While many sick care executives recognize the value of AI, few are dipping their toes into the water.
Leaders and companies everywhere recognize the transformative potential that AI holds for their business — but very few of them have a systematic plan for how to experiment with and adopt AI at scale. In this article, John Winsor offers one, based on the successful work that he and Jin Paik have done in recent years helping companies experiment with and adopt digital-talent platforms at scale. Winsor lays out a simple five-step plan — assess, learn, experiment, build, scale — that can help companies get serious about adopting AI.
But how do you create a sustainable, scalable COP in your organization?(Chat GPT)?
1. Define the Purpose and Goals
- Identify the Focus Area: Determine the core interest or expertise that will unite members. This could be a specific profession, skill, challenge, or shared goal.
- Clarify the Goals: Understand why the community exists. Is it to foster innovation, improve practices, share resources, or provide mutual support?
- Create a Vision Statement: Craft a concise vision that describes the purpose and long-term outcomes of the CoP.
2. Identify and Invite Potential Members
- Target Stakeholders: Look for people who are passionate, knowledgeable, or have experience in the CoP’s focus area. This might include colleagues, industry professionals, or individuals with shared learning goals.
- Diverse Membership: While the CoP should focus on a shared interest, having a mix of perspectives, experience levels, and roles can enrich the discussions and learning.
- Open Invitations: Encourage members to invite others who fit the community’s purpose. This can help grow and diversify the group over time.
3. Establish the Community Structure
- Define Membership: Decide whether membership will be open to anyone or more selective, and if there will be different membership levels (e.g., active participants vs. observers).
- Determine Leadership: Decide whether the community will have formal leaders or if leadership will be shared. CoPs often thrive when leadership is distributed, with members taking turns facilitating discussions or organizing activities.
- Establish Communication Channels: Choose platforms and tools for communication, such as email lists, Slack channels, Zoom calls, or in-person meetups. Make sure it is accessible and user-friendly for the members.
4. Create a Safe and Collaborative Environment
- Foster Trust: Encourage openness and sharing by cultivating trust among members. This can be done through active listening, respecting diverse viewpoints, and providing a platform where everyone feels comfortable participating.
- Encourage Interaction: Set up regular interactions, such as virtual meetings, discussion forums, or knowledge-sharing sessions. Focus on activities that enable members to learn from each other.
- Share Resources: Create spaces where members can share articles, best practices, case studies, tools, or any useful resources related to the focus area.
5. Provide Opportunities for Learning and Growth
- Facilitate Discussions: Organize regular discussions or learning sessions where members can share challenges, solutions, and ideas.
- Offer Workshops and Training: Provide learning opportunities such as webinars, workshops, or guest speakers to enhance members' skills and knowledge.
- Promote Mentorship: Create a culture of mentorship where experienced members can guide newcomers or those less experienced in the field.
6. Support Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
- Create a Knowledge Base: Develop a central repository or wiki where members can contribute and access shared knowledge and materials.
- Encourage Problem-Solving: Use the community to brainstorm solutions to real-world problems or challenges that members are facing.
- Collaborative Projects: Encourage members to collaborate on projects, research, or initiatives that align with the CoP’s purpose.
7. Measure Progress and Adapt
- Evaluate Engagement: Regularly assess the participation levels and engagement of community members. This can be through surveys, feedback sessions, or informal check-ins.
- Track Learning Outcomes: Measure how much members are learning, how it’s being applied in practice, and how the CoP contributes to individual or organizational goals.
- Adapt and Evolve: Be open to feedback and adjust the CoP’s structure, focus, or activities as the needs of the community evolve.
8. Maintain Momentum and Sustainability
- Celebrate Successes: Acknowledge milestones, successes, and contributions from members to keep enthusiasm high.
- Continuously Attract New Members: Keep the CoP vibrant by inviting new members and rotating leadership or responsibilities.
- Encourage Member-Led Initiatives: Empower members to take ownership of parts of the CoP, whether through leading events or introducing new topics of interest.
Key Success Factors:
- Commitment: Members must be committed to contributing to the community’s goals and learning from each other.
- Shared Purpose: A clear, shared vision helps keep the group focused and motivated.
- Sustained Interaction: Consistent, meaningful interaction among members helps build relationships and fosters continuous learning.
- Value Proposition: The CoP should provide clear value to its members, whether through knowledge sharing, professional growth, or networking opportunities.
Beware of these pitfalls:
- Organizational culture resistant to change
- Short term v long term strategic thinking
- Unwillingness of future members to admit they don't know what they don't know
- Lack of incentives
- Targeting the laggards and late adopters instead of innovators and early adopters
- Unsustainable, underfunded governance structure
- Failure to overcome the barriers to AI dissemination and implementation
- Lack of clinical champions and buy in from front line workers
- Creating Centers of Excellence that are neither centers nor excellent
- Competing innovation silos
- Adapting to changes in rules, rights, and regulations
- Failures of leadership and sponsorship
Use the mission driven business model canvas to test the desirability, feasibility, validity, and adaptability of your COP.
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack
