RE:Think Labs’ Post

With innovation and collaboration going hand in hand, community becomes a powerful driver for change. Engaging with the creativity and perspectives of others not only inspires us, but also challenges us to reflect on our own approaches. A business that develops relationships with other communities learns the value it brings, regardless of size! #Innovation #BusinessInnovation #BusinessGrowth

#BusinessOperations are directly linked to the community. No matter what industry you are in, you have an impact on the surrounding community and the surrounding community has an impact on you. #Leadership who understands this can adapt their strategy to include social impact and community goals, setting them up for sustainable growth in the future. #BusinessGrowth

When you hear the word "community" what comes to mind? Is it the geographical area where you do business? The team that shares your similar goals and mission? The customers who support your success? Your peer group? If you said, "all of the above," you'd be right, and this community can be your competitive advantage. Your community is a valuable resource for ideation and problem solving. Consistent, direct conversations with them can help you spot emerging trends and uncover unique and practical solutions you might never have found otherwise. #innovation

Internal community efforts falling flat? 👉 Check your culture. 👈 When we build communities within organizations, we don’t start from scratch. We build in an existing container. An ecosystem that’s already there. And the couture might make or break your community efforts. Ask yourself if your culture is valuing: —Employee empowerment, initiative and autonomy —Learning, especially collaborative and social learning —Healthy debates that challenge norms and are backed by arguments —Employees who default to collaboration, instead of ‘lone wolf’ competitive mentality —Transparent communication around wins and challenges, progress and setbacks Does this mean all is lost? Not necessarily. But it will be a tad harder to get it off the ground. 🫣 Your main task will be to create a micro-culture within the community. 🌱 Build a strong case and get executive sponsorship Collect and present real-life examples on how communities can contribute to enhancing knowledge sharing, improving practices, and driving innovation. Find an executive sponsor who understand their value, and can provide legitimacy and support down the line. 🌱 Start small Begin with a focused community on a topic/ challenge with clear relevance to organizational goals. Use this as a pilot to demonstrate the benefits and potential of communities. Success stories can help you to gradually change perceptions and gain wider support. 🌱 Focus on value creation Co-design the community around creating tangible value for its members and the organization. Then, ensure the outcomes are visible and recognized. 🌱 Design the culture with intention Foster a culture of collaboration, open communication and respect within that space. Spend time on co-creation, sense-making, setting healthy group dynamics norms and consistently go back to refining how you gather as a group. How have you seen communities or any other collaborative practice thrive in organizations with challenging cultures? #communitybuilding hashtag #newwork

To which community do you belong? The Power of Community: A Game Changer in Every Sphere In our fast-paced, digitally-driven world, the concept of community holds more significance than ever. Whether in personal endeavors or professional pursuits, being a part of a community can be a game changer in myriad ways. Let's delve into why being a community member is invaluable across all domains, including the dynamic realm of business. 1. Support and Collaboration One of the most profound benefits of community membership is the support and collaboration it fosters. Within a community, individuals bond to share knowledge, offer guidance, and lend a helping hand. This collaborative environment will accelerate personal growth and fuel innovation and problem-solving in the business landscape. 2. Networking Opportunities Communities serve as fertile grounds for networking, enabling individuals to connect with like-minded peers, industry experts, and potential collaborators or clients. Whether through online forums, professional associations, or local meetups, these connections can open doors to new opportunities, partnerships, and career advancement. 3. Learning and Skill Enhancement Engaging with a community provides access to resources, including workshops, seminars, and educational materials. Through shared experiences and knowledge exchange, members can enhance their skills, stay abreast of industry trends, and gain valuable insights that can drive success in both personal and professional endeavors. 4. Emotional Well-being Belonging to a community provides a sense of belonging and camaraderie, which is crucial for maintaining emotional well-being. Whether celebrating successes, seeking advice during challenging times, or simply having a support system to lean on, the bonds formed within a community contribute to overall happiness and fulfillment. In conclusion, being a community member cannot be overstated. Whether it's for personal growth, professional advancement, or business success, the benefits of community membership are far-reaching. Creating and nurturing a thriving community, individuals and organizations can tap into a powerful network of support, collaboration, and opportunity. #CommunityMatters #Networking #Collaboration #ProfessionalDevelopment #BusinessSuccess

