# Presentation: 517430

## Applying KM Through Communities of Practice

- Amy C. Eugene
- Director of Knowledge Management
- Cuyahoga Community College

**NASA Glenn Lunch & Learn**

## Agenda

- Who is Tri-C and Why are we implementing KM?
- What is our Process?
- Communities of practice
- Measurements, outcomes and benefits
- How important is the People & Culture element?
- What are our Lessons Learned?
- Conversation

## Who is Tri-C?

- “At Cuyahoga Community College we are in the knowledge business. The extent to which we are willing to invest ourselves in the knowledge sharing process is up to us. Together we can build an environment where shared knowledge will usher in an exciting, new era of shared success.”
- “Knowledge Management democratizes our organization.”
**Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton,**** **
- President of Cuyahoga Community College

## Tri-C is Recognized as a Leader in KM

- "Tri-C is an _innovator in the implementation of knowledge management practices_ in higher education. Their knowledge management program is helping them to identify some of the most pressing needs of the organization by creating a more streamlined process for discussing and implementing improvements to curriculum, fundraising, and overall work management."
**Lisa Petrides, PhD., President, **
**Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education**

## Tri-C’s Definition of Knowledge Management:

- A discipline and framework designed to help our organization acquire, package and share “what we know” to enable decision-making, creativity, innovation and communication.

## Turnover Challenges
Tomorrow’s Decision-Structure Needs
Expand Capacity to Share Knowledge
Teamwork Culture Builds on Collegiality
Tools to Maintain Competitive Edge
Technology Investment

- Tomorrow’s Decision-Structure Needs
- Expand Capacity to Share Knowledge
- Teamwork Culture Builds on Collegiality
- Tools to Maintain Competitive Edge
- Technology Investment

- Tri-C’s Business Case for KM:

**Notes:**
KM is organic

## History of KM at Tri-C

- CY2000, secured $270K matching grant from local foundation
- Implemented change management strategy
- Crafted communications plan
- Filled key strategic KM roles
- Conducted knowledge audit
- Created KM framework and model for CoP development
- Adopted knowledge policy
- Developed balanced scorecard for CoP’s
- Aligned business processes
- Defined knowledge architecture
- Implemented collaboration and DM tool Fall, 2001 (Microsoft’s SharePoint Server)

**Notes:**
KM is organic

## Integrated KM Approach:

**Notes:**
Balanced scorecards are based on these dimensions

## Goal: Process To establish structures and processes that put individuals in close contact with those who have the knowledge they need

**Process**

## KM Through CoP’s

- Four types of communities; each CoP has portal
- Operational/Process
- Curriculum Development
- Grants Management
- Transfer & Articulation
- Strategic
- Corporate College
- Informational
- Collegewide Technology
- Customer (student)-focused
- Student Services

## Communities-of-Practice:

- Connecting people with common needs/interests on a particular topic to:
- Share ideas, insights, information
- Address challenges & advise each other
- Learn and laugh together
- Create processes, frameworks, templates, etc.
- Own and maintain the content about their topic

## Community Activities:

- Curriculum Development
- Mapped CD Process
- Implementing CD Software
- Service Learning community
- Articulation & Transfer community
- Prior Learning Credit community
- Grants Management
- Conducted Learning Events
- Improved grant proposal process
- Future: Using portal to contribute grant proposals

## Community Activities:(Continued)

- Student Affairs
- Developed cross-functional Enrollment Management model
- Conducted student survey regarding “single-point-of-access” to content
- Collegewide Technology
- Developed portal that provides collegewide access to status reports and online discussion for technology projects

**Notes:**
Distance Learning, Corporate College

## Corporate College
Enabling collaboration and culture shift
Open access to discussions and planning
Communications and decision-making infrastructure
Identifying expertise
Research
Merging content and expertise from multiple sources
Institutional Planning, Workforce Development, Professional Improvement Leaves, Library

- Enabling collaboration and culture shift
- Open access to discussions and planning
- Communications and decision-making infrastructure
- Identifying expertise
- Research
- Merging content and expertise from multiple sources
- Institutional Planning, Workforce Development, Professional Improvement Leaves, Library

- Community Activities:(Continued)

**Notes:**
Distance Learning, Corporate College

## Goals and Outcomes:

- Example:  Grants Management
**Secure a minimum of 5 proposals/concept papers per campus per semester – for 30 submissions to the Grants Office annually, 10 per campus.**
**Reduce the number of calls and amount of time spent answering routine grant questions from 8 hours to no more than 1 hour per week. **
**Increase the grant-seeking notification window given by initiators to the Grants Office from 5 days to 30 days**
**Increase the final draft submission window given by initiators to the Grants Office from 5 days to 10 days**
**Attain a minimum 40% acceptance/funding rate for all proposals submitted in a given fiscal year.**

## Sponsor
Knowledge Coordinator
Subject Matter Expert/Specialist
Community Member
Primary – Regular Access and Contribution
Secondary – Less Collaboration but Value the Interaction
Portal Moderator

- Knowledge Coordinator
- Subject Matter Expert/Specialist
- Community Member
- Primary – Regular Access and Contribution
- Secondary – Less Collaboration but Value the Interaction
- Portal Moderator

- Community Knowledge Roles:

