Community of Practice: The Partnership Way

1. Community of Practice:The Partnership Way IDEA Partnership (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

2. “In theory, there is no difference between theoryand practice …in practice…there is….” YOGI BERRA

3. How Do We See Our Challenges? • Technical Challenge Requires information, knowledge or tools • Adaptive Challenge Requires understanding and a willingness to make behavior changes Source: Heifetz and Lisky

4. Real, Sustainable Change • Learning that technical solutions are necessary but often not sufficient • Knowing when a persistent problem needs a adaptive (human) solution • Building adaptive (human) skills as a part of strategy

5. Learning: The Evolving Picture • From • Knowledge lies in experts • Formal processes • With • Knowledge lies in experts, practitioners and consumers • Collaborative processes (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

6. Social Learning We share in social learning to • Share information, tips, documents • Learn from each other • Help each other with challenges • Keep up with the field • Stimulate change • Create new kinds of capacity building • … more (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

7. Thinking Like a Partner: The Strategic Value of Communities of Practice in Achieving Goals • Everyone has something to share and everyone has something to learn about our most challenging issues. • States and stakeholders are turning varied perspectives into strategies to change the way we approach complex problems together

8. Communities of Practice • Untapped knowledge resides with those that are closest to the work • To reveal opportunities and gaps, leaders need the engage those that have a role in resolving persistent problems • Real change requires that leaders, implementers and consumers build a shared sense of purpose around the change

9. Forming a Community of Practice • Based upon the work of Etienne Wenger • Communities of Practice (COP) are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.

10. What Do Communities Do? • Seek and invite others doing shared work • Share learnings within organizations, agencies and roles • Share learnings across organizations, agencies and roles • Decide to go things together that will address a shared concern • Create new knowledge grounded in ‘doing’ the work

11. COPs involve sharing.... vision passion decision making problem solving knowledge language commitment work

12. CoPs are not successful because of like-minded people,they are successful because of shared passion.

13. The Partnership Approach to Community Building CoPs : the IDEA Partnership Way New kinds of leadership Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute Shared Concerns What will bring people together? Coalescing around issues Leading by convening Ensuring relevant participation Doing work together Focus on the work and the relationship Recognize Individual pursuits and shared goals The right mix of stakeholders Who must be involved to ensure changes in practice? Infrastructure for the CoP (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

14. The Partnership Approach to Community Building CoPs : the IDEA Partnership Way New kinds of leadership Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute Shared Concerns What will bring people together? Leading by convening Focus on the work and the relationship Recognize Individual pursuits and shared goals The right mix of stakeholders Who must be involved to ensure changes in practice? Infrastructure for the CoP (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

15. The Partnership Approach to Community Building CoPs : the IDEA Partnership Way New kinds of leadership Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute Shared Concerns What will bring people together? Coalescing around issues Focus on the work and the relationship Recognize Individual pursuits and shared goals The right mix of stakeholders Who must be involved to ensure changes in practice? Infrastructure for the CoP (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

16. The Partnership Approach to Community Building CoPs : the IDEA Partnership Way New kinds of leadership Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute Shared Concerns What will bring people together? Ensuring relevant participation Focus on the work and the relationship Recognize Individual pursuits and shared goals The right mix of stakeholders Who must be involved to ensure changes in practice? Infrastructure for the CoP (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

17. The Partnership Approach to Community Building CoPs : the IDEA Partnership Way New kinds of leadership Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute Shared Concerns What will bring people together? Doing work together Focus on the work and the relationship Recognize Individual pursuits and shared goals The right mix of stakeholders Who must be involved to ensure changes in practice? Infrastructure for the CoP (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

18. The Partnership Approach to Community Building CoPs : the IDEA Partnership Way New kinds of leadership Translate complex challenges into ways that individuals can contribute Shared Concerns What will bring people together? Coalescing around issues Leading by convening Ensuring relevant participation Doing work together Focus on the work and the relationship Recognize Individual pursuits and shared goals The right mix of stakeholders Who must be involved to ensure changes in practice? Infrastructure for the CoP (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

19. Building the Infrastructure • Identity • Communication • Activity • Progress • Recognition • Scanning for the emerging work (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

20. Learning to Connect www.sharedwork.org (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

21. Defining Our Core We are ______________________________________, united in _____________________________________ to influence practice around _____________________ ____________________________________________. To accomplish this we : ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

22. Defining Our Core The members of the Community of Practice for MT’s Integrated School Mental Health Expansion (ISMHE or “Is Me”) are united in doing what is best for families and youth to influence practice around the integration and expansion of school mental health. To accomplish this we will use practice groups that meet regularly to support the use of Evidenced Based Practices through gathering and sharing information. (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

23. What will success look like? We will know we have been successful when • All youth get the level of care they need • Treatment decisions are data driven • Systems are constantly evolving and sustained through ongoing use of data • State, local and individual mental health organizations have a system to collect and analyze data • All stakeholders are meaningfully involved • Information is shared on WIKI and it influences practices, decision-making, leadership and policy. (c)2011 IDEA Partnership www.ideapartnership.org

24. CoP: Can We Commit to a New Way of Working? Ensure relevant participation Leading by convening Coalesce around issues Doing work together Consider the leadership change Decision to build a CoP Can we work as a CoP? Where is the advantage? Change in practice is needed Problems persist Many levels Many sites Many stakeholders Differences in perspective