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What are professional communities?
A study conducted by SberUniversity and Sber showed that more than half of professional communities (51%) in Russian companies belong to The IT sector. This is explained by the fact that the creation of product teams working remotely or in a hybrid format originated in this sector. In response to employees' need to interact with like-minded individuals, modern professional communities have begun to emerge. These can include separate communities for specialists in various fields, such as Python developers, data analysts, and testers, or unite employees of various specializations working with the same technology stack. Professional communities play a key role in the exchange of knowledge and experience, facilitating career development and professional development in the rapidly changing world of technology.
Communities unite not only IT specialists. According to Valeria Levitanus, almost half of the participants (49%) represent a variety of professions, including HR specialists, sales staff, designers, marketers, and methodologists. This indicates that such communities become a platform for the exchange of experience and knowledge between various specialists, which in turn promotes interdisciplinary interaction and the advancement of participants' skills.
A professional community can have from fewer than 50 to more than 1,000 members, depending on the size of the company, the level of maturity of the community, and its professional focus. However, for an employee association to be considered a community, it must meet two main criteria. First, members must actively interact with each other, sharing experience and knowledge. Second, the community must have clearly defined goals and values that unite its members and guide their efforts.
- Common professional interests, goals, and values of the participants.
- Systematic and regular meetings ensure that the community develops and strengthens social ties between members. According to the survey results presented by Valeria, 62% of respondents hold meetings for all participants at least once a month.
The speaker noted that a successful professional community has several key characteristics. Important aspects include the presence of a leader and an active core of participants, a clear structure with defined goals and objectives, as well as written rules and roles for each community member. In addition, support from management and a dedicated budget for organizing events play a significant role in the success of a community. These topics were discussed in detail by other participants in the discussion.
How communities help employee training and development
Valeria Levitanus identifies four main areas in which professional communities have a significant impact on companies. Approximately 32% of respondents noted that such communities contribute to brand strengthening. They help establish partnerships both within the holding and with external organizations, and provide an opportunity to demonstrate expertise through conference presentations and publications on specialized resources. Furthermore, communities play a key role in increasing employee loyalty to their company.
According to surveys, 45% of professional community leaders emphasize the importance of solving business problems. These solutions enable companies to implement innovations, develop internal standards, conduct research and test hypotheses, and optimize business processes. Effective management of business problems contributes to increased competitiveness and improves the overall performance of organizations.
Optimization of HR processes is a key area, noted by 23% of respondents. Professional communities actively collaborate with educational institutions, such as schools and universities, which facilitates the development of qualified personnel. Participants can be involved at the recruiting and selection stage of candidates, providing assistance in conducting technical interviews and evaluating test assignments. They also play a crucial role in onboarding new employees, which facilitates more effective team integration and increased productivity.
According to surveys, the most popular area is employee training and development, cited by 56% of respondents. Svetlana Markina, Director of the Information Technology Analysis Department and leader of the IT Guild at Rostelecom, spoke in detail about the importance of professional communities in this context. Employee training and development play a key role in improving the skills and adapting specialists to rapidly changing labor market conditions. Professional communities facilitate knowledge sharing, the implementation of new practices, and the creation of conditions for professional growth, which ultimately leads to increased competitiveness of companies and the development of the industry as a whole.
Svetlana explained that when the guild was founded in 2018, it had approximately 50 members. Five years later, its membership has grown to 680. She emphasizes the importance of this community for employee training and development, considering its impact on two levels: personal and organizational. Participation in the guild contributes not only to the professional growth of each member but also to the improvement of the company's overall results.
The guild provides members with a unique opportunity for mutual learning, offering valuable content. Despite the company's extensive training tools, Svetlana notes that the materials and products created by the guild stand out for their originality. They offer knowledge and practical advice relevant to the current conditions and specific needs of the company. Participants can easily adopt and apply these recommendations in their daily activities, which makes them especially useful and effective.
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Peer-to-peer, or mutual learning, is a learning method in which participants Interact with each other, sharing knowledge and experience. This approach is actively used in educational institutions, corporate training programs, and online platforms. Peer learning promotes the development of critical thinking skills, improves understanding of the material, and increases motivation among participants.
In an educational environment, students work in pairs or small groups, allowing them to share opinions and discuss complex topics. In the corporate sector, peer learning can be implemented through mentoring, where more experienced employees help newcomers master necessary skills.
