[Pattern Draft] Circle Communities

patterns/1-initial/circle-communities.md

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+## Title
+
+Circle Communities
+
+## Patlet
+
+InnerSource adoption is slow in organizations due to limited understanding, engagement, and contextual relevance. Circle Communities address this by fostering synchronous conversations that build connections, close knowledge gaps, and cultivate collaboration and continuous learning.
+
+## Problem
+
+Organizations face several challenges in building individual understanding around InnerSource and growing a stakeholder community. Problems can be broken down into a few sub-categories:
+
+* **Lack of Contextual Understanding**: Employees often struggle with relevance about InnerSource, 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
+
+Scenario 1: Few people with extensive InnerSource knowledge exist within your heavily siloed organization. The practice has struggled to build sustainable engagement as the culture is not hospitable to open collaboration and innovation.
+
+Scenario 2: Your organization is decentralized and often stakeholders are unaware of other projects or programs. InnerSource has struggled to get engagement as the culture is highly dispersed and segmented across the organization.
+
+## 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
+
+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.
+
+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 negotiated 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.
+
+## Known Instances
+
+* [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)
+
+## 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)
+
+## Status
+
+* Initial
+
+## Authors
+
+* [Michael Basil](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrbasil)
+* [Addie Girouard](https://www.linkedin.com/in/addiegirouard)
+* [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)
+
+## Alias
+
+* [Community of Practice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice)
+* [Guilds](https://engineering.atspotify.com/2014/03/spotify-engineering-culture-part-1/)