RESEARCH - COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE - CLASSIC US CASE STUDY

Updated 20/02/2003

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE - CLASSIC US CASE STUDY
McCullough.R.C.(1985) The Care and Feeding of a Professional Support Group. Training May p88-97.

McCullough describes an inter-organisational professional support group that has been running for eight years, its key group dynamics discoveries and the tangible outcomes.

What is unique about this case study account is that it is 8 YEARS into the experiment. What is extraordinary is that from a recent internet search this support group,'The Woodlands Group,' is STILL IN EXISTENCE ! It can be found as an indirect reference at www.astdps.org /newsletters/oct2002.pdf. That makes it 26 YEARS ! The results of what fundamentally is a Community of Practice can be carefully assessed. One is not so much interested in "where we start" but "where we end up" This is the gold standard of CoP because the participants are the elite experts in group facilitation. If they can't work it out... no one else can ! This is therefore a watershed study amongst the world literature.

One of the original members and renowned leaders of the
Woodland Group who stuck with it till his death in
December 2002, Forrest Belcher.

One of the long-term members of the Woodland Group and internationally-renowned practitioner in his field, Geoff Bellman.

The Woodlands Group is an occupational CoP that was started at the Woodlands Conference Center in Houston, USA in April 1977. It is made up of human resource development specialists from many different firms. Face-to-face meetings are held over three days- Friday/Saturday and Sunday, four times a year. McCullough has determined the critical success factors for its ongoing sustainance. Take these as the premier rules to successful CoPs because of its envious track record.

Guide 1. Go For Personal Commitment Not for Dry Rules.
Emotional buy-in... clearly stated, member-developed group vision and maintenance rules - clear expectations...attendance, leave-of-absence, dialogue norms, etc.(See also Guide 7). McCullough believes unwritten rules are OK. Yet they had a clear, but unspoken vision for the group :

'The common thread that I see as constant... is a sort of fundamental optimism about the efficacy of training - an abiding faith that individuals can develop, grow and improve if the correct learning opportunities are made available.'

Guide 2. Let Leaders Lead, But Not Too Much.
Overly democratic groups are short-lived.

'When something is everyone's responsibility, it often turns out to be no one's.'

The leaders 'make sure agendas are set, dates are agreed upon, innovations are tried, and that all the other members not only are heard from but are involved in decisions and actions.' And there has been deliberate leadership succession.

Guide 3. Meet Often Enough.
As members come from all parts of the US, dates are set 18 to 24 months in advance. Meeting less often than quarterly 'would not allow for the type of follow-on discussions we have from one meeting to the next', or allow for timely problem-solving.

Guide 4. Manage the Group Dynamics.
Four core member needs are ruthlessly pursued (GOLD STANDARD GROUP DYNAMICS PRINCIPLES...) :
(i) Personal Needs - any personal problems are aired in the 'update' session at the start of the meeting, to be later tabled for further discussion. Members are later provided with a non-judgemental, non-threatening sounding board 'of the sort to which all too few people have access.'
(ii) Conceptual Needs - Macro-view topics for discussion - cutting-edge concepts or perennial chestnuts. Sometimes teams lead a topic while other times all are asked to research and contribute to the proposed topic. Some typical topics for this CoP have been training design, ethics in training, organisational transformation, etc.
(iii) Business Skills Needs - Critiquing proposals and novel concepts. Practising 'dry-run presentations they were going to make to their companies' top-management people.'
(iv) Social Needs - Relaxation and recreation is formerly built into every meeting. It ensures everyone has important downtime or freetime to have the impetus to get to know others more personally.
McCullough concludes that the art is in balancing all four member needs to avoid being single-faceted that can kill the life of the group.

'If a group deals exlcusively with personal problems, it can become a pseudo-therapy group; If it deals too much with conceptual needs, a training seminar; too much with business-related matters, a staff meeting; too much fun and games, a social club.... There is a determination to meet a variety of needs.'

Guide 5. Use Variety of Learning Techniques
Along with the discussion method or presentation/questions/discussion approach, alternatives included pre-assigned reading and writing exercises broken up into sub-groups who conferred with each other. Then these groups conferred with other groups. Then at the meeting itself the group tries to elucidate the key learning points. "Show-n-Tell" methods and group volunteer work were also employed. Variety eases the intensity of learning. But 'members must be willing to do the necessary work to make it happen.... Don't expect things to happen automatically.'

Guide 6. Encourage Diversity of Members.
Members are encouraged from a wide spectrum of backgrounds and interest while still keeping the central vision. Too often in our own workplaces we are with like-minded colleagues. Environments that challenge our assumptions can be very healthy.

Guide 7. Preserve the Group's Integrity But Don't Get Too Serious.
'There seems to be a love and respect among the members, past and present.' Personal comments among members are not repeated elsewhere. In the spirit of fun and acceptance, a healthy personal perspective is kept.
Logistics, arrangements and financial matters 'are unimportant.... What we do most is have fun.' The real value is personal growth in a fertile environment.

Fellow members have a way of holding up a mirror that pretty well reflects who you are and what you're up to.'

Follow the seven rules, McCullough states, and the other issues will take care of themselves.

- DEBRIEF -

Just three ....

passionate vision...

leadership...

followership.

Sign me up.

___________________________________