Higher education has always relied on what it calls “ multifunctional teams ,” “ communities of practice ,” or what Gartner calls “fusion teams. ” EDUCAUSE sees communities of practice, or CoPs, as a way to connect nodes across networks to forge new connections . These groups bring together creative minds from across campus into a multitalented dynamo that brings fresh ideas and strategies to the table.
What is a community of practice?
Google knows the power of inspired groups that take on unprescribed projects. The tech giant doesn’t gently nudge its employees to explore new areas of interest; it openly encourages them to . After all, Google Maps and Slack were born on the periphery of a typical workday. Early forays into the iPhone were likely the work of a small group of dedicated people, a nascent concept that executives didn’t think could be scaled.
A community of practice takes this more creative local marketing email list approach to foresight. It democratizes digital transformation, inviting a broad range of motivated employees to explore the potential of new technologies.
In higher education, these unlikely encounters engage with each other to find the best approach to new questions. You might find them exploring questions like:
Space planning, construction and information technology staff members are developing the best plan to equip hundreds of classrooms with modern audiovisual equipment.
Marketing, enrollment, and a group of faculty come together to develop a digital campaign to recruit students interested in a specific major.
A team of residential life staff, web designers and student health professionals are coming together to find new ways to support the mental health of virtual learners.
CoPs are rooted in collaboration and sharing. Each team member brings their personal and departmental experiences to the table. Participants are encouraged to test smaller ideas that aren’t necessarily supported by a traditional points-based initiative. Silos break down, learning spreads across a broader group, and sparks new approaches to digital transformation efforts.
Where can we find these stars ready to take the lead in tomorrow's technologies?
Gartner calls them " business technologists ," and they make up 41 percent of the workforce . Some higher education experts merge the terms "functional" and "technology" to create the playful nickname "funky-techs." funky-techs .