Wiki Patterns
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EditPatron (or Sponsor)
What is it?
Having a high-ranking Patron who supports a wiki provides a level of authority that can enhance the prospect of success.
Usage
Occasionally a senior figure in an organization initiates a wiki project. More often, the initiative comes from below, but the support of a senior figure is sought. By letting it be known that they support the project, a Patron gives permission for others to be involved and for resources to be allocated to the project.
A Patron is particularly important in a corporate environment, where control of IT resources and competition between organizational units may otherwise discourage participation.
Example
An employee who already knows the CEO explains the benefits of a wiki, and perhaps demonstrates a working system within the organization. The CEO agrees with the idea and encourages the employee to continue. The CEO becomes a Patron by "giving the nod" to the initiative. The CEO may have no further involvement apart from allowing it to become known that they support the use of a wiki. The initiating employee can encourage other people to become involved by explaining that the CEO thinks it is a good idea.
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Related Patterns
- Champion: Whereas a Patron/Sponsor simply approves of the Wiki, the Champion energetically drives the implementation and adoption processes.
Adoption Patterns
Adoption Anti-Patterns
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This is a very good pattern, but there are a few dangers in having a strong Patron. In particular, because a Patron is a very powerful figure in the wiki culture, their influence is strong and even the smallest hint of bully or gate behaviours from the Patron need to be avoided.
Perhaps one way to avoid the negative effects of Patronage is by having multiple patrons, each as a stakeholder in their area of influence.
Several of the wiki projects at my prior company had a Sponsor, and I found it very valuable. The Sponsor typically wanted a result quickly, and in most cases didn't get into the details of how it would happen. We had several projects with Sponsors who basically pulled out their checkbook and could get a small wiki project going immediately. After several of these smaller projects were successful, we had a different VP level Sponsor for a 1000 user wiki. This latter sponsor had influence over the IT department and was quite successful in getting IT support for the wiki, which could no longer fly under-the-radar. If interested, check out this Collaboration Wiki Case Study
.