Leadership Challenge 7

LdC Template #7

Influential Practitioners (Leadership Challenge): Leading in a COP

Enhancing Action Research and Leadership Possibilities

through the Development of your Collaborative Skills

Module 7                                                                    Name: James D. Lett

Note: You will use the "David Logan Tribal Leadership" video from TEL 703 Readings in your leadership challenge activities for this Module (in addition to Wenger).

The process below relates to the following new Leadership Provocative Question(s): 

How do differences in individuals (e.g. values, beliefs, perspectives, experiences, knowledge base, etc.) influence a CoP? 

Currently, I am studying generational differences. I have noticed that I have an incredibly difficult time getting people to believe that things are possible beyond what they see in front of them. I am in an office with many Gen X’ers who are automatically skeptical. Traditionalists are very resigned and Boomer’s are not impressed by many things. As a Generation Y’er, I am, I place a great deal of pressure on myself to be better and to move forward. This may be perceived as overconfidence or youthful exuberance. I often find myself wondering if I am being taken seriously.

These differences in values, beliefs, perspectives, and other factors present challenges to motivation to participate and engage. Additionally, shared competence is impacted. Moreover, those who have had experiences with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, age, social or organizational position, or any combination of these may feel less inclined to trust and participate.

In my practice, there are remnants of a strong community of practice. For a long time, there was a group of employees who shared a strong workplace and personal connection with each other. They knew what the other was thinking, they were able to respond almost automatically to situations, and play off of each other in an almost choreographed dance. Then retirements, new opportunities, and changes within the environment disbanded that group. People drew into themselves or their remaining group leaving the new members on the outside trying to get in.

To combat this, a strong leader can help nudge us forward as referenced in David Logan’s Tribal Leadership video. It often takes someone to infuse life into a community and move it into a new shared understanding. When this happens, a tribe or community of practice can develop group values and place less emphasis on the individual values and perspectives.

e. Preparing for an on-line Conversation

Quote/ideas from the book; applications/instances from your workplace setting	Page number
The work of engagement entails the definition of a common enterprise in the process of pursuing it in concert with others	184
The work of engagement entails mutual engagement n shared activities	184
The work of engagement entails the accumulation of a history of shared experiences.	184
The work of engagement entails the production of a local regime of competence.	184
The work of engagement entails the development of interpersonal relationships	184
The work of imagination entails recognizing our experience in others, knowing what others are doing, being in someone else’s shoes	185
The work of imagination entails sharing stories, explanations, descriptions.	185
The work of imagination entails generating scenarios, exploring other ways of doing what we are doing, other possible world, and other identities.	185

f. Holding an on-line Conversation

After participating/viewing the “fishbowl” conversation record notes here (below) about your responses to your peers or new thoughts based on their postings.  Be certain your notes here are comprehensive, as were your responses to peers. (If you participate as a “fish,” in the fishbowl your notes, which should be entered below, can be much more succinct.)

g.  Leadership Challenge/New Leadership Challenge

 

I am not a good sharer. So this week, I focused on sharing out and getting others involved. I asked my team members about their suggestions for an improved handbook. One team member suggested a clear succinct way to articulate the initial steps for Army students using tuition assistance. Another team member talked about how we could rearrange the handbook so that we could get to information more readily.

I work in advising and outreach. However, our testing and enrollment staff field a lot of advising questions. I worked with marketing to develop a checklist that the enrollment staff could give to the students and I developed a next steps worksheet for the testing staff to give to their students following completion of the placement assessment.

Some outcomes from this have been improve relationships between staff members through understanding. Reduce stress because the answers are there at their finger tips. Improve engagement because their suggestions are being heard and responded to in a meaningful way. Additionally, it is an improved student experience because the “I don’t know, you’ll have to sit with an advisor” has become “I can help you with that, please wait one moment.” Once again it seems simple. However, when we lose that workplace connection, the “I don’t know’s” show up.

H. Determining your Leadership Challenge/New Leadership Challenge

Based on your own quotes/ideas from Wenger, your workplace experiences, and new insights you developed as you reflected on your peers’ work, what behavior do you want to experiment with/try out for your leadership challenge in the next few days?

(Write one sentence.)