Chief Learning Officer - October 2007 - (Page 43)

tactics It is the tacit knowledge that operationalizes our organizations and provides us with innovation. The challenge, then, is managing the retention and sharing of our valuable tacit knowledge. Communities of practice are an effective method for bringing tacit knowledge into the light, sharing it, contextualizing it and putting it to good use. The concept of a community of practice is simple — all that is needed is a group of people who have a common interest and the desire to share their knowledge within a community. It doesn’t have to be formally structured, but the greater the definition of process, the higher the returns will be in managing knowledge and applying it to create value. Here are a couple of examples. On the less formalized end of the scale, some professionals are self-motivated and decide to meet periodically to share their experiences. The meeting and sharing of knowledge has obvious benefits to those who participate, but the long-term retention of knowledge remains tacit and resides only in the minds of those in the group. Another less formalized, yet effective, community of practice is the discussion groups that have been created under the banner of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), a 93,000-member professional association that advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and create better workplaces and communities worldwide. ASQ discussion groups are communities of practice that are geographically based and share industry experience as it relates to quality processes. The first discussion group was created as part of the ASQ’s biomedical division in the Boston area. This group was made up of quality professionals from various pharmaceutical companies in the region. Their objective was not to compete against one another but, rather, share their tacit knowledge regarding the challenges they all faced. Although the process began very informally, structure and process eventually were introduced to better manage interaction and knowledge sharing. Since the first ASQ discussion group was formed, more have been established, following the lessons learned in Boston. ASQ facilitated the development of policies and procedures for such communities of practice and provided funding to help them get going. For example, the aviation, space and defense division of ASQ is developing a discussion group in the Southern California area. The reason for selecting Southern California is Figure 1: Sample of IPMT Roles and Responsibilities (not all-inclusive) Integrated Program Management Team • Execution of program • Share collective knowledge • Single-customer interface • Ensure compliance to customer requirements • Develop program strategies • Communicate across and throughout value stream • Ensure program-level knowledge capability • Ensure program-level cost performance • Ensure program-level quality performance • Ensure resources throughout value stream • Monitor reliability of products and services • Monitor lower-level design/process changes • Assure systems integration Component Integrated Program Team • Ensure flow of knowledge up, down and across • Focused customer interface • Establish manufacturing strategy • Establish procurement strategy with IPMT • Ensure component-level knowledge capability • Ensure component-level cost performance • Ensure component-level quality performance • Investigate design/process improvements • Assure part integration Integrated Product Team (part-level) • Ensure knowledge is shared at part level • Tight integration with manufacturing • Perform product/process investigations • Ensure part-level quality performance • Establish process capability • Provide product/service knowledge to CIPT • Manage day-to-day work execution IPM CIP IPT Clear path of communication for customers and suppliers Figure 2: VISION Center Network Model Customer A Customer B Customer C Local process management Business-Unit Vision Center Business-Unit Vision Center Deployable to suppliers/partners Supplier Vision Center Supplier Vision Center Supplier Vision Center Supplier Deployable Vision Center to all tiers of suppliers Supplier Vision Center Supplier Vision Center Supplier Vision Center 43 October 2007 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer Central Vision Center Centrally managed Value Stream Communication Flow Customer Expectations http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - October 2007

Editor's Letter Table of Contents Letters to the Editor Taking the Lead Trends Best Practices Effectiveness Guest Editorial Elements of Social Media Arrive on the Learning Scene Trend Micro: Making Learning More Modular CLO Profile Learning’s Role in Talent Management INTTRA: Using Global Learning to Better Enable Talent Management Operationalizing Communities of Practice U.S. Army: Sharing Lessons from the Field Looking Back, Moving Forward Leveraging Business Data to Develop Strategic Learning Solutions Chrysler LLC: Metrics, Score Cards and Automobiles Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources Connecting the Dots: Recognizing Talent Development Differences at Nonprofits Nonprofits in Health Care: Learning at ENH Case Study Business Intelligence Case Study In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - October 2007

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