Online platforms also integrate the peer-to-peer approach, offering users opportunities for joint learning and experience sharing. This format allows for faster assimilation of material and adaptation to changes in the professional field. As a result, peer learning becomes an effective tool for improving the quality of education and professional development.
Every community cannot be imagined without activists—people who create educational content, organize meetups and conferences, and speak at various events. For activists, communities offer the opportunity to develop skills that may be unrelated to their primary profession but are crucial for career advancement. These skills include management, leadership, and presentation skills. Community participation not only allows for the exchange of experiences but also the expansion of professional horizons, making activists an important part of any community. At the organizational level, the professional community provides a platform for sharing experiences and access to useful content that can be used by all employees. The community also serves as a tool for identifying talented and promising employees, especially among activists who are striving for development and willing to help others. Svetlana noted the opportunity to try out a new role without formally transferring. For example, an analyst who believes they would be suited to the role of project manager can remain in their department and develop the necessary skills through the guild. Over a certain period, typically three to six months, they can devote about a quarter of their time to project management functions. This gives him the chance to make an informed decision about changing his career path or returning to analytics.
How to Develop Community Leaders
The Product Managers Guild at MTS, represented by Product Culture Development Manager Ioanna Petsch, was founded in 2019. The idea of creating professional communities arose at the top management level. Initially, these communities developed slowly, but the pandemic and the transition to remote work significantly changed the situation. As a result, professional communities within the company have become important resources, helping to overcome disunity and lack of communication among employees. Now they play a key role in strengthening corporate culture and increasing the effectiveness of interactions.
In Ioanna's experience, professional communities vary significantly depending on the specifics of their professions. These differences manifest themselves both in the communication style of participants and in the difficulties that arise within them. For example, Ioanna noted that the community of product managers with a strong leadership position faces challenges in uniting and coordinating their actions. Selecting a leader becomes a real challenge, and members often engage in disputes over who is worthy of this role. Therefore, Ioanna emphasizes that companies must actively manage the formation of professional communities and moderate their interactions to minimize conflicts and improve the effectiveness of collaboration.
Anastasia Bykova, DevRel at Sibur Digital, shared her experience developing community leaders. She noted that last year, the process of forming professional communities within the company became more systematic. Initially, this work was carried out by a group of activist ambassadors, who aimed to identify and train future leaders among employees. This approach proved successful: talented speakers and organizers emerged among the employees, who began creating and developing their own professional communities. At the same time, the initial community of ambassadors continues to play a vital role, sharing best practices with new leaders, providing assistance in difficult situations, and supporting initiatives. This approach not only promotes the development of professional skills but also strengthens the company's corporate culture.
It's important not to limit people's creativity. Give them the opportunity to express their ideas, as this is what allows communities to develop and remain vibrant. Encouraging initiative and support from leaders play a key role in this process. If you notice an employee striving to prove themselves, offer them your support, offer your expertise, and encourage them: "You're great, you can do it." This creates an environment for innovation. The opportunity to make mistakes and receive support inspires the creation and development of successful communities.
Victoria Kashnikova, Executive Director of Sber's Potential Development and Career Department, presented information about the SberProfi system. This project is responsible for coordinating professional communities, supporting their launch and development. It aims to improve the skills of leaders and community managers, as well as to share experiences and proven methods. Currently, the project encompasses 37 professional communities, uniting over 22,000 members. SberProfi fosters an active and supportive environment, which in turn enhances the professional skills of its members and promotes career development in various fields.
How to Maintain Community Activity
Anastasia Bykova emphasizes that regular meetings are essential for the sustainable development of a community. It is important not to focus all activity on a single leader, but to form a group of activists who can substitute for each other if necessary. This will avoid the cancellation or postponement of events if the leader is unable to participate for urgent reasons. Anastasia suggests an optimal ratio of community participants: 1% leaders, 9% activists, and 90% participants. Maintaining this proportion ensures free participation: participants can attend events or simply follow discussions in the chat. At the same time, the community will continue to function and develop regardless of the current participation of individual members.
Svetlana Markina emphasized the importance of maintaining moderation in organizing activities. Frequent meetups held weekly can lead to burnout for organizers and participant fatigue. This creates the risk of events lacking audience participation beyond the speaker. For successful events, it's important to find a balance and consider the audience's needs to avoid overload and maintain interest.
