[Pattern Draft] Circle Communities #696
There are no files selected for viewing
| Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
|---|---|---|
| @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ | ||
| ## Title | ||
|
|
||
| Circle Communities | ||
|
|
||
| ## Patlet | ||
|
|
||
| InnerSource adoption in organizations is slow due to limited understanding and engagement. Circle Communities foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning, which are essential to InnerSource. 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 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 InnerSource champions 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. | ||
michael-basil marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
| 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 | ||
spier marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
| * **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 | ||
spier marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
| 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. | ||
|
There was a problem hiding this comment. Here I realize that I am not sure what this pattern is about, at its core. Two theories: Is this pattern about starting a single Circle Community around InnerSource? Or is the pattern about starting multiple Circle Communities (about various topics)? There was a problem hiding this comment. I addressed this in another comment near the end of the file with some tangentially connected (in my mind) questions. Please resolve or let me know if you have more questions (here or there no difference to me). |
||
| * **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 | ||
spier marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
| 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. | ||
|
There was a problem hiding this comment. I cannot clearly see the connection between the Solution and the Resulting Context. Can we describe more specifically how the Solution is improving upon the listed Problem? There was a problem hiding this comment. I placed a fresh comment on the file with the refactored language. Please advise (there ideally). |
||
|
|
||
| ## 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) | ||
|
|
||
michael-basil marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
| ## 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) | ||
| * [Mindset Dojo Community](https://dojo.center) | ||
spier marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
michael-basil marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
| ## 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 | ||
spier marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
| * [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/) | ||
spier marked this conversation as resolved.
Show resolved
Hide resolved
|
||
|
|
||
| ## Alias | ||
|
There was a problem hiding this comment. Which term for this concept is most frequently used in the industry? Just a single personal data point: There was a problem hiding this comment. Also would Dojo be yet another alias for this? There was a problem hiding this comment.
If we are talking broadly speaking then if I am taking "the industry" to include communication and change experts when I talk about a "Circle" community they get an idea of where this is going. I would consider Circle Communities as a subset of Communities of Practice. I have ammended several of the sections per other feedback which should suggest where the distinctions are to merit such a separate designation. I also have conversations with my new employer about a Guild they have (for Agile) that lacks some of the form and flow of a Circle and they are excited to hear more. I would say that a Circle Community itself is inherently aligned with InnerSource Principles wherase an Agile Circle for example inherets the principles of InnerSource into it's DNA on inception unknowingly. Moreover, Circle Communties support InnerSource adoption from the bottom up and middle out aligned to top-down or central initiatives whenever they exist and those groups are supportive and willing to engage (always invited). Support it in specific ways not common to Communities of Practice in general.
The Dojo metaphor and model carries much different distinctions and social-learning system advanced support. Not all Dojos have Circles, though all Circles could theoretically (if the group desired) spawn and connect to a Dojo learning approach. I would say though that a Circle could spawn different models as well. The SAP Dojo featured Circles whereas the Microsoft DevOps Dojo likely did not (though I cannot be sure as I never met anyone directly part of that unfortuanately, at least not yet). I decided to close the PR we had for a Dojo pattern to allow the focus to center here on the far more important pattern and to consider revisiting if a Dojo pattern made sense, though there would need to be interest and appetite from the InnerSource Commons Community for this (AND IDEALLY participation from Microsoft DevOps Dojo key person(s)). The Circle pattern does have affinity and interest from at least one important member who is also listed as an author (you will know the name(s) when you encounter them). Had that not existed I would have closed the pattern. I would also add that this Circle Communities pattern is ideal for socially oriented DevOps groups and Agilists. Additionally, I would like to have a conversation with Cloud Security Office Hours sometime this year after it is published. Bill and I have presented there in the past and I'm sure he'd be interested and I would love it if someone or multiple people who are with ISC as formal members would participate - but that is not the key point here (just planting an invitational seed for later). I mention this because I believe outreach into other communities is a conversation I have heard Russ talk about a few times.
Yes. More like WHEN and DEPENDING ON what. Consider it a pattern of flow versus control. I have seen it where Circles spawn short and medium lived other Circles or long lived Circle-style collaboration zones in different areas of a business unit after experiencing it. I say that it starts and ends with one circle. This is from one point of view though. Just like a repository codebase there may be multiple "centrals" depending on branching, forking, etc. Same concept here. Apologies for the length of this I felt it may be of use to give an expansive answer. I hope you'll forgive me if it is taxing! 🙏🌿 There was a problem hiding this comment. There is a lot to unpack here :) I will leave this comment open for future reference. |
||
|
|
||
| * [Community of Practice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice) | ||
| * [Guilds](https://engineering.atspotify.com/2014/03/spotify-engineering-culture-part-1/) | ||
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Choose a reason for hiding this comment
The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.
Can we try to get this down to two sentences?
1st sentence / the problem
2nd sentence / the solution and how it contributes to solving the problem
it is hard but it is also a good exercise as it forces us to answer the question specifically:
How does this solution help us to improve the given InnerSource challenge?
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Choose a reason for hiding this comment
The reason will be displayed to describe this comment to others. Learn more.
I placed a fresh comment on the file with the refactored language.
Please advise (there ideally).