Companies build effective communities
through a design philosophy that
replaces control with a balance of structure
and flexibility. Jump Associates has
identified nine archetypal community
scripts that can be used as a framework
for such design (see the exhibit
"A Sampling of Community Scripts"). A
script is a set of expected behaviors in
a particular social situation. Think, for
example, of the script you'd follow for a
date at a fancy restaurant or a job interview
in a CEO's office. Harley-Davidson
offers a leading example of how to use
scripts to build and enhance community.
The Harley-Davidson brand ethos
of the "brotherhood" is grounded in the
script of the Tribe, in which deep social
connections form through shared experiences
and traditions. Management
first reinforced this script to strengthen
community identity and then gradually
introduced elements of new scripts to
enrich the experience over time. The
Harley Owners Group introduced elements
of the Fort (an exclusive place
where insiders feel protected) through
members-only events and special
perks. Rallies and other recurring customer
gatherings added the Summer
Camp (a periodic experience that reaffirms
connections). Both the Harley Davidson
Museum and dealerships
were designed to leverage elements
of the Patio (a semiprivate place that
facilitates in-depth, meaningful connections)
and the Bar (a public space hat grants reliable but shallow connections)
to foster different types of interpersonal
connections. By layering those
additional scripts over the Tribe foundation,
Harley-Davidson was able to build
multiple community experiences that
appealed to different audiences while
retaining a cohesive core.