KM World Conference | November 9, 2022
Making Digital Communities�of Practice Work
Photo by Daljit Singh
Reena Nadler
Collaborating, Learning & Adapting Community of Practice (CoP), USAID
Michael Weinraub
Knowledge Management & Learning Specialist at Bixal
USAID-funded KDLT Activity
(Feed the Future Knowledge, Data, Learning, and Training)
Hosts
What do you call a community of 700 staff at USAID who support each other to improve the way we work and achieve our mission?
The CLA (Collaborating, Learning, Adapting) Community of Practice!
Today’s Flow
Welcome—Reena and Michael set the stage
Celebrity Interviews: The hippo and the bird—Sharing what works in a USAID community of practice
1-2-4-All—Using another Liberating Structure to socialize what’s working in your system
Opportunities to connect—An invitation to continue the conversation
Photo by Root Capital
Celebrity Interview
LIBERATING STRUCTURES
Including and Unleashing Everyone
Turn a one-sided presentation into a dynamic, open-ended conversation.��The structure can help to surface questions and ideas that are challenging to raise as a single speaker.
RFS
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) leads the U.S. Government's international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance.
Source: USAID website
Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting
Collaborating: Are we collaborating with the right partners at the right time to promote synergy over stove-piping?
Learning: Are we asking the most important questions and finding answers that are relevant to decision making?
Adapting: Are we using the information that we gather through collaboration and learning activities to make better decisions and make adjustments as necessary?
+ Enabling Conditions: Are we working in an organizational environment that supports our collaborating, learning, and adapting efforts?
The CLA Framework
Left side:�Speaks to our�programming approaches
Right side:�Speaks to our culture, mindsets, and business processes
Source: USAID Learning Lab
Feed the Future Knowledge, Data, Learning, and Training (KDLT)
Photo by Clement Tardif, �Feed the Future Senegal
Member of the CoP
CLA Community
of Practice
Michael Weinraub <mweinraub@usaid.gov>
Jana R. and I were doing what we do most mornings—debate the value of GANTT charts—when she suggested I bring this question to the CoP, so here goes:
What elements do you like to include in a project plan for the implementation team and client? What format(s) do you like to include?
And most importantly, do you have any examples?
Wishing you all good things,
Michael
Nov 16, 2021, 12:00 PM
Michael Weinraub <mweinraub@usaid.gov>
Thanks so much, Roy, Heather, and Shannon!
Thinking about this reminds me why I'm such a big fan of writing activities like 5&5&5 in team meetings. It helps to elicit current challenges from group members. Once those areas of concern, interest, or need are out on the table, it's easier and more pleasurable to share ideas and resources with each other.
If anyone would like to learn more about 5&5&5 or attend a mini-workshop let me know.
MW
Nov 18, 2021, 3:44 PM
Michael Weinraub <mweinraub@usaid.gov>
So glad to see so much interest in embedding social writing into our work. If you're interested in a 1-hr workshop on 5&5&5, share your preferences regarding possible dates and times in this spreadsheet. Around Wednesday of next week I'll pick a date that seems to work for most folks.
I'll send an agenda as we get closer, but I would expect to give a bit of background then facilitate an authentic 5&5&5 activity. Then we can dissect what happened and share implementation ideas for 5&5&5 and other writing tools for our specific USAID context.
MW
Nov 19, 2021, 2:40 PM
Activity: 5x5
What is 5x5?
5x5 is a generative knowledge-building activity to build connections and prompt collaboration on a team. It doesn’t require “homework” or formal preparation but does encourage thinking strategically about what to share and request.
How does it work?
It’s a 15-minute activity—5 and 5 and 5. For the first five minutes, participants write one or two important things they are working on, or a request for input. Then, they take five minutes to read and respond to other participants’ contributions. The final five minutes is reserved for open discussion, to talk about any of the ideas expressed earlier, or to make other connections.
Michael: What makes the CLA CoP work?
RFS
Reena: What makes the CLA CoP work?
RFS
Photo by Root Capital
1-2-4-All
Immediately include everyone regardless of how large the group is through brief independent and collaborative cycles. You can generate better ideas and tap the know-how and imagination that is distributed widely in places not known in advance. Open, generative conversation unfolds.
LIBERATING STRUCTURES
Including and Unleashing Everyone
Prompts and questions:
Take a minute to think or write about what you might share with a partner.
Get up and find a partner. Share your response to the questions. See where the conversation goes. Consider commonalities and differences.
Join together with another pair. Look for patterns or interesting connections. What should be shared with the whole group?
Share what was meaningful with the whole group. Share something meaningful that you heard or reflected on during your interactions.
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All
What was the most interesting thing you learned or heard during this session?
What’s something that you could do now to build or improve your own community?
Sentence starter: Something that I’m struggling with now is . . .
Scan here to view the Quick Write Document or go to the following link
WRITE TO REFLECT AND SPUR ACTION
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Reena Nadler
Contact Us
Thank You