scholarly journals Using Guilds to Foster Internal Startups in Large Organizations: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 135-144
Author(s):  
Tor Sporsem ◽  
Anastasiia Tkalich ◽  
Nils Brede Moe ◽  
Marius Mikalsen ◽  
Nina Rygh
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Large Organization ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Lean Startup

AbstractSoftware product innovation in large organizations is fundamentally challenging because of restrained freedom and flexibility to conduct experiments. As a response, large agile companies form internal startups to initiate employ-driven innovation, inspired by Lean startup. This case study investigates how communities of practice support five internal startups in developing new software products within a large organization. We observed six communities of practice meetings, two workshops and conducted ten semi-structured interviews over the course of a year. Our findings show that a community of practice, called the Innovation guild, allowed internal startups to help each other by collectively solving problems, creating shared practices, and sharing knowledge. This study confirms that benefits documented in earlier research into CoPs also hold true in the context of software product innovation in large organizations. Henceforth, we suggest that similar innovation guilds, as described in this paper, can support large companies in the innovation race for new software products.

scholarly journals Feature Model Configuration Based on Two-Layer Modelling in Software Product Lines

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 2648
Author(s):  
Elham Darmanaki Farahani ◽  
Jafar Habibi
Keyword(s):  
Product Line ◽  
Feature Model ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Product Lines ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Model Configuration ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Software And Hardware ◽  
Application Requirements

The aim of the Software Product Line (SPL) approach is to improve the software development process by producing software products that match the stakeholders’ requirements. One of the important topics in SPLs is the feature model (FM) configuration process. The purpose of configuration here is to select and remove specific features from the FM in order to produce the required software product. At the same time, detection of differences between application’s requirements and the available capabilities of the implementation platform is a major concern of application requirements engineering. It is possible that the implementation of the selected features of FM needs certain software and hardware infrastructures such as database, operating system and hardware that cannot be made available by stakeholders. We address the FM configuration problem by proposing a method, which employs a two-layer FM comprising the application and infrastructure layers. We also show this method in the context of a case study in the SPL of a sample E-Shop website. The results demonstrate that this method can support both functional and non-functional requirements and can solve the problems arising from lack of attention to implementation requirements in SPL FM selection phase.

Building Sustainable Communities of Practice

2011 ◽  
pp. 150-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Stuckey ◽  
John D. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Sustainable Communities ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Cause And Effect ◽  
Motivation And Learning

The authors have both been involved as designers, producers and facilitators of CPsquare’s Foundations of Communities of Practice Workshop (www.cpsquare.com). Through that ongoing exposure to learning and leading in Communities of Practice (CoPs), they became convinced that stories about CoPs play a crucial role in motivation and learning for community leaders. Within communities, the swapping of stories is a means by which local theories of cause and effect are developed and contextualized. These stories provide powerful ways of invoking context, of framing choices and actions and of constructing identity (Bruner, 2002). From the context of a Community of Practice (CoP) concerned with the cultivation of CoPs, (i.e., the Foundations workshop) there is strong anecdotal evidence that stories are of equal value to practitioners and researchers alike. As part of an extended research activity, and parallel to this growing conviction about stories, Stuckey analysed the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) raised over six iterations of the workshop. The ten most frequently asked questions became the basis of semi-structured interviews held with the developers and managers of the communities described in this chapter. The chapter presents the essence of seven community cases and is intended as an enticement to explore the full case descriptions and community stories (which are beyond the limitations of this printed publication) at http://www.cpsquare.org/cases/.

scholarly journals SOFTWARE PRODUCT AND PROCESS ASSESSMENT THROUGH PROFILE-BASED EVALUATION

2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (05) ◽  
pp. 495-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAURIZIO MORISIO ◽  
IOANNIS STAMELOS ◽  
ALEXIS TSOUKIAS
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Process Assessment ◽  
Process Maturity ◽  
Single View ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
Definition Of

Software entities (software products or processes) are characterized by many attributes, each one in its turn can be measured by one or more measures. In several cases the software entities have to be evaluated as a whole, thus raising the problem of aggregating measures to give an overall, single view on the software entity. This paper presents a method to aggregate measures, which works by comparing the product/process with predefined, ideal entities, or profiles. Profiles are defined starting from ranges of values on measures of attributes. The method is based on two main phases, namely definition of the evaluation model and application of the evaluation model. It is presented through a simplified case study that deals with evaluating the level of quality of an asset to decide whether to accept it in a reuse repository. A plausible way of how the method could be applied to process maturity assessment is also provided. The advantages of the method are that it allows using ordinal scales, while it deals explicitly with preferences expressed, implicitly or explicitly, by the evaluator.

scholarly journals Knowledge management alignment to the community of practice in a company of cutting and bending steel

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taciana De Barros Jerônimo ◽  
Fagner José Coutinho de Melo ◽  
Joás Tomaz de Aquino ◽  
André Philippi Gonzaga de Albuquerque ◽  
Denise Dumke de Medeiros
Keyword(s):  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Metallurgical Industry ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Joint Activities ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
A Company

This article aims to analyze the characteristics of a community of practice focused on the quality of management decision making in a company in the metallurgical industry, which is a company of cutting and bending steel for construction. Quality management requires greater flexibility in the activities, information sharing, skills development of individuals, and engagement among employees. The scientific method adopted was the descriptive cross-analysis case study, whose data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with 180 individuals. It was observed that the creation of communities of practice does not occur at random, and its main features are defined identity of shared interest; the way to build the image belonging to a particular social group; and involvement in joint activities that allow them to learn from each other.

