This website - a weblog - is an attempt to capture, manage, share, and create knowledge.  The ideas present in this weblog are based on my (Mike Bedan) personal work, academic, and life experiences over the last 4 years.  During that time, I have been thinking and reading about how knowledge management, organizational learning, and communities of practices can enhance the risk assessment practice. 

This is the first post describing my vision and mission related to this weblog.  As time passes I will better organize and present my goals on who we can use various processes (including information technology) to build a thriving community of practice.

Purpose

The RACoP Weblog was created to provide a weblog of information, news, and views related to the risk assessment community of practice at CH2M HILL.

Risk Assessment CoP

A Community of Practice (COP) is a group of professionals that shares an expertise and is bound by a common mission or purpose. Members identify with the group's expertise and seek to enhance their own. Unlike teams or workgroups, they are not bound by a fixed project, agenda, or set of deliverables. They produce and share knowledge -- news, information, insights, resources and best practices.

"A CoP is a special type of informal network that emerges from a desire to work more effectively or to understand work more deeply among members of a particular specialty or work group. At the simplest level, CoPs are small groups of people who've worked together over a period of time and through extensive communication have developed a common sense of purpose and a desire to share work-related knowledge and experience." 1

CoPs may exist within organizations or stretch across organizational boundaries.

The CH2M HILL Risk Assessment Community of Practice (CoP) is a group of around 50 risk assessment practitioners who deliver risk assessment (ecological and human health) services and solutions to CH2M HILL clients.

What is a Weblog?

"A weblog, or “blog” for short, is a kind of website or a part of a website. It is usually, but not always, run by a single person and they publish bits of writing on the weblog fairly frequently — maybe a few times each day, or once a day, or less often. These bits of writing, perhaps called “entries” or “posts,” generally appear on the front page of the weblog in reverse chronological order, that is, with the newest entry at the top of the page, with older entries progressively further down. Entries of a certain age often disappear from the front page but all entries are ususally archived on separate pages, perhaps organised by date or topic, for posterity.

Entries are usually fairly short, maybe a sentence or a paragraph, but can be much longer. Entries might be written about other websites or entries on other websites, including links to them, but they might also be the author’s thoughts on events, politics, their own life… anything." 2

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1: John Sharp. March 1997. Communities of Practice: A Review of the Literature http://www.tfriend.com/cop-lit.htm

2: Phil Gyford

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This is a test.

EPA says old people worth less.

[Source: Faultline's California Econews Roundup]

{The original link to this story is busted.}

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among other things, John Graham hopes to determine which regulations deliver the biggest bang for the buck."

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Mike Bedan (work):

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Mike Bedan:
Testing...

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Mike Bedan (work):
Post from Groove...

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Never walk without a document in your hands

People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they're heading for the canteen. People with a newspaper in their hand look like they're heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

Use computers to look busy

Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren't exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they're not bad either. When you get caught by your boss - and you will get caught - your best defense is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training expenses.

Messy desk
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we're not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year's work looks the same as today's work; it's volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your desk, bury the document you'll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

Voice Mail
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don't call you just because they want to give you something for nothing - they call because they want you to do work for them. That's no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they're not there - it looks like you're hardworking and conscientious even though you're being a devious weasel.

Looking Impatient and Annoyed
Always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy.

Leave the office late
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read but have no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past the boss' room on your way out. Send important emails at unearthly hours (e.g. 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc.) and during public holidays.

Creative Sighing for Effect
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.

Stacking Strategy
It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor etc. (thick computer manuals are the best).

Build Vocabulary
Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don't have to understand what you say, but you will sound impressive.

Have two jackets
If you work in a big open plan office, always leave a spare jacket draped over the back of your seat. This gives the impression that you are still on the premises. The second jacket should be worn while swanning around elsewhere.

MOST IMPORTANT
DON'T forward this to your boss by mistake.

[Source: Unknown]

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Test 4

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Risk Assessment. HH and Eco. Testing, Testing, 1,2,3...

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Test #2

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This is a test. Only a test...

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