Students

1. Relationship conflict – this might be personal antipathy towards another group member.
2. Difference of opinion – a conflict regarding how best to proceed.

Difference of opinion. A difference of opinion can drive creativity and innovation, but only if it can be within a context of trust and respect.

1. Sign: ... any mark, symbol, bodily movement, token and so on used to indicate and convey thoughts, information, commands.
2. Code: ... a system of signs governed by rules agreed explicitly or implicitly between members of the using culture.

1. Unfreezing is the challenging of existing behaviours and requires a recognition that specific issues or problems will exist. In acknowledging this, there is created some momentum to tackle it, but only if this is done constructively for those involved. In other words, there needs to be trust between the participants engaging with this type of model or process.
2. Changing is the alteration to practice where individuals have already perceived the need to change and are actively engaged with a process that will identify alternative actions. Here there is a need to view multiple perspectives, to critically and objectively review alternative courses of action and be capable of doing this in an effective way. Here finding information and its critical consideration is significant. We might ask, how able are we to find information? What are the levels of information literacy within this organisation? This illustrates the existence of this model within itself, it is layered. Where poor information literacy skills are identified then these need to be developed before the change process can be progressed.
3. Refreezing will integrate the changes into practice. This will happen at individual, group and organisational levels. In doing this, the impact of change will be further considered and indeed identified as an ongoing process.

Contestation: the relationship between experience and the organisation is one that is based on high level of contestation. This defines and refines the ethical position as it is this state of constant contestation that will need to be positively sustained within an OLP.

1. Power culture – here there is a central source of power, with authority emanating from this central point. There can be a great deal of freedom to get on with specific tasks and it does require trust and empathy to be effective. However, it is reliant upon the ‘charisma’ of an individual or key individuals and this can be difficult to sustain.
2. Role culture – here the structure is key. There are clearly defined tasks or roles and these form specialisms that can be focused upon and carried out. It requires a stable environment, where change is certainly not the norm. Highly bureaucratic organisations such as a civil service can fit into this organisational type. It does not look for or encourage individual initiative and can suit those who favour predictability.
3. Task culture – here the task itself is central and the expertise associated with the defined task is highly regarded. This requires a degree of flexibility to bring divergent talents together to accomplish tasks. Team and group working is favoured in this type of organisation and they favour flexibility and autonomy.
4. Person culture – here the focus is on the commonality of the overall goal. This will bring professionals together to share and collaborate. Internal organisation is defined by the individuals themselves, based on autonomy, and expertise will determine the exercise of power, with different individuals at different times exercising power depending on the circumstances.

2

3, because, although the others are important, unless one has legitimacy it doesn’t matter how much information one might have or how able they might be to articulate their position.

1. Concrete experience – where we experience being involved with something new.
2. Reflective observation – where we watch and observe or we reflect on our own experience and how this might be altered by observing others.
3. Abstract conceptualisation – where we build our understanding upon our ongoing engagement with practice.
4. Active experimentation – where we use our developing understanding to inform our action.

1. The domain expert:
   • Will know the domain - he or she will be experienced in the domain and will have formal as well as informal qualifications backed up by learned experience based on-the-job. They will have an understanding of the tasks involved and the relationships which exist within the domain between individuals, sources and flows of information;
   • Should be a confident communicator. Able to express the knowledge and experience associated with their expertise and able to provide suitable contexts within which theory can be tested;
   • Will be patient.
2. The knowledge engineer:
   • Will have a sound understanding of the technology supporting knowledge-based information systems. This will include modelling techniques and appropriate methodologies;
   • Will have good interpersonal skills and will possess a formal or informal interest in areas such as psychology or cognitive science;
   • Needs to be able to learn quickly;
   • Must ensure that the domain expert is encouraged to participate and contribute to the process and regards it as a positive process.

2, because although sharing and reflection are part of the process the key motivating element is the individual control of the process that is afforded by autonomy.

