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Organizations want to enhance collaboration, foster knowledge transfer, and encourage the reuse of already built assets, but they struggle to decide how to address the challenge.
Your leadership is looking for a single choice to help. However, there are benefits and drawbacks to different approaches that are not always clear.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

One size does not fit all.
Achieving a successful rollout requires skillful incorporation of multiple techniques. Focusing on a single approach simply because you have always done it that way can lead to future challenges for the group, project, or initiative.
The outcome is a deeper discussion into the subject, with the right questions being asked.

Impact and Result

Empower solution delivery with the right CoP, CoE, and C4E model. Follow these steps to select the right model(s) for your organization:

Define organizational goals and needs, map your stakeholders, and determine the stakeholders’ needs.
Understand the different options – CoE, C4E, or CoP – and select the model that best fits your purpose.
Define the next steps to operationalize your chosen model.

Empower Solution Delivery With the Right CoP, CoE, and C4E Model Research & Tools

1. Empower Solution Delivery With the Right CoP, CoE, and C4E Model Deck – Use this research to assess the best collaboration model for your team.

Corporations want to enhance collaboration, foster knowledge transfer, and encourage the reuse of already built assets, but they struggle to decide how to address the challenge. This research explains the benefits and challenges of three different models: center of excellence (CoE), center for enablement (C4E), and community of practice (CoP).

2. Empower Solution Delivery With the Right CoP, CoE, and C4E Model Selection Tool – Use this tool to help define the model that best fits your needs.

Answering a few direct questions will help you understand which model is most suitable for your organization's team collaboration and knowledge management requirements. The tool will present a graphical representation of the results.

3. Empower Solution Delivery With the Right CoP, CoE, and C4E Model Workbook – Use this tool to record your work.

The tabs of this workbook correspond to the storyboard activities. Use them to record your answers as you complete the model selection project.

Empower Solution Delivery With the Right CoP, CoE, and C4E Model

Scaling your practices begins with picking the right model.

EXECUTIVE BRIEF

Analyst Perspective

This is not an either/or situation. For many organizations, it can be both/and.

When it comes to collaboration and knowledge sharing, the best approach depends on your specific need and purpose.

Companies must have a clear understanding of the factors that will determine the type of body of knowledge they want to deploy to accomplish their objectives.

Answering direct and objective questions is the first step in helping you choose your path.

Remember, when building your CoP/CoE/C4E, there isn't a one-size-fits-all model. Your path is going to be a unique blend of characteristics of different models that are perfect for you.

Ricardo de Oliveira
Research Director
Application Delivery and Management
Info-Tech Research Group

Executive Summary

Your Challenge	Common Obstacles	Info-Tech’s Approach
Organizations want to enhance collaboration, foster knowledge transfer, and encourage the reuse of already built assets, but struggle to decide how to address this challenge. Your leadership is seeking a single choice to help. However, there are benefits and drawbacks to different approaches that are not always clear. People resist change. Overcoming siloed thinking and fostering a culture of cooperation is awkward for many.	A Community of Practice (CoP) demands participation, engagement, and consistent contributions for effective knowledge sharing. A Center of Excellence (CoE) requires empowered thought leaders. Misalignment with organizational goals can lead to isolation, reducing its impact and relevance. A Center for Enablement (C4E) also owns a product or service and needs a clear mandate to avoid confusion around its purpose.	Info-Tech will guide you with the following simple steps to select the right model[s]: Define organizational goals and needs. Map your stakeholders and determine what they value most. Understand the different options (CoP, CoE, C4E) and select a model (or combination thereof) that best fits your purpose. Define the next steps to operationalize your chosen model.

Info-Tech Insight
One size does not fit all. Achieving a successful rollout requires the skillful incorporation of these models and the services they provide to address your needs. Use each model to help integrate cross-team siloes and promote continuous improvement. The optimal combination of models will drive the highest returns.

CIOs are embracing innovation to improve value delivery

80% of CIOs and CEOs experience frustration with IT’s failure to deliver value.

Source: Info-Tech Research Group, CEO-CIO Alignment Diagnostic Survey, N=343

93% of executives believe “organic growth through innovation will drive the greater proportion of their revenue growth.”

Source: Alida, 2016

43% of executives believe innovation is a “competitive necessity.”

Source: Alida, 2016

Align the team model to fill organizational gaps and needs

Community of Practice (CoP)	+ Responsibility	Center of Excellence (CoE)	+ Ownership	Center for Enablement (C4E)
A group of individuals who share a common domain, mission, passion, or expertise crossing operational siloes.		A group of thought leaders (dedicated or volunteer) who address organizational knowledge, business process improvement, innovation, and other gaps and needs.		An enhanced CoE that owns specific products, services, or systems, typically as a shared service.

Community of Practice (CoP)

Responsibility

Center of Excellence (CoE)

Ownership

Center for
Enablement
(C4E)

A group of individuals who share a common domain, mission, passion, or expertise crossing operational siloes.

A group of thought leaders (dedicated or volunteer) who address organizational knowledge, business process improvement, innovation, and other gaps and needs.

An enhanced CoE that owns specific products, services, or systems, typically as a shared service.

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

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A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

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