**Notes:**
Distance Learning, Corporate College

## Phases of Development for 

- Knowledge Sharing Communities

**FEEDBACK, LEARNING & IMPROVEMENT**

**ENABLING A KNOWLEDGE SHARING CULTURE**

**ACQUIRE**
**CONTENT **

- 5

**DEVELOP**
**CLASSIFICATION**
**SCHEME**

- 6

**MARKET &**
**COMMUNICATE**

- 9

**STORE,**
**REVIEW &**
** ****FILTER**

- 7

**CUSTOMIZE**
**TECHNOLOGY**

- 8

**Notes:**
Measured by phase of development, usage statistics and user surveys

## Community Toolkit:

_**Step 1: Build**_
**Community Creation Form**
**Guidelines for developing a Manifesto**
**Definitions of key roles**
**Template for a Knowledge Plan**
**Checklist for the Knowledge Audit**
**Checklist for customizing the Portal**

_**Step 2: Operate**_
**Training Materials**
**Desktop References**
**Sample meeting agendas**
**Suggested topics list for meetings**
**Sample usage reports**
**Operations checklists**
**Content Assessment Worksheets**
**Schedule of release dates for KM News**

_**Step 3: Evaluate**_
**Guidelines on how to measure community success**
**Sample Scorecard**
**Troubleshooting Guide**
**Methods for connecting Scorecard to a new Knowledge Plan**
**Template for the Performance Report**

## Measuring Effectiveness:Community Scorecards

**Tracks goals, outcomes and deliverables**
**Measures health and vitality of KM communities **
**Focuses on five areas of College’s integrated KM approach**
**Ratings structure:  green (successfully meeting expectations), yellow (area of improvement), red (needs critical attention)**
**Used by Community sponsors,knowledge coordinators, and shared with KM Mgmt. Steering Committee**

## Slide 20

## Other Tools for Measuring CoP Effectiveness:

- Usage statistics
- Total hits by portal and page
- Number of unique users and their identity
- User Surveys
- Measures satisfaction levels

## Goal: People & Culture To foster an institutional climate that rewards knowledge sharing

**People &**
**Culture**

## Guiding Principles for Culture Change:

- Continually build sponsorship across constituencies and at different levels
- Keep the business case, vision and benefits focal for people
- Continually raise awareness and involvement through captive communications
- Document and share successes and outcomes
- Make KM Tools an integral part of new hire orientation; the “Tri-C Way”
- Align performance measures and rewards to promote knowledge sharing

## Guiding Principles for Culture Change: (cont.)

- Involve users throughout...
- Knowledge audit
- Taxonomy development
- Tool development
- Training/coaching on KM practices
- Feedback and improvement

## Commitment from the Top:

- In March 2002, the Board approved the policy thus endorsing past, present and future KM initiatives
- Appropriate procedures have since followed
- Performance objectives were outlined for Campus presidents
- Knowledge processes connected with major College initiative (Corporate College)

## Tri-C’s Lessons Learned 

**Don’t call it Knowledge Management**
**Focus on critical organizational issues**
**Ensure that people drive the technology**
**Remember your target audience (Create value propositions)**
**Recognize importance of roles, responsibilities, and process**
**Employ the 80/20 rule – iteration is good (Nothing is perfect)**
**Realize that people look for information using various methods and channels**
**Expect unexpected benefits**

## Questions & Comments

- Amy C. Eugene
- Director of Knowledge Management
- Cuyahoga Community College
- 216-987-4879
- _[amy.eugene@tri-c.edu](mailto:amy.eugene@tri-c.edu)_

*Leveraging Our Collective Knowledge *
*to Enable Student Success*

## Goal: TechnologyTo create and maintain a repository of knowledge and best practices available to users throughout the College

**Technology**

## Key Assumptions  Make Technology Fit:

- Use familiar technology (Microsoft Outlook,  and Sharepoint)
- Integrate knowledge sharing technology within everyday work
- Enable the community to customize and maintain their portal (People first maxim)
- Change functionality as communities discovers what is needed and what is valuable
- Create a working relationship and understanding with IT department

**Notes:**
Speak to their benefits

## Technology Components of our KM Solution:

**Portals**
**Websites**
**Search Engine**
**Shared Drives**
**Specialty Knowledge Applications**
- People Pages (Expertise Locator)
- Lessons Learned Repository
- Online survey tool
**MS NetMeeting**
**Knowledge and Information Tools Navigator**

**Notes:**
Speak to their benefits

## Access pertinent information sources       (e.g., shared drives, websites)

**Access pertinent information sources       (e.g., shared drives, websites)**

## Post questions, ideas, contribute new knowledge and information

**Post questions, ideas, contribute new knowledge and information**

## Keep current on the latest events, training, etc.

**Keep current on the latest events, training, etc.**

## Access subject matter experts

**Access subject matter experts**

## Link to pertinent knowledge and information sources

**Link to pertinent knowledge and information sources**

## Utilize document management features (e.g., workflow, version control)

**Utilize document management features (e.g., workflow, version control)**

## Access email and other sources

**Access email and other sources**

## Conduct full-text search of knowledge base

**Conduct full-text search of knowledge base**

## Subscribe to key documents, folders and search results

**Subscribe to key documents, folders and search results**