[CivicAccess-discuss] interesting paper

[Michael Lenczner]

not that any of us will have the time to read it ;-)  but:

http://www.cvsrd.org/eng/mmp/mmp/mmppublication14.htm


"The paper presents lessons learned regarding the type of informal
leadership required and conditions for the sustainability of these
"communities of practice," "

Not Just Another Listserv: The Contribution of ACCC Affinity Groups to
Knowledge Exchange, Sectoral Initiatives and Innovation

Abstract: This paper discusses the ways in which national networks
using electronic information and communication technology develop (or
fail to develop) into effective communities of learning and of
practice, in which knowledge, resources and innovations among
colleagues are exchanged across institutional or provincial
boundaries. The author discusses why such networks are now viewed as
key sources of innovation and adaptability in the corporate world, and
examines their application to the voluntary-community sector in the
three-year Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC)
experiment of creating "affinity groups" – national voluntary networks
of college administrators, staff, faculty and students in the same
discipline or sharing a common concern in the education field. The
paper presents lessons learned regarding the type of informal
leadership required and conditions for the sustainability of these
"communities of practice," as a means of keeping ahead and providing
much-needed informal leadership in today's information-overloaded
organizations – and society. Noting that the concept of minimum (or
essential) specifications may be useful in allowing maximum
flexibility, the author concludes that sector councils and colleges
should not set their sights on "national curriculum" and the
"standardization of everything," but rather on agreeing to essential
core competencies and standards, while continuing to encourage
diversity.