Internal community efforts falling flat? 👉 Check your culture. 👈 When we build communities within organizations, we don’t start from scratch. We build in an existing container.  An ecosystem that’s already there. And the couture might make or break your community efforts. Ask yourself if your culture is valuing: —Employee empowerment, initiative and autonomy —Learning, especially collaborative and social learning —Healthy debates that challenge norms and are backed by arguments —Employees who default to collaboration, instead of ‘lone wolf’ competitive mentality —Transparent communication around wins and challenges, progress and setbacks Does this mean all is lost?  Not necessarily. But it will be a tad harder to get it off the ground. 🫣 Your main task will be to create a micro-culture within the community. 🌱 Build a strong case and get executive sponsorship Collect and present real-life examples on how communities can contribute to enhancing knowledge sharing, improving practices, and driving innovation. Find an executive sponsor who understand their value, and can provide legitimacy and support down the line. 🌱 Start small Begin with a focused community on a topic/ challenge with clear relevance to organizational goals. Use this as a pilot to demonstrate the benefits and potential of communities. Success stories can help you to gradually change perceptions and gain wider support. 🌱 Focus on value creation Co-design the community around creating tangible value for its members and the organization. Then, ensure the outcomes are visible and recognized. 🌱 Design the culture with intention Foster a culture of collaboration, open communication and respect within that space. Spend time on co-creation, sense-making, setting healthy group dynamics norms and consistently go back to refining how you gather as a group. How have you seen communities or any other collaborative practice thrive in organizations with challenging cultures? #communitybuilding #newwork

Over the last several months I have sat and listened to leaders at all levels who have wanted to create brighter futures, a stronger sense of community and connection at work that can underpin sustained performance, and promote being future fit. These are admirable intentions, so where do we start? I remember a quote from Peter Block’s book Community - The Structure Of Belonging: “The future is created one room at a time, one gathering at a time. Each gathering needs to become an example of the future we want to create. This means the small group is where transformation takes place.” I was in one room with a prominent display of the organisational values on the wall. These values were calling out for inclusion, to recognise the gifts of others, for the organisation to be a safe place to speak up and constructively offer a dissenting viewpoint to stimulate creative collaboration. Great values, but these were in stark contrast to what was playing out in that room. What I saw was people speaking over each other, dismissing ideas and alternative perspectives with no inquiry, and people being marginalised. Ouch! So I think Block’s book is a useful read right now. Block's core message is that creating a genuine community requires shifting from a problem-solving mindset to one focused on possibilities and generosity. This perspective is crucial in modern workplaces where collaboration and innovation are key drivers of success. Block emphasises the importance of small group interactions as the "unit of transformation," highlighting how intimate settings can overcome isolation and create a sense of belonging. This perspective is particularly valuable in an era of remote work and virtual communication, where fostering meaningful connections can be challenging. Block provides practical strategies for initiating this kind of shift to create community, often in the way that we have conversations. So, as you move through your work week, start small in the next meeting or gathering. Ask yourself: How can this meeting be an example of how we want our organisation to work? What value(s) will best support our work in this meeting? Get the values off the wall and into action, and perhaps then the transformation occurring in small groups can morph into organisational-wide transformation. Read Block's book here: https://lnkd.in/gq9PsM5N

