When people talk about Viva Engage, they often talk about “Communities” and “Communities in Viva”, but what are Communities (of Practice, a.k.a. CoPs) really? And what are the benefits for us as individuals of spending time building communities? What is the potential business value to our customers, or to our peers, teams, and Organisations? Isn’t it all just a social club and yet another soulless social media-type trend which will fade away? And, at the end of the day, isn’t it just another distraction and a complete and utter waste of time and (our employer’s) money? In this session we will learn the basics of what CoPs are, how they work (and don’t work), when and why they work – and how they can become a great source of inspiration, innovation, and creativity, improve employee satisfaction, growth, and wellbeing, and enhance both productivity and profitability. Too good to be true? No, it isn’t. because it will not come for free – it will take vision, work, and perseverance but it will be worth every penny and every minute spent as soon as you start reaping the benefits! This session is based on storytelling from Rebecka's own experiences pioneering a new category or CoPs inside Microsoft Consulting Services and her journey through Knowledge Management that started with a small role as a Community Lead, and grew into a career, thanks to the friendships she formed, the visibility and recognition she received - and her passion for sharing knowledge without expecting compensation or anything in return.

In the age of AI and Copilots, Knowledge Management (KM) is no longer a support function - it’s the foundation for success. To avoid poor outcomes and “AI hallucinations,” organizations must rethink KM as a strategic enabler that fuels Copilot with context-rich, actionable knowledge. This session takes a pragmatic approach to KM, expanding the definition of knowledge beyond content and exploring how governance, information architecture, and AI-powered tools like Knowledge Agent can unlock real business value. We’ll also look at how change management and employee engagement drive adoption, and why KM must evolve from traditional ECM to modern EKM to truly maximize AI ROI. Crucially, we’ll explore how employee wellbeing and happiness act as accelerators of change - boosting creativity, collaboration, and sustained usage. When people feel empowered and supported, transformation becomes not only possible, but scalable.

Good content governance is hard to achieve in any organisation and with Copilot and other AI services built into the fabric of every single app we use, everyday, it is getting harder by the minute! You can set out to define a solid Information Architecture, build your Taxonomy and define your Meta Data but does that really matter if no one knows about it and the people in your organisation does not understand why it matters and what's in it for them? By over-thinking these things we risk becoming inflexible and inadaptive. Rigid frameworks and well-defined process doesn't matter when your Teams environment is left unmanaged. It will blow a massive hole in any governance model when left unattended. And what about chat? Or e-mail? Or meeting invites and meeting notes? Is anyone looking after those at all? Do we fully comprehend the impact of over-sharing. Or under-sharing for that matter? In this interactive session, we will discuss together, the pros and cons of managing not only Content, but managing all (critical) Knowledge assets. And why Knowledge Governance and RBACs are just as important as Content Governance and managing your SharePoint(s) user permissions.

AI is no longer a futuristic concept - it’s already shaping our daily lives, from the workplace to healthcare and entertainment. But technology alone doesn’t deliver results. This session explores why leadership - and not IT departments and budgets - are the real differentiators in successful AI adoption. We’ll look at how organisations can move beyond buzzwords and ensure AI is tied to real business needs, with scenarios and use cases that matter. We’ll also examine the critical role of middle management, governance, and trust in creating sustainable change. Most importantly, we’ll highlight how employee engagement, wellbeing, and a culture of Curiosity, Courage, and Collaboration are the true accelerators of transformation. Because in the end, AI is not just about systems - it’s about people, our mindsets, our daily business- and work problems and challenges - and how we can use AI to sole them. How we can become better together, with AI as our partner!