AACRAO quotes Dr. Jacquelyn Elliot, VP of Enrollment at a private liberal arts college and a specialist in boosting collaboration amongst higher ed teams. “Why is it so hard for people to see the big picture? We have to work together [to impact enrollment], not hold onto our own agendas.” Higher Ed has always relied on what they call “cross-functional teams,” “communities of practice,” or what Gartner refers to as “fusion teams.” EDUCAUSE views communities of practice, or CoPs, as a means to link nodes in different networks to forge new connections. These groups rally creative minds from all over campus into a multi-talented dynamo of fresh ideas and strategies.
What is a community of practice?
Google knows the power of inspired groups taking on non-prescribed moonshots. The tech giant doesn’t gently nudge employees to explore new areas of interest—they openly urge them to. After all, Google Maps and Slack were born on the periphery of a typical day’s work. Arguably the first forays into iPhone were pioneered by an industrious few, a fledgling concept that higher-ups didn’t think could sprout any wings. A community of practice takes on this more creative approach to future gazing. It democratizes digital transformation, inviting a broad, motivated set of employees to explore the potential of new technologies. In higher ed, these unlikely matchups engage with one another to find the best approach to novel issues. You might find them exploring issues like:
- Staff members from space planning, construction, and IT devise the best plan to outfit hundreds of classrooms with updated AV equipment