Feel the passion to show your experience, failures and successes to others. Or just looking for someone, who is sharing the same interest. That is usually a good floor to create a community, that will help boosting your networking and grow skills. In #sundayshorts, I’ll share with you some benefits of having a community of practices either on the market, or in your organization: 1. You will not know everything, even if you learn all the time. So, communities are a source of vision and knowledge, where you can ask people for help with particular topic or solving a challenging riddle. 2. Lone warrior does not win the fight. If you have a bright idea, community is a place to look for enthusiasts. Even inside your team, ideas need to be testified before accepted into delivery, so community inside organization can help you gather an initiative team. 3. Leisure time to be spent - events are not only for practical benefits, but also for socialization. Human eager for socialization, even if he is telling opposite thing - and it is easier if you are a part of the community. 4. Boosting innovation and creativity. Lots of researchers are voting that the most innovative organizations are based on a flat structure. Meanwhile, it is impossible to come and tell everyone - we are flat, so let’s do it in a flat way. Boosting communities is a way to “flatten” the org through working on innovations together. 5. Creating a collaborative environment. In fact, collaboration is built not by frameworks or management techniques. It is all about communication and community building is helping with it. The last point I have - despite people partnership is an important topic and should not be neglected, for me it is quite strange to hear last couple of quarters, that lots of Developer Relationship specialists are laid off. As they are doing best to encourage talents to grow in communities and develop not only big things, but themselves. And do you want to have DevRel in your team?

Community collaborations are challenging. → But they're absolutely essential → They're not simple → They demand understanding and mutual respect Explaining via an instance: → Imagine you're forming a community project → An array of unique minds, each with their own set of skills → Ideally, it "feels" like a harmonious synergy of abilities → But harmony doesn't always instantly emerge, does it? That’s when you say: "Can't wait to see our collective efforts unfold in this community project!" → People see the initiative → Immediate respect in the community, right? → Your team showcasing its dedication → But often, there's much more going on behind the scenes Chances are, conflicting opinions have been bouncing around. And there are countless brainstorming sessions behind that single announcement. Was it an effortless collaboration? Hardly. It's more about embracing diversity and welcoming constructive criticism. What's more? → Everyone brings something different to the table → And yes, sometimes discussions get heated → Been there, done that! Incredible growth potential, right? Right, but it could result in sleepless nights and exhausting debates too. Mind you, I'm not complaining. Far from it! It's about growth and community-building, and it’s a priceless process. But, I want you all to the see the real picture. So the next time you hear someone say: → “We have this community project coming up." → "We've joined hands to work on this initiative." → "Excited to announce a new collaboration." Might mean they have gone through intense brainstorming sessions and respectful debates. And that's the beauty of it! Just be prepared for what you're venturing into. P.S. - Please repost ♻️ if you've experienced this too.

Pop-Up Communities: How Temporary Can Be Transformative Spending the last three years in the community space, I’ve learned much and interacted with incredible people along the way. Recently, I stumbled upon a concept that caught my attention, and I want to share it with you. Pop-up communities! Pop-up communities are temporary, purpose-driven groups that form around a specific goal, and dissolve once their objective is achieved. Unlike traditional, long-lasting communities, these short-term groups are built with a clear focus, designed to meet specific goals, and disbanded once their purpose is fulfilled. Their temporary nature doesn’t make them any less impactful—in fact, the opposite might be true. Here’s why pop-up communities can be transformative: 1- Clear Focus, Immediate Impact: With a well-defined goal from the get-go, members understand their roles and expectations, fostering faster and more meaningful participation. 2- Agility and Flexibility: The temporary structure encourages experimentation, allowing groups to pivot and adjust strategies without the pressure of sustaining long-term relationships. 3- Resource Efficiency: While managing a long-term community can be resource-intensive, pop-up communities maximize impact without the overhead, proving to be both cost-effective and time-efficient How Companies Can Leverage Pop-Up Communities Pop-up communities provide businesses with a powerful tool for achieving specific, short-term goals. Here are a few ways to use them effectively: 1- Product Launches: Gathering feedback and building relationships with early adopters while testing new features. 2- Event Engagement: Maintaining participant interaction through networking and discussions before, during, and after events. 3- Learning Cohorts: Fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange in training programs over a set period. These are only a few ways to leverage this model, what I am more interested in is how to leverage Pop-up Communities managing long-term ones. Any Ideas?? You can share them below. Also, If you are interested in community, let’s link up!!!