This document discusses the important role of leaders in creating communities of practice. It argues that current leadership practices are not well-suited for this task and instead leaders need to cultivate community, share power collectively, and lead organizational change. The document outlines stories of leaders who lacked engagement and participation in communities of practice, which disappointed volunteers and hindered progress. It recommends that leaders give attention and care to the community, check their egos to empower shared leadership, and do their job by defining goals, establishing buy-in, and demonstrating support for change agents. Overall, the document calls for leaders to learn new skills to better catalyze communities of practice.

1. The Impact of Leaders
on the Creation of
Communities of Practice
Marla J Hetzel
November 19, 2013

2. Leading From Behind
Creating a context for communities of practice
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What words and phrases
resonate with you?

3. What Are Communities of Practice?
...a group of people who
come together
to share
in order to move a
purpose forward.
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4. Current Leadership Practices
Current leadership practices are not a fit for creating communities of
practice
• It is about more than communities of practice
• It is about working differently
 Learn
 Experiment
 Innovate
• Represents significant change
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5. Current Leadership Practices
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“In today’s world, the executive’s job is no
longer to command and control but to cultivate
and coordinate the actions of others at all
levels of the organization.”
Ancona et al.

6. Learning to Lead Again
As leaders, we are learning new skills to put into practice
“We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong
process of keeping abreast of change. And the most
pressing task is to teach people how to learn.”
Peter F. Drucker
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7. Through the Lens of the Follower
Three ways leaders can meet the needs of followers when creating
communities of practice
• Give a #$%^&
• Check the Ego
• Do Your Job
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8. Background on Case Study
Communities of practice to facilitate change: a story of leaders and
followers
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• CEO calling for change
• Communities of practice established to support change
mandate
• Leaders
 Individuals in positions of authority
• Chairpersons
 Volunteered to help create the communities of practice

9. Leaders Lacking Engagement
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Leaders Not Meeting Expectations
Leaders Not Sharing in the Experience
Leaders Not Sharing in the Learning

10. Chairpersons Feeling Disappointed
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“We are not interested in
failure. We want to see
this succeed. I am
disappointed leadership
is not here too.”
“Because this represents change,
leadership needs to be involved.
Leadership needs to be learning too.”
“Leadership cannot
wait to come in
every now and
then. What kind of
message does that
send?”

11. Give A #$%^&
And cultivate the community in communities of practice
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Create Shared Purpose
Interact
Establish Trust

12. Give A #$%^&
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“The way to start rebuilding community is to stop the
practices that undermine it ... the organization has
to shed much of its individualistic behavior and many of
its short-term measures in favor of practices that
promote trust, engagement, and spontaneous
collaboration aimed at sustainability.”
Henry Mintzberg

13. Give A #$%^&
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14. Leaders Lacking Participatory Style
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Leaders Not Sharing Decision Making
Leaders Not Being Explicit
Leaders Not Facilitating Progress

15. Chairpersons Not Feeling Empowered
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“So leadership is
not engaged and
it holds decision
making
authority.”
“It would have been helpful to
know this earlier so we would
not have wasted our time.”
“I am trying to
reconcile wanting to
be empowered with
the reality of what
we are. We are not
empowered.”

16. Check the Ego
And create the context for collective leadership
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Share Decision Making
Share Leadership Responsibilities
Encourage Participation

17. Check the Ego
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“...today’s complex environment often demands a team
approach to problem solving. This requires a leader who,
among other things, is comfortable sharing power and
generous in doing so, is able to see extraordinary
potential in ordinary people.”
Linda Hill

18. Check the Ego
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19. Leaders Lacking Change Management
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Leaders Not Providing Direction
Leaders Not Establishing Organizational Buy In

20. Chairpersons Not Feeling Supported
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“Like us, the
organization has
questions too. The
ambiguity stifles
our ability to take
action.”
“Leadership needs to define the common goal and sell it to the
organization so people get to the heart of why we exist, what we are
about, so that we would not have to go through this journey on our own.”
“I have the
knowledge to be a
change agent but I
cannot say that I
feel supported as
a change agent.”

21. Do Your Job
And lead the change
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Create the Change Path
Orchestrate the Process of Change
Demonstrate Support to Change Agents

22. Do Your Job
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“Of course, diffusing such groups across the
organization requires the support of leadership.
Without it, efforts in communityship seldom get far.”
Henry Mintzberg

23. Do Your Job
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24. An Important Role
There is an important role for leaders in creating communities of practice
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Give a #$%^& Cultivate
Community
Check the Ego
Create Context
for Collective
Leadership
Do Your Job Lead the
Change
“Though much
network behavior
is emergent, the
way network
leaders
catalyze action
makes a
difference.”
Katrina Pugh &
Laurence Prusak

25. An Important Call to Action
Learning how to lead again
• Be students of leadership
• Create a Community of Practice
 Identify with the topic
 Care about the topic
 Commit to learning a new set of skills
 Invite others to do the same
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26. Good Reading!
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• Abele, J. (2011) “Bringing Minds Together,” Harvard Business Review, July.
• Adler, P., Heckscher, C., Prusak, L. (2011) “Building Collaborative Enterprise,”
Harvard Business Review, July.
• Hill, L. (2008) “Where Will We Find Tomorrow’s Leaders,” Harvard Business Review,
January.
• McDermott, R. and Archibald, D. (2010) “Harnessing Your Staff’s Informal Networks,”
Harvard Business Review, March.
• Mintzberg, H. (2009) “Rebuilding Companies as Communities,” Harvard Business
Review, July.
• Pugh, K. and Prusak, L. (2013) “Designing Effective Knowledge Networks,” MIT
Sloan Management Review, Fall.
• Wenger, E., McDermott, R., and Snyder, W. (2002) Cultivating Communities of
Practice, Harvard Business School Press, Boston.

27. Thank You!
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