This document discusses performance assessment of collaborations and communities of practice. It identifies three types of collaborations - those between individuals, networked governance, and inter-organizational relationships. For assessing collaborations, it recommends examining the focus and scope, how the structural evolution over time, levels of social capital, and activities, outcomes and shared value created. A variety of tools are also identified that can help with assessment, including the Cynefin framework and social network analysis. The goal of assessment is to determine if collaborations are achieving their intended outcomes and creating value for participants.

1. Performance Improvement &
Assessment of Collaboration:
Starting Points for networks and CoPs
Michelle Laurie, Associate
International Institute for Sustainable Development
CES Conference, Toronto, June 11, 2013

3. What are we talking about?

7. Collaborations of Individuals
• Social capital
• Time vs benefits
• Progress
Unique Points of Assessment
Networked Governance
• Complexity
• Social capital
• Effectiveness
Inter-organizational
Relationships
• The Change
• Relevance
• Collective or not?
• Shared risks/benefits

8. Shift in SD community
WHY?
– Access to online tools
– Complexity of IORs
– More mature understanding of
collaboration

9. Purposeful Individual Collaboration

10. Communities of Practice
“A group of people who share a common set
of problems, or passion, about a topic and
who deepen their knowledge and
expertise in this area by interacting with
each other on an ongoing basis.”
- Wenger McDermott and Snyder, 2002

11. CoPs & Knowledge Networks
• Founded on principles
of social learning
• Share importance of
participation and
boundaries
• Aim to improve a
certain practice

12. What to Assess in the Network?
1. Focus and extensiveness
2. Evolution of the structure over time
3. Social Capital
4. Activities, outcomes, shared value
created

13. Focus and Extensiveness
• Purpose
– Narrow
– Broad
• Extensiveness
– Scope
– Reach

14. Understand structural
evolution over time
• Loose, complex structure
• Structure will emerge over time
• Smaller groups embedded

15. Social Capital
• Trust, shared values and understanding
• Ties within and beyond the group
• Connectors and bridgers

16. Activities, Outcomes
and
Value Creation
• Did the intervention make a difference?
• Benefit of the individuals working together
• Value creation
• Applied Value
• Realized Value
• Longer-term outcomes and impact?

17. Tools for Assessing Networks
• Cynefin Framework – Cognitive Edge
• Social Network Analysis
• Collaboration – Hansen, 2009
• Asian Development Bank – KM Centre
• Spidergram – Wenger, White & Smith, 2009
• Stories and Narratives

18. Recap
• Tangle of terminology
• Distinguish between 3 types of collaboration
• Determine:
• Focus and extensiveness
• Emergent structure
• Social capital
• Desired outcomes and value creation

23. Thanks for
Participating!
Email: michelle.k.laurie@gmail.com
Blog: www.michellelaurie.com
Twitter: @Mklaurie