Arup is an independent firm of designers, engineers, and consultants working across the built environment. They help clients solve complex challenges by turning ideas into reality. Arup's challenges include improving health and well-being while transitioning to zero-carbon and adopting circular economy principles. They also focus on enhancing resilience to climate change and creating more equitable societies. Arup has over 15,000 employees across 89 offices in 33 countries. They utilize their 40+ skills networks, which are communities of practice that virtually connect people to share knowledge across geographies. These networks are led by skills leaders and aim to ensure Arup remains best-in-class in its capabilities.

1. SIKM – August 2021
Andrew Trickett
August 2021
Communities of Practice, Challenges,
Curiosity and Dragons

2. We don’t make widgets- we do complexity
Together we shape a better world
Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, architects, consultants and technical specialists, working across every aspect of today’s
built environment. Together we help our clients solve their most complex challenges – turning exciting ideas into tangible reality as we strive to find a
better way and shape a better world.
15,000 people in 89 offices across 33 countries
Revenue for 2020 £ 1.809bn
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Arup in 2020/21 worked in 135 countries

3. The challenges we aim to solve
What challenges do you see now – what is your 2nd curve thinking
Improve human health, safety and well-being recognising that this is intrinsically tied to
the health of the planet and quality of the built environment.
Transition to a zero-carbon economy and a world where everyone has access to clean
energy and potable water.
Adopt circular economy principles leading to decoupling of economic growth and
consumption.
Enhance communities’ resilience to climate change and other risks.
Create social value that results in a more inclusive, equitable, accessible and just society.
Respect planetary boundaries, and reverse the damage done to date.
Demanding clients – more for less
Knowledge Redundancy cycle acceleration
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4. Arup- some background
The diversity of talent and common values we share make us who we are. While encouraging
individuality, we operate as a collective - supporting each other to do our best work.
We are owned in-trust with no shareholders or external investors. Therefore we have
the independence to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our values.
Guided by the Key Speech given by Ove Arup in 1970.
The vision for knowledge at Arup is to deliver the full potential of our collective capability,
developed within the firm and through collaboration with others, to bring value to our clients.
We deliver some of the most challenging and innovative projects globally – Rail 2nd Ave
Subway NY, HS2 (UK), Gold Coast Light Rail (Aus) Cityringen Denmark and various MTR
lines in Hong Kong.
Arup recognised August 2021 by Fast Company as #18 of 100 companies ‘Best workplace for
Innovators’
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5. Knowledge Networks
One tool in the box
1990’s the Community of Practice
Cornerstone of most KM systems globally
Arup has been using COPS for over 20 years – we call them Skills Networks
Arup’s Skills Networks are by and large Virtual communities of people (VCOP) sharing
knowledge and expertise and connecting across geographies.
We have over 40 Communities going from Acoustics to Wind Engineering
Skills Networks are led by Skill Leaders who are charged with seeing that Arup is best in
class. This includes identifying the skills and capabilities we need to deliver our business
requirements, and seeing that best practice is continually drawn out and made known.
They are supported by colleagues within Arup University with leaders in all our regions
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6. COPs
KM’s Killer App
Skills Networks/Forums – Arrow and Cloud
JIT Focused problem solving – acquire & diffuse experiential knowledge
Culture
Share lessons learnt
Strong & Weak Ties
Projects/Teams
Questions/
problems
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7. Induction
Catch them new
See if you can send material in advance
• Especially people pages
Automate- don’t rely on HR
Make sure they have an e-mail on Day 1
Brand it
Appointment for knowledge induction
• Ideally 2-3 weeks after they arrive
• Cc in their line manager
• Must-do meeting
• Get buddy or skills manager to attend
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8. Knowledge Handbook
Some key areas
Keep it lean & relevant
Introduction from Business Leader
Who the Knowledge Manager is
Highlight the Skills Network
Key things they should do 1st 5 weeks
• Links
• A strong picture
Training Modules- Arup University
One size doesn’t fit all
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9. Induction Checklists
MS Lists
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10. Key lessons
What's next – what would you/are you doing different
Don’t rely on the corporate induction
Get to new starters in person by the end of the first 6 weeks
Make sure they can access key links
Engage with them and listen for feedback – sounding board
If there are corporate knowledge workshops do sessions with them
Check your community leaders engage with them they are the future.
• Cheap
• Enthusiastic
• New Blood
• New Ideas
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11. They’ve just evolved
Networks aren't new
Bottegas of Venice
Masonic Guilds
Junto Groups
Coffee houses
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12. The Godfather, Adam Smith
Why we succeed
TRUST
People want to share – Adam Smith
Reciprocal Altruism
People are intrinsically good- and we co-operated to survive and develop –
networks – Learn- Adapt- Improve
Bregman Homo Sapiens vs Neanderthal
We were better connected
But also have social cognitive skills
Live and exchange knowledge in groups
We get a buzz when we share knowledge
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13. The Godfather and Adam Smith
Lets learn from my grandson
Trust in a CoP can be established at different levels: member-member, member-manager,
member-institution, or member-channel used for the knowledge exchange. The perception of the
competence, integrity, and benevolence of other participants is essential in member-member trust
and has decisive influence on the intention of sharing knowledge.
Justice has been identified as a precursor of trust. On the one hand, trust in members depends on
reciprocity (distributive justice) and on the quality of relationships (interpersonal justice), and
acts as an antecedent of altruistic behaviour. On the other hand, trust in managers is based on the
justice of the policies and procedures of the community (procedural justice) and on promptly
informing the members of the procedures of the group (informational justice).
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14. Personal and interpersonal factor in a community
Roberto, Monica & Bartolome (2021)
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15. Knowledge Sharing & Networks
It’s our train set!!
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16. Networks
Pause for thought
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Cumulative effort
No one person
Lots of organisational nodes
Who are your boundary spanners
• What are their interactions
• Where are my Networks of future
• Yammer/Slack/Teams
Can you free us from constraints?
Key role as we return- social contacts

