Is it possible that all of us could feel any more overworked,
overstressed, over wired, over burdened or less in control of our lives
than we are today? Yes. Let’s face it, expectations in today’s society
are not going to lessen. It is not only about doing more with less, but
about doing more with less and doing it quicker; personalizing it more;
being flexible enough for customization; being sensitive to multi
cultural, generational and gender interpretations; delivering it to
multiple access points including computers, telephones and archives that
can be accessed 24/7. Is there any hope that solutions for all this
insanity in our lives are possible without just “dropping-out” and
retreating to a monastery in the Himalayas? Yes. Like me, you may often
be tempted by that Himalayan solution, but you would find yourself
smuggling in a cell phone. You know what that means; it is like the
invasion of the body snatchers. All it takes is one small opening and
well, you know where that leads. Do you suppose the Monks now have
Blackberries under those thick brown robes? Please say it isn’t so; I
need to hold onto the idea that there are still places on earth with
complete serenity.
Back to reality and being completely committed to enhancing the future
effectiveness of our association’s community. The fact is that as an
association we need to be needed. Not in the co-dependent model of being
needed, but in a healthy relationship where intellect is shared through
effective means and the result is that our members feel more in control
of what they MUST know about their profession, practice, skills for
their workplace challenges, and professional development. Being needed
now means being an associations who is successful in effectively dealing
with vast exponential changes (technological and otherwise) and in
navigating the tidal wave of information in existence to then channel
that into targeted, cohesive systems where all of that noise turns into
wisdom for their members. It is not hard to imagine the relevancy and
necessity of that in today’s demanding, information-overloaded world.
Today, the key is having knowledge and wisdom networks with a reliable
system to support that communication. We know that we learn the most
relevant and useful information from respected peers. The most utility
comes when we harness and organize that wisdom and experience so that
one becomes confident about where to go to “get the answer” regardless
of the question. For example, we recently had a computer system
malfunction. (The kind that happens when you least expect it and are
most reliant to complete those last 27 tasks that must be done within
the next 30 minutes!) A twenty- something geek has been sent to my
rescue. I explained the problem to him, and he pondered it for a
moment. Then, he asked me if he could have access to an internet
connection. He was very honest with me; he didn’t have the answer to my
problem but knew how to find it. He went to his geek’s online Community
of Practice and posed the question to his peers in this geek community.
Within five minutes he had the answer, and promptly solved my problem.
He never got stressed about what to do or being unsure how to fix it,
nor did he for a moment have any stress about delivering an excellent
level of service. Why not—because he had a system. A community of his
peers accessible from anywhere at anytime with all the answers he
needed. Remarkable. Eye opening.
GNA has identified a best-practice model for a similar online
Community of Practice (CoP), a knowledge management network for our
membership to find needed answers. And we are excited about it! This
member-driven, peer supported and facilitated network will ultimately be
a stress reducer for you. It will be the place you can rely on to “get
the answer” from a peer just like that kid computer geek did in my
office that day. It will be a wealth of answers and information from the
GNA peer network—a network of free thinking, expert professionals who
have the capability and wisdom to create a resource of more NEW
knowledge than imaginable.
We are hopeful that members will see the value in
becoming active and engaged in this new type of learning community and
knowledge center. GNA is still identifying the funding that will enable
the online “communities of practice” concept to become a reality and a
new member benefit sooner rather than later. As we continue to progress
with building a culture at GNA for organizational competencies in the 21st
Century, we hope to engage each of our members more fully and deliver a
vibrant, meaningful membership experience to you—our most valuable
resource.
