Grew out of individual practice John Smith, Lauren Klein re-connected Fall ‘06 Theodora Fitzsimmons got involved Spring ’07 Fundamental assumptions at CPsquare

Communities of practice matter Leadership matters Practice – doing something – matters

Our question: How do community leaders become competent?

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The Purpose of the StudyThe Purpose of the Study

Explore learning practices around leader development Learning in practice, in service of practice CoP context (both theory and application)

Through conversations with other coaches and their coachees (or mentors or members)

Look for common elements Fishing trip (what doesn't exist?) Look for trends Look for evidence of success and barriers to success Understand the role of technology in the coaching/mentoring

relationship

Articulating what we already knew: our assumptions

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Assumptions: About Community LeadershipAssumptions: About Community Leadership

Community leadership embedded in a social setting Typically: volunteers leading volunteers Leadership involves engagement with members Relationships often mediated through technology Personal characteristics of leaders

Passion as a community bond that leaders must have Professional maturity

Kinds of influence available to leaders Minimal positional authority Self as instrument: setting an example Admin rights on a software platform Focus beyond the self Extended network

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Assumptions: False Friends of Community LeadershipAssumptions: False Friends of Community Leadership

Developing a CoP is like “any other project” Community life == Postings or volume Over-reliance on theory or cookbooks

Community stages Cookie cutter / checklist compliance

It's “all about technology” “Learning is commonplace”, so will take care of

itself Learning is what happens in a classroom I’m the SME and don’t need any consultant to

help me

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Assumptions: CoP Theory & Leadership ChallengesAssumptions: CoP Theory & Leadership Challenges

Legitimate peripheral participation frames coaching & false friends

Community, Practice, Domain model frames Domain

Supported CoPs are common where topics are complex, subtle, or new Competence in the domain determines status in the community

Community Global membership of communities creates challenges for leaders Diverse languages, cultures, and organizational affiliations add

complexity Creating useful connections within a community can be hard work Cultivating the next generation of leaders needs to be part of ongoing

work of the community Practice (repertoire)

Making a collective practice visible at a distance can be a challenge Technology plays an enabling and a complicating role

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Assumptions: Improvisational nature of practiceAssumptions: Improvisational nature of practice

Improvisation is key Growth of leaders and communities

happens step-by-step focus on zone of proximal development

Transformation is "the norm" goals means identity

Planning is important but the unexpected may be more so In general: focus on the time dimension

Emergence Behavior and perception are situated

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Assumptions: About Coaching as a PracticeAssumptions: About Coaching as a Practice

A model relationship One-to-one helping relationship Trusted advisor & sounding board Developmental (performance-based)

A model business Business model / practice is well-established Code of ethics is established Coaching certification (General purpose) Applied to sports, management & personal development

Adapting to CoP leadership setting What are we borrowing from the existing role & trappings

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The Study Design: The InterviewsThe Study Design: The Interviews

Systematic practitioner-to-practitioner conversations Used our network to find pairs of supportive relationships Interviewed nine pairs (in separate interviews) in diverse settings John and Lauren interviewed each other as practitioners and each

other’s clients as coachees

The Interviews: Emailed questions in advance of interview to guide conference calls Calls were recorded for later data analysis Participants were assured confidentiality Conversations were structured by questions but also allowed for

wandering Notes were shared shortly after interviews

Analysis of Interviews Analyze recordings and notes for themes Using Mind Map to organize themes

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Sharing the FindingsSharing the Findings

Held a "findings" phone call with participants Gather reactions to what we found Participants who missed the call were invited to listen to

recording Comments continued through email and the blog

Project blog describes the project and holds continuing conversations

CPsquare session at some point Planning to publish something next Fall / Winter This C&T Workshop as extending the inquiry

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Findings: The relationships between our respondentsFindings: The relationships between our respondents

Relationship duration, intensitiy, & basis varied a great deal Conversations were private, behind the scenes Meetings ranged from structured to ad hoc and varied in

frequency and regularity Occasional collaboration on deliverables “Going meta" - standing back together and reflecting

Coaching and mentoring were mixed moment to moment Common technologies to support interaction

Face-to-face meetings Phone calls Email IM Web Boards

“Every technology generates new possibilities."

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Evolution of the RelationshipEvolution of the Relationship

SupporterSupporter Community Leader

Community Leader

CoPCoP

SupporterSupporter Community Leader

Community Leader

CoPCoP

Beginning of the relationship

Later in the relationship

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Findings: Seeing the actual & inventing the possibleFindings: Seeing the actual & inventing the possible

Grounding in practice (Disciplined Realism) Jointly interpreting the evidence Dealing with changing technology, membership & politics Addressing individual interests A sense of history

Passion for what could be (Cultivated Imagination) Conversations about things that don’t exist Intent behind the charter or goals Future orientation Make order out of chaos

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Findings: leaders focus alternately self and groupFindings: leaders focus alternately self and group

Passion for domain as a working basis Purposeful community leadership Alternate, reinforcing focus on self and on group

Inquiry into the self Emotional Intelligence and a hunger for continuous learning,

especially around fostering a CoP Self starter and leader; instrumental in making things happen,

such as via gathering people together Risk Taker

Inquiry into the group Technologically minded in order to learn and leverage the

technologies involved Detail oriented for event planning and project management Salesperson, Recruiter, Maven and Connector

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Findings: Coaching and Mentoring Roles Findings: Coaching and Mentoring Roles

Characteristics: Formality: a structured cycle of goal-setting,

observation, and performance assessment Front-loaded set-up: depends on negotiating

rules and terms at the beginning Rigorous: focuses on a developmental

process Formal, Standing outside the social system Coachee’s as clients

CoachingA person who supports people to achieve their goals, with goal setting, encouragement and questions.

