Community is the Linchpin of Transformation

“People crave comfort, people crave connection, people crave community.” – Marianne Williamson

Recently, NPR did a story about a new anthropological theory that places community and cooperation at the heart of human evolution. Turns out what likely separated man from the other large primates evolutionarily was Nana. That’s right, while Dad was futilely hunting with “the boys” Mom couldn’t raise all the kids on her own so Grandma joined in to take care of the children while Mom foraged for the family dinner.

That’s an oversimplification, but it is rooted in solid theory. According to the story, “It's this ability to ‘put our heads together,’ … that may have allowed humans to survive, thrive and spread across the globe. While the men were out hunting, grandmothers and babies were building the foundation of our species' success – sharing food, cooperating on more and more complex levels and developing new social relationships. In a nutshell, humanity's success may all be dependent on the unique way our ancestors raised their kids.” It really does take a village to raise its children.

Which is why, when an organization wants to embark upon a change movement, it needs to bring together the right group of committed participants to create and grow a movement. The community model for change already exists, whether it’s an spin class, Weight Watchers or a 12-step program, and has a proven track-record of quicker and more sustainable results than people going it alone; now it’s time to apply those principles of community to the change movements into the professional setting.

Peer-to-Peer Communities

“I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort, where we overlap.” ― Ani DiFranco

When finding the participants who will lead and shape the change movement, it’s critical to empower each on with the same level of responsibility for success. All voices must be equal, each must be heard and considered. Insight doesn’t necessarily follow the org chart and, often, those with the most authority have the narrowest view on operations. Which is why peer-to-peer communities are required to grow a movement.

When a community is developed as peer-to-peer, the hierarchy is already flattened so people already have a level of empowerment to speak freely and openly. But another benefit to having a peer-to-peer community is that there are shared points of interest. When people at or around the same level in an organization are brought together, they will have similar experiences and stories to tell. They’ll likely have a baseline language that they speak so they will be able to focus on identifying the blockers that they all face while using their differences to discover how best to address them.

Peer-to-Peer Coaching

“A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” ― John Wooden

I’m a firm believer in peer-to-peer coaching because it’s a great way to get your team members to come together to collaborate and coach each other to improve individual and team performance. Our natural resistance to change is a universal blocker, so having a coach who has likely experienced similar situations and learned the mindset, practices or behaviors to overcome them makes adopting the changes easier.

Managers have long seen the importance of their teams engaging in peer-to-peer coaching since their time-constrained schedules tend to rob them of those key, valued moments to coach their own employees.

But there are easy steps you can take to incorporate peer-to-peer coaching into your organization’s culture.

·If you’re the team leader, lead by example. Make yourself vulnerable and be open to challenges as well as advice. Model the behavior you want your team to exhibit.

·Implement a structure to bring out peer-to-peer coaching. Try having an agenda that lays out exactly what topic will be discussed and assign a meeting leader to moderate the session.

·Find the early adopters and role models who will embrace peer-to-peer coaching and let them help expand it outward.

·Be patient. Allow that your team will probably need to have the coaching modeled, and your approach modified, before everyone is comfortable with the process. It may take a few meetings, but coaching can be a great way to improve performance and productivity.

The community is a great source of collaboration, problem-solving and best practices, so utilize the community’s knowledge and expertise as much as possible. One of the best ways to draw it out is through peer-to-peer coaching, but it needs to be implemented with great care and sensitivity. If done right, your team will be all the better for it.

What’s most important to remember is that by trusting the community to find the solutions and best practices, it will. And when the right participants come together, with the necessary expertise, experience and diversity, it will bring out transformation faster and more deeply than if an executive committee defines it for them.