Culture & Change ยท CUL-06
Champions and communities
Networks of champions and communities of practice, with time and support to do so, spread know-how about AI and good practice across the organisation.
Why it matters
People learn most from colleagues doing similar work. A supported network of champions reaches parts of the organisation that central teams cannot, and brings practical problems back to the centre.
Levels
| 0 Absent | Confirmed absent: the evidence shows nothing is in place. Not known is recorded as insufficient evidence, not 0. |
|---|---|
| 1 Initial | A few enthusiasts help colleagues on their own initiative and in their own time. |
| 2 Developing | A champions network or community exists in some areas, but without agreed time, support or a link to the central AI team. |
| 3 Defined | A champions network with defined roles and agreed time covers all major business areas, and a centrally supported community of practice meets regularly. |
| 4 Managed | Champion coverage and activity are tracked, and the network's effect on adoption and good practice is measured and reported. |
| 5 Optimising | The network shapes guidance, tools and priorities, and its structure is refreshed as adoption spreads and needs change. |
Level 3 criteria
Level 3 is met when every applicable criterion is met. Criteria marked with an overlay apply only to organisations with that characteristic (overlays).
- CUL-06.1 A champions network covers all major business areas.
- CUL-06.2 Champions have a defined role and agreed time for it.
- CUL-06.3 A community of practice for AI meets regularly.
- CUL-06.4 The community of practice receives central support.
Assessment questions
- Is there a network of AI champions, and which parts of the organisation does it cover?
- How much time do champions have for the role, and who supports them?
- How do issues raised by champions reach the people who can act on them?
- Champion role description and a list of champions by area
- Community of practice meeting records or activity data
How to reach Level 3
- Write a champion role description that sets out what champions do and how much time they get, and agree that time with their managers.
- Recruit champions so that every major business area has at least one.
- Set up a community of practice that meets regularly, with a central contact who supports it and passes issues to the people who can act.
- Keep a list of champions by area and a record of community meetings.
Common pitfalls
- Asking champions to do the role on top of a full workload with no agreed time.
- Concentrating champions in technical teams and leaving front-line areas uncovered.
- Treating the network as a substitute for a resourced support route (PPL-08).
Starter artefacts
- Champion role description
- Champions list by business area
- Community of practice meeting record
Cross-references
| GDS AI Playbook | P7 partial |
|---|---|
| MITRE AI Maturity Model | P3.1 partial |
| UNESCO AI Maturity Framework | 2.5 partial |
direct: this control at Level 3 meets the item. partial: it covers part of it.