Mentoring A person who shares expertise with less experienced individuals in order to help them advance their careers, education, or networks.

Characteristics: Informality: informal shop talk between more-

and less-experienced persons Reflection on relevant experience Share local lore, connections, and street

credibility with mentee Both in a social & political fabric Mentors may be community members Mentors may be actors in the social system,

opening doors, locating resources, etc.

Mixing or alternating roles less important than the work

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Findings: Coaching and Mentoring Spectrum Findings: Coaching and Mentoring Spectrum Coaching highlights Coaching role is familiar and programs to

organize and support it exist in many organizations

Coaches role is professionalized through training & certification processes

Process seeks to be neutral, focused on coachee's unique goals

Up-front negotiations create a useful learning platform

Limitations May lack local connections & clues Too formulaic? Assumptions It's "the method": a good coach can help

individuals with diverse goals

Mentoring highlights Informal & flexible Local Familiar: Companies institutionalize it Relationship is negotiated in an

ongoing fashion

Limitations Too idiosyncratic? Lacking permission for giving

personal feedback Assumptions A good mentee can translate from

mentor's experience to something useful

Interchangeable terms can provide a useful distinction

Coaching Mentoring

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Group

Self

Cultivated Imagination

DisciplinedRealism

CoachingMentoring

CoP Evaluation

Attendingmeetingstogether

New potential of role

Tooluse &

techniques

Leadershipskills

inventory

a friendly ear

Developing a leadership

style

Charterdevelopment

Findingsponsorship

Joint projects

Motivating

Envisioningfuture

possibilities

Interpetingpoliticalwinds

Swappingwar

stories

Lendingconfidence

“to-do”lists

Integrating all 3 dimensions:

Inspiring

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Findings: activities and outcomesFindings: activities and outcomes

Power of one-to-one conversations Part of social learning Back-channel Vygotsky: guided participation

EW's distinction between “learning with & from”:

Learning with Sounding board aspect is important Learning partner

Learning from Access to other people's experience Grist for transformation

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Reported Benefits of Supportive RelationshipsReported Benefits of Supportive Relationships

Supporters help leaders look at what they have through experienced eyes and help them see opportunities for promoting community interaction.

Using a conversational process helps to simplify, prioritize, and focus on what is important.

Practice and immediate feedback from a co-committed supporter is a building block for increased performance.

A co-committed supporter: Facilitates the new leader's ability to see both part and the whole. Presents more opportunities that the new leader may not have thought of on

his or her own. Leaders realize that they have more resources to draw upon for things they can do.

May inspire the new leader to reach new heights. As new community leaders become more secure and confident in their role, they tend to be more innovative and try new things.

New leaders are able gain more confidence in stages with less pressure.

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A coaching session modelA coaching session model

1. An evolving agenda

2. Set a regular time (may be interleaved with other contact)

3. Confirm readiness

4. Whole person “check-in”

5. Develop communication conventions such as real-time note-taking

6. Verification of notes, commitments, learning

7. Connecting conversation and practice

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Workshop ActivityWorkshop Activity

Purpose: to give participants an opportunity to experience a community coaching exchange from the perspective of a coach, coachee, and critical friend.

Directions: Form into groups of three. Conduct the activity three times so that each person has an opportunity to experience the three roles.

The coachee brings an issue related to a community of practice they lead (or to a social situation that has learning implications)

The coach responds with clarifying questions, resources, challenges or advice.

The observer listens to the conversation between coach and coachee and does not intervene in the conversation in any way.

After each person has had a turn at each role, begin a quick debrief, which we'll share afterwards:

Describe the conversation, including differences in perception between coach, coachee, observer.

Which comments are most helpful to the coachee, ones which are "Coach's" or "Mentor's" comments?

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Let’s continue the conversation…Let’s continue the conversation…

On our project blog:

http://coachcopleaders.wordpress.com/

…and, please join us for a beer between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Beggars Banquet:

http://www.beggarsbanquet.com/

Near Cowles House, Michigan State University Campus

John Smith, Lauren Klein and Theodora Fitzsimmons

will be on hand to welcome

CPsquare members, C&T attendees, and friends.

Please stop by for a chat!

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Contact InformationContact Information

John D. Smith – +1 (503) 963 8229john.smith@learningalliances.net

Lauren Klein – +1 (775) 336-8204info@laurenklein.net

Theodora Fitzsimmons – +1 (301) 460-2896theofitz@gmail.com