We* see SAP's ecosystem as a living thing. To understand it, think of the biological kind rather than the org chart or PowerPoint slide that some companies use to represent their ecosystems. Think of people and places and how they interconnect and interdepend on each other.
In Earth's ecosystem, there are land masses. Some are huge and divided into different sectors. While people in each share a great deal in common, they sometimes don't speak the same language and have cultural differences. This sometimes leads to misunderstandings, which can be costly to all parties involved.
In the earth's ecosystem, oceans and waterways connect all the land masses. Increasing the same can be said for SAP's network of online communities. But there's two million users of these networks. Some are occasional visitors some merely use it to get fast answers to tough technical questions.
But there are others who have for varying reasons, chosen to immerse themselves into the community. They have demonstrated expertise. They have helped others and contributed to the community by organizing events, writing white papers, advising newcomers, advising and sometimes pressuring SAP to adjust course.
They are also good communicators and you find their contributions are almost omnipresent wherever you look across the SAP Community Network [SCN]. They are hand-holders, advocates and occasional antagonists; the defend the company against false accusations and tell the company when they think the company is making a mistake in product, service or policy.
They produce local face-to-face events and travel to regional and national ones sponsored by or related to SAP. A mentor gets an annual performance review. She or he can be fired for poor performance and in return for all this time and effort, they are rewarded with tee shirts, recognition and points.
A mentor is an unpaid volunteer who needs to keep his or her day job. There are 75 of them and they reside all over the world. Most work for SAP customers or partners. A few are employed by SAP.
Obviously, the recognition makes them influential in the overall enterprise technology communities, but from those I've talked to, that is not what makes them spend all this time and energy as mentors. They seem to me to be motivated by passion more than professional creds.
which are almost deeply technical. But they simply would not have been selected; nor would they have wanted to be, if each of them was not passionate about SAP and the issues impacting company, customers and partners.
Mentors are similar in many ways to Microsoft's better-known Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program. But the significant difference in perspective is in the name. "MVP, is a sports term. It's for the stars in the field. "Mentor," refers to a wise and trusted counselor or teacher. It's not about being a star. It's about giving.
One other aspect that has impressed me and the reason for this post's title. The mentors self organize into teams. The membership is determined by what needs to be accomplished, rather than who wants some glory. So far, despite some attempts to get them to behave otherwise, each of them speaks and acts in support of the other. It seems to be part of their culture.
Mark Finnern, who will be the subject of my next TLE-related post, runs the program. When I spoke with him, he emphasized that the group was called SAP Mentors, not community mentors. This was because they are influencing and changing all of SAP. Not just the social networks.
More on Mark in my next report.
*When I say "we" I mean my co-authors Mark Yolton, Zia Yusuf and me. I do not presume to speak for SAP and I often bring a different perspective to this story.
{ 2 comments }
Shel, it was refreshing to hear about the SAP Mentor program from the outside and you nailed a couple of the key attributes.
One is that fluid, self-organizing aspect of being an SAP Mentor. Example: I'm part of a small group that is driving a discussion/dialogue with SAP on SAP certification improvements. We banded together mostly because of shared interest in that area. I see other loose affiliations of SAP Mentors crop up all the time when a key concern of theirs comes to the fore.
You also are dead on with: "It's not about being a star. It's about giving." Many of the SAP Mentors are active on Twitter (@sapmentors follows all of us so you can find us there). And while Twitter is just one medium, to me, our collective Twitter presence is about putting ourselves out there in the open, in accordance with what many of us call our unofficial motto, "open thinking." SAP Mentors should not be held up as rock stars but immersed in community projects and accessible, and I think we all strive in our way to embody that.
One other point you didn't get into is that, in my opinion, our relationship with SAP is complicated and messy in the best sense of the two words. By that I mean, we don't view ourselves as mouthpieces for SAP and in many cases, are challenging SAP in terms of future product/company direction. Some of those challenges happen behind the scenes, of course, in more private forums, but not all. Sometimes we raise issues in the open. One that comes to mind right away is Jim Spath's ongoing SCN blog posts on his ups and downs with Solution Manager. It's fair, specific, and unflinching. The one thing we try to hold up collectively, however, is to go beyond criticism into finding constructive solutions for SAP-related issues.
One final thing: I see many SAP Mentors have a big picture focus beyond SAP. Look no further than the talented Mentors involved in the ESME project, an "Enterprise Social Messaging Experiment" with implications well beyond SAP, or Anne Petteroe's important role in organizing Facebook users in the Facebook terms of service controversy.
Anyhow, thanks for writing about us and look forward to future installments.
Hi Shel,
You hit the mark when you write that beyond expertise it is passion that is the thread that connects all of the SAP Mentors and that makes this group so exceptional.
Had to smile when I read about performance review. Mentorship is giving on an annual basis and most mentors were so active over the year, that it is no question.
Others I try to ping early to check in, you haven't been as active lately, can we do something together?
Often work catches up with people and once they have finished a project they engage with new vigor and expertise.
In most cases the mentors come forward themselves and announce: I have moved on and lay down my mentorship, to give my seat to someone who is more engaged.
I have great respect for them and have an open door in case they change their mind.
Love this paragraph: "Mentor," refers to a wise and trusted counselor or teacher. It's not about being a star. It's about giving.
That is what we are aspiring to be and do, Mark.
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