Welcoming New Members into a Community of Practice
How do we welcome people into our communities of practice?
Recently I was asked to compile ideas and resources about welcoming new members into a community of practice. The group I am involved with is a meta-CoP of professionals who work in Jewish communal organizations – that is, a community of practice whose members facilitate communities of practice. They represent the fields of informal and formal education, camps, social work, arts, religion, philanthropy, and more – in other words, a mix of dedicated professionals trying to make the world a better place.
Below are ideas that emerged from this assignment – I welcome your thoughts!
Welcoming is a complex process. Cultures have core welcoming narratives that help define and shape who they are. In the Jewish tradition, there is a midrash (Rabbinic commentary) about the biblical Abraham, who, along with Sara, was known for his hospitality. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree – eishel, in Hebrew – in Beer Sheva (Genesis 21:33). The Rabbis interpreted eishel as an acronym for “eating, drinking, and escorting,” the hallmarks of model host activities. The tree is a sign of hospitality; moreover, it is a tree that bears many seeds. Welcoming new members into our communities brings with it many potential rewards.
The role of welcoming
Welcoming is a two-way street; it is a transactional event. We often think of welcoming a new member as a way to introduce an individual to an established group. But it is also a way to highlight new connections between individuals and for the group to learn more about itself through the integration of the new member. Vibrant communities of practice are constantly renegotiating their identities.
Purposes of welcoming
- menschlekeit (being a good person, doing the right thing, the human thing) - hachnasat orchim (the mitzvah – social / holy obligation, deed, commandment – of hospitality)
- build relationships, the cornerstone of communities of practice; create shared identity and values
- facilitate movement from “legitimate peripheral participation” to participation in the culture of practice (Lave and Wenger, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, 2008)
- first steps toward induction into the community and the community’s initial introduction to member
Community entry and integration
- introduction to community members (who we are as individuals)
- introduction to the community (what we are, what we do, recent topics and events, resources and current discussions, organizational history and archives)
- introduction to community norms (community activities, community roles, netiquette, expectations, confidentiality and community boundaries, models of participation, FAQs)
- “help desk” (whom to turn to for assistance, technical issues)
Challenges in distributed communities
- establishing social presence and creating “conscious community”
- community access (understanding where the community is and how to access it, introduction to community tools, skills orientation to community tools and increased comfort level)
Planning Backwards
As we design welcome protocols for our communities, it is useful to think about the following:
- Looking back, what helped me feel a part of this community?
- I knew I had become a part of the community when…
- What encouraged me most to take an active role was…
(discussion by LaDonna Coy on CPSquare)
How do we measure success?
What are some of your favorite tips and techniques?
I’ll share some strategies in a future post.
What’s in your welcome basket? How does it relate to the stories your community tells about itself? How does it reflect your community’s values and vision?
Gayle Bloom has a related post, “Welcoming: A Two Way Street” over here: http://tinyurl.com/6kdz2w
Great idea. We are putting together a ning social networking group for our Temple. We look for suggestions on how to use it effectively for “facebook” that may become “face time.”