Svetlana emphasizes that ensuring an influx of new participants with relevant ideas and diverse perspectives is crucial for community development. To attract more people to a community, it's essential to engage them and engage them. It's important to understand why people want to join communities and what can be done if interest in participation is weak. Effective engagement strategies and methods will help create an active and dynamic community that will attract new members and facilitate the exchange of valuable ideas.
According to Joanna Petsch, people join communities for various purposes. Some seek a safe space to connect with like-minded people, while others seek recognition within the group. It's important to recognize these intentions early on and provide the individual with the opportunity to express themselves. This can lead to the emergence of activists or even leaders among the participants. Employees may also turn to communities for specific work-related issues, especially when difficulties arise. As Ioanna emphasizes, it is important to ensure that such requests are not ignored, which promotes more effective interactions and increases the level of participant satisfaction.
A person in the chat asks a question: “Guys, I ran into a problem. How do you deal with situations like this?” If his message doesn’t receive a response within two hours, which happens very rarely, I turn to my contact list. I select a suitable person, tag them, and write: “Vova, you’re very knowledgeable about this. Could you help a colleague?” As a result, Vova feels obligated to respond to the request for help. This creates a feeling in the person that they can always count on support in solving work issues in our community.
According to the speaker, about 7% of people join communities and participate in events primarily for coffee and perks like company merch. These participants are extrinsically motivated and are passive members of the community. Ioanna believes it's important to observe them to understand how to transform their extrinsic incentives into intrinsic ones. She gave an example of one employee asking what he needed to do to get a stylish sweatshirt. As a result, he agreed to host a meetup and expressed interest in organizing other similar events. This case illustrates how extrinsic motivation can be a starting point for greater community engagement.
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Non-material motivation of employees to train colleagues plays an important role in team development and improving overall work efficiency. Here are some recommendations to help create an atmosphere conducive to the sharing of knowledge and skills.
First, create a culture of recognition. When employees see that their efforts to teach colleagues are appreciated, they will be more motivated to share their knowledge. Regularly recognizing the achievements and contributions of each employee will help strengthen team spirit.
Second, provide opportunities for professional growth. Develop training and development programs that allow employees to develop their skills and share them with others. This will not only increase the level of knowledge within the team but also strengthen the desire to teach.
Third, create a comfortable atmosphere for learning. Provide opportunities for free communication and exchange of opinions among employees. Fostering an environment of trust will make it easier for colleagues to share their knowledge and experience.
Fourth, implement a mentoring system. Match more experienced employees with new team members so that they can pass on their knowledge and skills. Mentoring fosters deeper mutual understanding and the development of professional relationships.
Fifth, utilize internal knowledge-sharing platforms. Creating online resources where employees can share materials and experiences will significantly increase engagement, allowing everyone to feel part of the learning process.
Finally, maintain an active feedback loop. Regular discussions and feedback will help identify strengths and weaknesses in training, allowing for adjustments to approaches and methods. This will create a more dynamic and learning atmosphere within the team.
Thus, implementing non-material motivation methods helps create an environment in which employees actively mentor each other, which ultimately leads to increased productivity and success for the entire company.
Managerial support plays a key role in motivating community members. Victoria Kashnikova notes that managers often fail to understand and support employees when they actively participate in the community or engage in leadership. They often ask, "Why are you doing this? Maybe you don't have enough work tasks?" However, many initiatives cannot be implemented without support from the top. Organizing events such as conferences requires securing resources: room reservations, awards for leaders, merchandise for activists, and more. To change managers' negative attitudes, Victoria believes it's important to demonstrate the value of communities. It's important to explain that even if specific activities don't align with a department's current goals, they still benefit the company as a whole. This will help create a more favorable atmosphere for the development of initiatives and employee engagement.
The speakers answered a question from the audience, sharing their experiences facilitating interactions between community members from various fields. Svetlana Markina from Rostelecom noted that there are typically no attendance restrictions for events. Meetings can bring together analysts, testers, and project managers if the topic piques their interest. Events focusing on soft skills and psychological well-being, such as burnout prevention and effective feedback, are particularly popular. These approaches foster a productive atmosphere and increase participant engagement.
Joanna Petsch emphasizes that effective joint meetings between participants from various professional communities can be organized around pressing issues and conflicts. For example, if there is a misunderstanding between product managers and marketers, or between front-end developers and designers, it is important to hold an event where, with the participation of a moderator, they can openly discuss and resolve the differences. Such meetings not only improve communication but also create a more productive atmosphere for collaboration.