17. Network Burnout
Is this getting worse in your organisation
Pushme/Pullyu effect
• Project vs Tribe/Network membership
• Inward vs Outward thinking
Knowledge Tsunami
Professional Community Managers??
Keeping the network alive
What would you do to keep the zombies at bay?
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18. Dragons Networks and Pro-creation
Tolkien, Tesla and Metropolis
Safe space without blowing up the
company – experimentation
Ability for ideas to procreate
Your innovation machine- Networks not
Rotwang
Encourage and Reward Curiosity
Little bets to do something of value but
not to hobble.
Publicise- transparent working via forums
Don’t hoard – Lessons from Smaug and
Bacon
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19. Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
Standing on the shoulders of giants
Rashomon effect
Discussion opens up new horizons – Exploration Rainbow Swans
Discussion can also confirm and endorse a view point or idea, support
innovation through encouragement.
Schliemann’s & Newtons layers to new ideas
Do your networks do this INWN?
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20. Curiosity
Land of the quick and the dead tired
Speed of change – Curiosity is a must have
Organisational Laocoon
• The tragedy is that its recognised – but seen as messy
• Efficiency not Exploration
• Starved not fed
Embrace uncertainty – reasonable doubt
Diverse voices – don’t be Maginot, be Guderian
Use communities as your ‘red team’
The most powerful question
• What are we missing here?
Ko-ki-shin - - pleasing/curious/heart
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21. Dealing with complex problems
Old Times and Modern Times
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• We need networks to deal with complexity and being messy
• Knowledge work not widget work
• People want to connect and collaborate, organisations find ways to stop them
esp the nomenklatura- and so it is lost
• C.O.D.E – keep it lean

22. Dealing with Complex problems
Perpetual Beta
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Harold Jarche 7 essential facets for enterprise knowledge sharing Harold Jarche – Working in Perpetual Beta

23. Key lessons – for Communities
Lessons from a 95 year old sushi master
Pride – Shokunin- meet their aspirations
Lessons are being learnt & applied
Honesty through Trust
Politiea – expected to take part & debate
• Corporate Hemlock excluded
• Have you considered.
Providing a flow.
Seen as do-able
WIIFM/WIIFU
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Picture by courtesy of Tanmay Vora of QAspire.com

24. Post Covid thoughts re KM & Networks
Thoughts for your consideration
Accelerate Learning and variety of sources – internal and external
Return of guilds for co-networkers and gig workers standards and protection
Knowledge has to flow across silos- Microsoft Viva/Cortex
Make sure KM isn’t bureaucratic – in the flow
Gen Z staff turnover – no silver bar
Experimentation is key and sharing that story as you go along
Complexity
Quiet value based leadership
Change in COPS – size isn’t everything - Superteams
T shaped management & new organisational frameworks
New tools to advance knowledge to create value
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25. 5 key areas for your consideration
Time to think
The wrong kind of simplicity no simple fixes – see the board
• What are we missing here?
Remembering Dunbar’s law – size isn’t everything
Failure is an option
Conformity sucks –Mao, and JFK were right
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26. A concluding ‘amended’ thought
The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the
stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty,
and we must rise — with the occasion.
As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew.
We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our
organisations.

27. Key Reading
Some influences
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Charles Handy1995 HBR Trust and the Virtual organisation
Manville & Ober 2003 HBR Building a Company of
Citizens
The Neuroscience of Trust HBR Jan-Feb 2017 Paul Zax
Humankind Rutger Bregman 2020
Working in Perpetual Beta – Harold Jarche

28. Thank you and any
questions

29. Contact
Global Rail Knowledge and Information Manager
Andrew Trickett
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