Personal Mastery

2, any presentation of more than 30 minutes will begin to lose engagement with the audience, making this a poor way to deliver content or explore complex concepts. Through repetition key concepts can be embedded and through engaging/entertaining techniques these concepts can be better embedded. The learner is motivated to engage further and provided with a direction for this engagement.

• Timely: provided at the time when it is most useful for the purpose intended;
• Appropriate: in relation to the type of task. So if it were a public library decisions about overdue procedures and actions will not rest on Mrs Johnstone having an overdue book but that piece of information will be relevant to the individual responsible for recovery procedures. The former group would want information related to overdue patterns and so on.
• Understandable: Often information is provided which is not understandable, and perhaps this represents the specialism character within a bureaucratic organisation – baffle them with jargon and they will think you know something and you get promoted. Statistical tables are another form of baffling information – often overlooked and avoided.
• Accurate: appropriateness, too much detail is bad;
• Directed: allow for immediate action;
• Novel: address and highlight the unusual patterns or events rather than the things which are running smoothly.

1. Technical
2. Cultural

2, the organisational conversation can often reflect established relationships. These, when based on position of power and authority will limit the ability to question. They can also limit contribution and where technical jargon is used to exert control they can impede understanding. However, the inability to ask questions undermines each element – it impedes the ability to gain understanding and discourages any contribution.

• Orientation – largely based on phatic communication that serves a basic social function;
• Exploration – beginning to reveal aspects of the self, exploring the possibility of further intimacy;
• Affection – a more trusting stage, where opinions are proffered;
• Stabilisation – deeper personal thoughts and ideas are shared;
• Depenentration – breakdown of the relationship, levels of intimacy decrease.

• Movement, progress with resolution;
• Suspense, an ending that is not clear throughout;
• Characters, identifiable characteristics that can easily be identified with;
• Emotion, characters or situations that will touch the listener;
• Relevance, has some ‘connect’ with the listener;
• Pace, too long will bore, too short will confuse;
• Simplicity, too much detail can be a burden for a story.

• Listening: through being an effective listener the mentor will build a more collaborative or sharing context for themselves and the mentee. This will be achieved only where the individual mentor fully invests in the relationship. Similarly, the mentee needs to identify the goal or purpose of the context. Where there is this clarity and level of investment then the relationship should succeed.
• Trust: a mentor must ensure that the relationship is allowed to develop and that they positively maintain a position and an attitude that will not undermine the developing trust between mentor and mentee. This can happen naturally as individuals become more familiar with one another and where the genuineness of the connection is made. Being genuine can relate to a free and open acceptance of limitations, the mentor can be seen to have limitations.
• Limitations: these will emerge in relation to the task set and the role of the mentor is to ensure that challenges and obstacles are overcome along the way. By drawing on experience the mentor will be in a position to offer a more informed view or option to the mentee.

No, accuracy is not a necessity here. A range of possible futures that are fully articulated will allow organisations to consider their potential responses to the implications embedded in each (if we are likely to face ..., then we will need to be better at...). Questions are raised about just how flexible and responsive the organisation might need to be or what capability it will require if such a future were to emerge.

• Voluntary membership
  • Whereas teams and workgroups are formed by management, membership of a community of practice is voluntary;
• Specific focus
  • Teams and workgroups are formed to focus on a specific objective or activity, while communities of practice are not necessarily; they may have some stated goals, but they are more general and fluid;
• No expectation of tangible results
  • Teams and workgroups are required to deliver tangible results, whereas communities of practice are not necessarily;
• Existence defined by group members
  • Teams and workgroups are disbanded or reorganised once they have achieved their goals, while communities of practice last as long as their members want them to last.

Positive, it is the state within which we are encouraged to explore our contemporary practice and to avoid being bogged-down in established practices that are never questioned. The OLP will look to positively stimulate this puzzlement.

1. Autonomy
2. Responsibility
3. Collaboration

Dialogue. It is through dialogue that we collaborate, it is the social context within which we share our experiences.