scholarly journals Teacher Interculturality in an English as a Second Language Elementary Pull-Out Program: Teacher as Broker in the School’s Community of Practice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Durham
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
School Students ◽  
Ethnographic Interviews ◽  
Pull Out ◽  
Cultural Boundaries ◽  
Cultural Experiences

This case study investigated how one teacher, Lidia (a pseudonym), used her own cross-cultural experiences to socially and academically assist elementary school students who were crossing cultural boundaries of their own. This study used ethnographic interviews and classroom observations to explore Lidia’s experiences and struggles as she crossed cultural boundaries and built intercultural competence and how those experiences related to her teaching methods. Lidia used stories, multicultural images, and the students’ home languages so that her students could become confident in their multicultural and multilingual identities instead of solely assimilating. Teaching interculturally for Lidia meant empowering students to balance their home cultures while creating meaningful opportunities for them to practice English and school cultural norms. This study adds to literature on intercultural competence and communities of practice by exploring how interculturality may be advantageous in helping teachers work with diverse and international students by allowing them to act as brokers within the school’s community.

An Exploration of Communication between Clients and Professionals in the Design of Home Adaptations

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharina Nord ◽  
Pamela Eakin ◽  
Phil Astley ◽  
Andrew R Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Occupational Therapist ◽  
Adaptation Process ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
London Borough ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
The People

This study explored communications between the people involved in the design of home adaptations, including clients and carers, occupational therapists, surveyors and builders. The aims were to explore (i) what constituted good communication in this context and (ii) how communication occurred. One London borough was selected as a case study. All participants lived or worked within the borough and had been involved in the adaptation process. Nineteen individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with six clients, four occupational therapists, six grant surveyors and three builders. The findings suggest that the professionals constituted a ‘community of practice’ (Wenger 1998) within which communication was good. The professionals used plan drawings to support communication between them. However, the study found that client involvement in the design was limited and that plan drawings were not effective tools in communication with them. The clients relied on the occupational therapist to represent their interests in the design process. Occupational therapists' communication with clients on the design of adaptations may be enhanced by the development and use of more sophisticated visualisation tools to replace the plan drawings. This would enable clients to become more engaged in the adaptations process.

Communities of practice: control or autonomy?

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibaut Bardon ◽  
Stefano Borzillo
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Managerial Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Practical Recommendations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the question of how two seemingly opposite principles – managerial control and autonomy – simultaneously affect, positively and negatively, managers’ motivation to develop together innovative practices in a community of practice (the Custoprog community). Design/methodology/approach – A single-case study was conducted in the Custoprog community, during which 22 semi-directive interviews with Custoprog members were conducted over a period of eight months. Members are all EuroAirport middle managers of EuroAirport (a Western Europe international airport). Findings – The findings highlight how Custoprog members experience the conflicting situation of enjoying some autonomy (granted by top management), while being subjected to some degree of managerial control. Our results focus on how these two opposite principles (control and autonomy) simultaneously (positively as well as negatively) affect the motivation of Custoprog members to develop innovative practices together. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited by the scope of the sample. Further research conducted in multiple communities of practice (CoPs) may therefore be useful for comparability purposes, and to generalize our results. Practical implications – We provide a set of practical recommendations to steer CoPs effectively, by achieving a delicate balance between control and autonomy. Originality/value – Our investigation contributes to understanding the strategic benefits of using CoPs as an informal means of developing and diffusing customer-related innovative practices.

Exploring School Leaders Communities of Practice and School Improvement

2021 ◽  
pp. 019263652110339
Author(s):  
Dana L. Bickmore ◽  
Miguel M. Gonzales ◽  
Maria B. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Development Project ◽  
School Improvement Plan ◽  
School Improvement Planning ◽  
Improvement Plan

This case study describes a pilot professional development project in which school leaders met regularly in a community of practice to clarify each other’s identification of a problem of practice followed by development and implementation of a school improvement plan. Findings indicated positive perceptions of and engagement in the community of practice, revealing this process provided a platform for authentic feedback, reflective practice, and means to share ideas. Participants reported improved leadership behaviors associated with school improvement planning and implementation.

An all-female graduate student organization participating in chemistry outreach: a case study characterizing leadership in the community of practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 532-553
Author(s):  
Stephanie Santos-Díaz ◽  
Marcy H. Towns
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Student Organizations ◽  
Student Organization ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Term Outcome ◽  
Long Term Outcome

Outreach initiatives are typically framed as informal learning environments that provide an opportunity to increase the participants’ interest in science. Research on chemistry outreach has primarily focused on designing and implementing demonstrations for outreach. Recent studies indicate student organizations are at the forefront of chemistry outreach, describing their outreach practices and facilitators’ conceptual understanding of demonstrations. Although leadership has been linked to the success of groups and organizations, the leadership structure of student organizations is an understudied aspect of chemistry outreach. Here, we conceptualize student organizations participating in chemistry outreach as a community of practice (CoP) with the goal of expanding the chemistry education community's knowledge of this CoP. Specifically, we aim to characterize leadership styles within the student organization in the context of an outreach event. Using a case study approach, we collected multiple sources of data, including the organization's outreach practices, an assessment of leadership style, observations, and semi-structured interviews. Results indicate leaders of the student organization, particularly those in charge of planning outreach events, displayed behaviors associated with the transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles more frequently than behaviors associated with the transformational leadership style. As a long-term outcome for this study, the results can be used by national organizations to inform the development of new workshops for leadership training, with the purpose of teaching practices to leaders that can bring success to their chapter or local group.

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