If you are thinking of starting as set of communities of practice, revitalizing existing communities, establishing networks of customers or suppliers, or adopting web 2.0 technology, learn from one of the leading experts in the field on how to make collaborative networks, communities of practice and spontaneous crowds effective. Bring your team to spend a day with Richard McDermott for an open discussion of the issues in your organization and what we have learned from other organizations, both through systematic research and personal experience. With a background in organizational design and development, Richard McDermott can point out the advantages and pitfalls of how networks, communities and crowds can augment or conflict with other organizational structures.

The topics will be determined by the needs of your organization. They could include:

The next generation of organization

• How global pressures are moving companies to increase all forms of networking
• The significance of digital infrastructure
• How communities and networks are displacing more traditional organizational structures
• The changing sources of innovation as disciplines mature and where you should focus
• The relationship of networks, communities of practice & crowds and the relatively utility of each
• The networked organization: balancing operations, customer focus and practice
• The differences between communities of practice, collaborative networks and virtual crowds

Communities of practice

• The changing role of communities in organization
• Can communities have deliverables
• How to govern communities
• How communities fit with other organizational structures
• How to engage members
• Why real leadership matters for communities
• What effective community leaders do

Collaborative networks

• How big science, digital infrastructure, peace and the corporation have made collaborative networks across organizations an imperative.
• How to govern of inter-organizational networks
• How an communities have deliverables
• Community governance
• How to engage organizations with different levels of commitment

Customer Communities (Communities 2.0)

• Why people participate in customer communities
• How the power law effect will shape your customer community
• How to increase customer participation
• Segmenting your customer community

Getting the most value from customer communities

Virtual crowds

• The emerging role of social media in business
• The dynamics of crowds and social media
• When to listen, when to sample
• Do web 2.0 communities replace communities of practice
• How do you guide and direct virtual crowds
• Integrating web 2.0 and traditional communities
• Uptake rates for web 2.0

Learn how other organizations manage high interdependence among highly distributed business units using collaborative networks, communities of practice and virtual crowds.