Elizabeth Albrycht is a 16-year veteran of high technology public relations practice and co-founder of the
New Communications Forum, a conference series designed to bring journalists and marketing and PR professionals together to learn how to use participatory communications tools. She is a founding advisory board member and is the chair of the research committee for the
Society for New Communications Research: . Elizabeth has authored articles on blogging, RSS and other new tools for a variety of industry publications, and has presented teleseminars and in-person seminars on new communications tools for PRSA and
Ragan Communications: . She often speaks about social media in both the US and Europe, and blogs about PR and corporate communications at
CorporatePR.
Dave Desforges began piloting "Work From Home" solutions over 3 years ago. His role required identifying additional candidate requirements and necessary remote work practices for both employees and managers at Sun Microsystems. His current work encompasses blending appropriate technology, organizational practices, and workplace environments to support mobile and distributed teams.
Jim McGee is currently a Director at Huron Consulting Group. He has spent much of the last 30 years working to understand, design, and apply information and technology innovations in organizations. Before Huron, Jim taught at the Kellogg School and was one of the founding partners of DiamondCluster International. With Larry Prusak, he was the co-author of Managing Information Strategically (Wiley, 1993). Jim has both an MBA and a doctorate in Information Technology, Organization, and Strategy from the Harvard Business School.
Regina Miller has more than 18 years of experience in Organization Development, Human Resources, Leadership Development and International Operations. Regina recently launched a global consultancy called The Seventh Suite which assists growing companies bolster their competitive edge via aligned strategy and progressive people practices. Her last corporate job was as the VP HR/OD for Oskar (Vodafone) which has been dubbed “one of the fastest growing mobile operators in Eastern Europe.” More info
here.
Giovanni Rodriguez - Through a combination of luck and persistence, Giovanni has worked in the company of some of the most interesting and colorful leaders in several worlds: the law, theater, and technology. Today, he is a principal at Eastwick Communications, a Silicon Valley PR agency, where he advises both emerging companies and market leaders on executive leadership, public speaking, marketing strategy and media relations. He has worked for, consulted and advised numerous businesses and organizations including HP, Stanford University, Fujitsu Computer Systems, Cadence Design Systems, VMware, the American Arbitration Association, and the Unified Court System of New York. He is a graduate of Princeton University (Religion and Anthropology), and he has done graduate course work at the Columbia School of Journalism and N.Y.U.
Jim Ware is a cofounder of the Work Design Collaborative and the Future of Work program. He has over 30 years experience in research, executive education, consulting, and management, including five years on the faculty of the Harvard Business School. He was the lead author of The Search for Digital Excellence, (McGraw-Hill, 1998), and holds Ph.D., M.A., and B.Sc. degrees from Cornell University and an MBA (With Distinction) from the Harvard Business School.
Giovanni Rodriguez
Elizabeth Albrycht
Dave Desforges
Jim McGee
Jim Ware
1. kris olsen on November 3, 2005 9:07 AM writes...
Having set up a couple wikis (corporate and social) in the past and most recently a blog ABOUT wikis, your post is a topic near and dear to my heart.
IMO, the biggest problem with most communities is that they are, in fact 'topic driven'. There is no clear goal defined. This leads to endless navel-gazing, attracts an audience that wants to 'see' content ABOUT their interest (or misery), and is typically initiated and led by folks who are topic driven - not results driven.
Look at all the technologies introduced in the past - content, data, information, and source-based. Nothing that speaks to or facilitates activity, action, process, or cooperation. Lot's of 'what', but very little who, when, where, why, or how.
My focus is on civic, social, and enterprise groups that actually have a reason for being - they have a mission to be accomplished. This is a much different environment than installing new technology for processing transactions and data.
Using this Web 2.0 stuff to get people to engage and actually accomplish stuff may well be the next big career opportunity. But it will not be a career one trains for, gets certified for a skill set, and goes out and provides 'Solutions'. That didn't work in the enterprise technology world and it certainly won't work in this world.
This is about psychology, engagement, commitment, group dynamics, commitment, sense of self, etc, etc, etc. It's a fascinating topic. And don't get the impression that I'm some kind of expert. I just see the challenges and have enjoyed some minor success to this point. This is pretty much uncharted territory.
Permalink to Comment2. Frank Walsh on November 4, 2005 10:35 AM writes...
The primary failing of these "communities of practice" is apparent, if not easy to understand. They are the ultimate expression of the social ideal, a community of equals, and suffer from the same fate as all such communities, lack of ownership.
Reality check, an "old" rule that is still completely valid, without ownership there is no commitment. Those that take action are those who have the most to gain from that action. This does not mean strictly personal gain, it is a matter of how important each considers the end goal (If there is one. I agree with Kris that this is most often not the case).
Communities related to projects or services are a different thing. First, there is of course a goal, or an end (or series of ends) to be reached. Second, there are stakeholders for whom success is critically important. Call them what you will, "primus inter pares" or "first among equals". They are the leaders, the drivers, the delegators, and when necessary, the do-ers. For these people, it is important that something actually HAPPEN.
Permalink to Comment3. Mary Schmidt on November 15, 2005 10:29 AM writes...
Yes, getting to action can be painful (and frustrating for those of us who don't want to talk it to death - we want to just get it done!)
The good news/bad news about the on-line communities enabled and fostered by web technologies: Everybody (in theory) can talk about everything, and we have to first talk if we're ever going to get anything done as a group. The bad news? The more people involved, the more difficult it is to set goals and maintain focus. All that said, it's a tremendously exciting time - we're seeing more and more "non-techy" types getting things done on the Web - new business, new contacts, education. Sure, it's messy but so is life.
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