Until 2030, Wikimedia is to develop into the essential infrastructure of free knowledge. The Wikimedia Movement has been guided by this strategic direction for almost four years. But what are the changes and strategies needed to achieve this major goal? In May 2020, 10 recommendations for action and 10 fundamental principles were defined for “Wikimedia 2030″– in a radically open and participatory process. Now the implementation begins.

“Increase the sustainability of our movement,” “Improve user experience,” or “Ensure equity in decision making.” These are some of the recommendations for change that will guide the Wikimedia Movement to achieve the strategic direction adopted in 2017: “By 2030, Wikimedia will become the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge, and anyone who shares our vision will be able to join us.” 

A total of nine working groups worked on the recommendations for nearly two years, and they were published on May 12, 2020. Represented in these international WGs were board members and staff of the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Deutschland, people from various organizations that are also committed to free knowledge, and volunteers from the community. At the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, the “Global Conversations” took place – coordinated online meetings attended by hundreds of Wikimedians from all continents. Here, the focus was on prioritizing the recommendations.

Growing from the bottom up

Currently, the Wikimedia strategy process is in the “transitional phase towards implementation.” Major undertakings are associated with this: including building new governance structures for the Movement with a “Global Council” at the top, designing a Movement Charter, installing regional and thematic Wikimedia Hubs around the world, promoting underrepresented communities, and recruiting new volunteers in all Wikimedia projects. 

“A Hub could be the Wikimedian user group West Bengal, for example” describes Lukas Mezger, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Wikimedia Deutschland, who himself worked on the recommendations in the “Roles & Responsibilities” working group. Depending on the needs, this Hub could join forces with like-minded people to form a thematic group – as a self-determined unit within the large organization. According to Mezger, this bottom-up approach is essentia so that the Movement can also grow in South America, Asia and Africa. “We don’t want to repeat the mistake of many NGOs and send Western teams to build structures in other countries.”

Sharpening self-image and responsibility

Also “thinking beyond one’s own boundaries in one’s head” – that was generally the approach in this open strategy process, says Alice Wiegand, Vice Chair of the Supervisory Board of Wikimedia Deutschland, who was actively involved in the “Advocacy” working group. But what do the recommendations mean for Wikimedia Deutschland in concrete terms? “They sharpen our self-image and our responsibility for the global movement,” says Wiegand. The challenge, she said, is to examine all activities and programs in terms of whether they support the big idea. “That, too, is starting now.”

The Movement Strategy Playbook

The strategy process “Wikimedia 2030” has already produced many insights. They are summarized in the “Movement Strategy Playbook”, which presents 21 ways how open strategies can be applied better in practice. Eero Vaara, Professor in Organisations and Impact at Oxford, has written a foreword to this “lessons learned” manual.

Professor Vaara, what do you think are the most important points that can be learned from the “Wikimedia 2030” Movements strategy process?

The process is a unique example of an open approach to strategy work. There is a lot to learn from it. The key is engagement – but at the same time, mobilizing people has required a lot of organization and work from those who have led the process. One important insight was that different stakeholders need to be approached differently to get the most out of their input. We can also learn that the process of sharing ideas and dialogue is probably more valuable than the final product. Finally, none of this would have been possible without key people like Nicole Ebber (Head of Movement Strategy and Global Relations). They drive the process or the enthusiasm and commitment of the participants.

How can Wikimedia evolve in an open global open strategy?

The open strategy approach fits perfectly with what Wikimedia is – and wants to be – as a global movement. The implementation of the new strategic ideas will follow the same principles of inclusion and transparency that guide the Movement anyway. And all of this is happening – as it should – on a global scale with large numbers of people  who are actively involved. This ensures that the global social movement defines what Wikimedia is and what its strategy is. The point is that the strategic ideas grow as the movements grow – and vice versa.

To what extent can this process be a blueprint for others?

It was a unique process – but also one that others can follow and learn from. This is true not only for social movements, but also for other types of organizations. The “Strategy Playbook” provides a summary of what has been learned and examples of best practice for organizing and leading open strategy work. The key for others is not to simply copy what Wikimedia has done, but to find a set of insights about the tools and methods used – and to learn from Wikimedia’s experience.