weLEAD Online Magazine

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The New weLEAD In Learning Website Almost Ready

By Dr. J. Howard Baker

The weLEADInLearning team is excited to finally set a date for the new weLEAD In Learning web site (www.weLEADInLearning.org)! The launch date is planned for October 14, 2002. Everyone who has registered his or her email address at the weLEAD web site (www.leadingtoday.org) will receive notification when the new web site is published.

About two years ago many of the concepts incorporated in this new web site were first envisioned by Greg Thomas (founder and president of weLEAD, Incorporated) and the weLEAD Board of Directors. Over a year later I was invited by the Board to become the Chief Editor of this new web site. At that point in time we had a general idea about what the web site should be, but we had much to learn. I am sure we will still have much to learn after we launch the first version of the site next month!

The creation of weLEADInLearning has been a great “learning experience” and represents many hours of work and input by a team of dedicated individuals. The work has been strictly voluntary. No one receives any compensation for working on the web site. So what is the focus of the new web site and what can you expect to find in it next month?

The mission of weLEADInLearning is to help current and future leaders around the world better understand the concepts of Servant-Leadership and the learning organization, and to assist them in promoting personal learning and a learning culture within their organizations.

In order to accomplish this mission weLEAD, Incorporated is creating a free web site addressing topics such as organizational transformation, visionary leadership, learning disciplines, and learning leadership. The web site will address learning organization issues in all kinds of organizations—learning schools, learning classrooms, learning businesses, learning communities, learning nonprofit organizations, and learning government agencies.

The new web site will contain three important areas:

The first area will contain a new electronic journal called the E-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership. This new E‑Journal will contain scholarly research articles and case-based articles that are peer reviewed. However, our goal is to publish stimulating articles that will appeal to a broad audience of readers, rather than dry, pedantic articles that few will read. The E‑Journal will be divided into three parts:

From the Editor’s Desk (editorial)

One or more feature articles

A college student’s section

The first edition of the E‑Journal will feature an article entitled The Learning Organization by Tom DeMarco, author of many books including Slack, Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency. A review of this book can be found in the January 2002 issue of weLEAD magazine. (http://www.leadingtoday.org/Onmag/jan02/br2-jan02.html)

Mr. DeMarco was a winner of the 1986 Warnier Prize for “lifetime contribution to the field of computing” and is currently a principal of the Atlantic Systems Guild (http://systemsguild.com/). He is a featured speaker at international conferences, and was the keynote speaker at the 3rd International Conference on Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Networking Computing, Madrid, Spain, June 28, 2002. He will be speaking at the International Conference on Software Quality, October 28-30, in Ottawa, Canada. (http://www.atlsysguild.com/GuildSite/Guild/Events.html)

A major goal of the E‑Journal is to encourage leadership learning through scholarly research and writing by college students. The college student’s section of the E‑Journal will feature articles submitted by graduate and undergraduate students from any accredited college or university in the United States. Submissions from students attending universities outside the United States will be evaluated on an individual basis. Prior to acceptance for publication articles submitted by students will be reviewed by the E‑Journal’s editor and members of the editorial board. Articles may cover any learning organization or leadership topic, such as organizational culture, the five learning disciplines, leadership skills (such as listening skills), knowledge management, and the use of technology by learning leaders. Articles may address issues in specific disciplines such as information systems, health care, security, or education.

The E‑Journal will be published semiannually. The weLEAD Online magazine is published ten times a year, with double issues in the fall and spring. The E‑Journal will be published in the fall and spring in the months that no weLEAD issue is published. This means that there will be a new issue of either weLEAD or the E‑Journal every month of the year!

The second area of the web site will contain links to related areas of interest on the web, plus an extensive organizational learning and leadership bibliography database. Unlike the E‑Journal, which will be published semiannually, this area of the weLEADInLearning web site will be updated monthly. New links and bibliographic information will be flagged for easy identification. It is planned that during 2003 this area will have an additional link added. This link will be to an ongoing organizational learning taxonomy (classification) project for topics associated with learning organizations and leadership.

The third area of the web site will contain a Speakers Bureau section. During 2003 weLEADInLearning will offer a limited number of presentations and workshops without a speaker’s fee to qualifying organizations. Topics available will be published next month in the weLEADInLearning web site along with additional information on how to request a free presentation. Organizations will be requested to cover the speaker’s travel expenses (and meal and lodging expenses when applicable).

If you have not registered your email address at the weLEAD home page yet, be sure and do it immediately so you will receive notice when the new weLEADInLearning web site is launched.

See you in October!

Howard Baker

Chief Editor

Howard Baker can be reached at: hbaker@leadingtoday.org

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