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Creation and access to knowledge
resources (Darim
Online): Initial and subsequent sessions are
highly attended by a broad representation of congregation
staff, including executive directors, assistant executive
directors, communications professionals and Rabbis.
Forty congregations downloaded over 250 documents
from the community's online home within the first
48 hours after the first session. Documents continue
to be accessed at a significant rate and participating
individuals are contributing and suggesting documents
that are posted for the community to share.
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It is a safe place
for colleagues to share and process both
policy and personal issues.
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Overcoming competition and
creation of a safe space (Boston Heads of School):
After approximately six months
of meeting, community members articulated what makes
the CoP work: "It is a safe place
for colleagues to share and process both policy and
personal issues." Participants have shared experiences
and approaches on highly sensitive areas such as executive
coaching, salary scales and board-head relations.
Knowledge codification and knowledge
reuse (JESNA):
A teleconference presentation featured two contrasting
case presentations of how agencies worked to stimulate
change in congregational education. An audio recording
of the first JESNA
teleconference call was listened to by members who
were unable to attend. A document created for the
teleconference presentation was utilized two more
times within a month for a local board meeting and
advisory committee meeting of a central agency.
Diffusion of new technologies in
(JESNA): Knowledge
Communities introduced JESNA
to the use of MeetingWizard.com and Teleconnection.com,
which are now being used by JESNA
for CoP scheduling and conversation. A number of CoP
members are now using these technologies with their
own constituents.
Economies of scale and more
efficient use of resources (Darim
Online): After a Darim Online teleconference
in which the value of having a communications director
was shared among congregations, one congregation proposed
sharing a communication staff person among synagogues
that did not have capacity for full time staff. The
proposal is moving forward. Participants also discussed
with Darim the potential for collectively negotiating
with third party synagogue software vendors to save
on costs of software purchases.
Increasing commitment of organizational
resources (Grant Maker Meta Community): Grant
maker Meta Community members met monthly throughout
the past year via teleconferences and, because of
the value they perceived in the work, initiated a
full day face-to-face meeting. Foundation professionals
were funded by their organizations to fly to Boston
for a day to convene the group. At the end of the
meeting, members re-committed for another year and
increased their time and financial commitment to the
group.
Darim
Online: Professionals
and lay leaders of 60 synagogues using the Darim web
services focused on increasing the use of the web
for marketing to members and non members. Funded by
The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
and Steinhard Foundation/Jewish Life Network.
Grant Makers Meta-Community:
Leading foundation professionals from around the
country are sponsoring communities of practice as
a change strategy and are sharing both successes and
failures in our meta-community. Etienne Wenger and
Bill Snyder are committed members of this group.
Uplift Network:
Facilitation of workshop for national leaders in network
technology and philanthropy on how networks can be
used to promote philanthropy. The Uplift Network is
well known for bringing together an unusually high
caliber of thought leaders, cutting edge practitioners
and intellectual elite for discussions that are years
ahead of the curve.
NATE/ECE-RJ*: Creating
a Seamless Path to Lifelong Learning. Facilitated
a full day meeting to launch the collaboration between
early childhood educators and congregational educators
in the Reform Movement. Newport Beach, CA. Jan 15,
2006.
* This project benefited from
Kehilliyot, a seed grant from the Steinhardt Foundation/Jewish
Life Network to educate Jewish organizations about
the benefits of supporting Communities of Practice
to achieve mission critical results.
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
(GEO). Plenary
session with William Snyder and Amy Katz at GEO
Knowledge Management Conference. Communities of Practice:
What are they? Why are they valuable? How do we develop
one?" Boston. May, 2005. Recognized with an
award for session design. (Led to founding of the
Grant Makers Meta-Community.)
Mandel Center for Jewish Education,
Brandeis University. Bridging
Scholarship and Pedagogy in Bible Education Conference,
Boston. January 31, 2005.
With gratitude
to Michael Miloff for his contributions to much of
this work.
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