[Pattern Draft] Circle Communities

patterns/1-initial/circle-communities.md

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+## Title
+
+Circle Communities
+
+## Patlet
+
+Circle Communities are essential for fostering a culture of collaborative innovation and continuous learning. Organizations often have many individuals who need to learn about new domains but struggle due to a lack of understanding and inability to ask the right questions. These communities provide a platform for synchronous conversations, where knowledgeable and confident members can engage in active listening and help build the necessary connections and understanding.
+
+## Problem
+
+Organizations face several challenges in creating and sustaining effective Circle Communities, particularly when individuals need to learn about unfamiliar domains:
+
+* **Lack of Structured Learning**: Employees often struggle to formalize reasonable questions about new domains, hindering their learning process.
+* **Knowledge Gaps**: There is often a significant gap between what individuals know and what they need to learn, making it difficult to engage meaningfully.
+* **Engagement Issues**: Without predictable and structured opportunities for synchronous conversations, engagement and participation can be low.
+* **Limited Expertise**: Organizations may lack sufficient confident and knowledgeable individuals who can facilitate discussions and bridge the knowledge gaps.
+
+## Context
+
+Circle Communities are a collaboration forum based community. Participation is voluntary. Except for the duties of a facilitator, no distinction is enforced between participants. This invokes round-table equality which maximizes authenticity and diversity. Circle Communities often bring together individuals with different backgrounds, expertise and expectations.  Members must feel safe to share their thoughts, experiences and perspectives.  Sustained participation is crucial for the longevity and impact of the community.  Effective mechanisms for sharing knowledge and best practices are needed.
+
+## Forces
+
+* **Diversity of Participants**: Circle Communities often bring together individuals with different backgrounds, expertise and expectations.
+* **Need for Safe Spaces**: Members must feel safe to share their thoughts, experiences and perspectives.
+* **Continuous Engagement**: Sustained participation is crucial for the longevity and impact of the community.
+* **Knowledge Sharing**: Effective mechanisms for sharing knowledge and best practices are needed.
+
+## Solutions
+
+Implement a strategic approach to forming and nurturing Circle Communities that emphasizes clear objectives, inclusive participation and continuous improvement.  This can be achieved through the following parallel efforts:
+
+* **Define the Purpose**: Clearly articulate the purpose and goals of the Circle Community.  Ensure that these align with the broader mission of your organization or initiative.
+* **Establish Social Conventions**: Develop and communicate social conventions that promote respect, inclusivity and open dialogue.  Encourage members to embrace and evolve these guidelines to create a safe and supportive environment.
+* **Facilitate Regular Meetings**: Schedule regular meetings (e.g., weekly) to maintain engagement and momentum.  Use these meetings to discuss progress, share insights and address challenges.  Meetings are meant to be open for people to put things "onto the table" for unpacking.  If there are specific goals and objectives to complete, then they must be negotatied by the attending group.
+* **Rotate Leadership**: Encourage shared leadership by rotating the facilitation role among members.  This helps distribute responsibility and fosters a sense of connection.
+* **Use Collaborative Tools**: Leverage collaborative tools and platforms (e.g., Jitsi Meet, Slack, GitHub) to facilitate communication, documentation and knowledge sharing.  Insights learned can be optionally shared to social channels such as Slack and LinkedIn, ensuring privacy.
+* **Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement**: Regularly solicit feedback from members to identify areas for improvement. Use this feedback to refine the conditioning and activities of the Circle Community.
+
+## Resulting Context
+
+Embracing this pattern helps InnerSource programs become vibrant, effective and sustainable. Participants will feel more connected and engaged, leading to increased knowledge sharing, innovation and collective growth.
+
+## Related Patterns
+
+* [Dedicated Community Leader](../2-structured/dedicated-community-leader.md)
+* [Core Team](../2-structured/core-team.md)
+* [Maturity Model](../2-structured/maturity-model.md)
+* [Agile InnerSource Dojo](../1-initial/agile-innersource-dojo.md)
+
+## Known Instances
+
+* Dojo Circle
+  * Fridays at 13:00 UTC at <https://circle.dojo.center>
+  * Hosted by [Dojo Center](https://dojo.center)
+  * Engaged via [InnerSource Commons Foundation](https://innersourcecommons.org) in Slack at ```#dojo-center```
+  * Affiliated with the Mindset, Agile and InnerSource sub-communities within _InnerSource Dojo from SAP_
+* [InnerSource Dojo from SAP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXoVm5iTSCc)
+* _Unplugged InnerSource_ sessions within the _Reuse & InnerSource_ workgroup of [SAP Cross-Platform Architecture](https://community.sap.com/t5/technology-blogs-by-sap/cross-product-architecture-embracing-conway-s-law-for-better-software/ba-p/13648600)
+* [Guilds at the BBC](https://youtu.be/MyYgk-jdjSw?t=511)
+
+## Status
+
+* Initial
+
+## Authors
+
+* [Michael Basil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrbasil)
+* [Bill Westfall](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-westfall-3268494)
+* [Jim Manzzullo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmanzzullo)
+* [Jeremy McMillan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremymcm)
+* [AnuOlu Balogun](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuolu)
+
+## Acknowledgments
+
+* [Guilherme Dellagustin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dellagustin)
+* InnerSource Dojo from SAP:
+  * [Ryan Uttech](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanuttech)
+  * [Ignacio Pedragon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ignaciopedregon)
+  * [Dale Sackrider](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sackrider)
+  * [Jason Fisher](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrfisher)
+  * [Michael Ward](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwardqa)
+  * [Alfred Darby III](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfred-darby-iii-21b6683)
+* [Nick Basil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-basil)
+* [Allison Kaufmann](https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonkaufmann29)
+* [Dojo Consortium](https://dojoconsortium.org)
+* [Thingy Farm](https://thingyfarm.com/)
+
+## Alias
+
+* [Community of Practice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice)
+* [Guilds](https://engineering.atspotify.com/2014/03/spotify-engineering-culture-part-1/)

patterns/2-structured/dedicated-community-leader.md

@@ -56,6 +56,11 @@ A community leader with the properties described above will lend a face and embo
 
 Having excellent and dedicated community leaders is a precondition for the success of InnerSource. It is, however, not a silver bullet. There are many challenges of InnerSource which are above and beyond what a community leader can tackle, such as budgetary, legal, fiscal or other organizational challenges.
 
+## Related Patterns
+
+* [Circle Communities](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/circle-communities)
+* [Agile InnerSource Dojo](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/agile-innersource-dojo)
+
 ## Known Instances
 
 * _BIOS at Robert Bosch GmbH_. Note that InnerSource at Bosch was, for the majority, aimed at increasing innovation and to a large degree dealt with internal facing products. This pattern is currently not used at Bosch for lack of funding.

patterns/2-structured/maturity-model.md

@@ -208,6 +208,12 @@ Prior to adopting InnerSource as a working model, teams are aware of the
 practices that are expected of them - both in the short term and in the
 long term.
 
+## Related Patterns
+
+* [Dedicated Community Leader](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/dedicated-community-leader)
+* [Circle Communities](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/circle-communities)
+* [Agile InnerSource Dojo](https://patterns.innersourcecommons.org/p/agile-innersource-dojo)
+
 ## Known Instances
 
 * Entelgy