Councillors share wealth of ideas in 'online community' » Central Government » 24dash.com

Local authority senior managers from across the country are utilising new forms of communication to exchange information and ideas.

The Community of Practice online workspaces, established by the Improvement and Development Agency's Knowledge and Learning team, enables local authority representatives to discuss issues with their peers in a confidential online blog-styled environment.

Head of Knowledge and Learning at IDeA, Marilyn Leask said communities of practice enabled senior managers in local authorities to receive and provide advice; develop and share ideas and share news and information about forthcoming events. She said CoPs were also being utilised by councillors.

She said:"This is a terrific example of how the knowledge and learning of local government colleagues is being better harnessed. Having an avenue where peers can voice their opinion, share their problems and seek assistance on a national network is another step forward in the journey towards ensuring best practice is disseminated across local authorities. A benefit of these CoPs is that they are both secure and confidential. CoPs are part of the Knowledge's team's structured progress with web2."

"There are more than 110 communities listed at the website www.communities.idea.gov.uk. The CoPs have proven to be of assistance to councillors and senior managers who have used the medium to discuss issues of concern and use their collective knowledge to deliver the best outcomes for their community."

Marilyn said the work being undertaken by the IDeA Knowledge and Learning team was pioneering.

She said: "To be able to discuss pertinent issues with colleagues facing similar issues is crucial for those working for or who have been elected to serve local communities. In addition to the CoPs for councillors and for senior managers, there are also sub community CoP areas which are tailored to specific areas such as the Local Leadership Academy, migration, policy, HR and talent management."
 
"At the IDeA we believe that the sector has within it the knowledge to support improvement but that this knowledge needs to be more easily accessible.  Knowledge management is increasingly critical as local government strives for sustainable improvement through self-assessment."

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