Belonging and Community

UC Core Competencies - Building Relationships

  • Models, fosters, and promotes University of California Principles of Community. Demonstrates empathy and respect for all people regardless of differences; promotes fairness and equity. Cultivates, champions, embodies, embraces, and supports a sense of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

    • DEIB

    • Staff Orgs/Communities of Practice

    • Working with people who are different than you

    • Engaging others to make them feel valued and accepted

    • Maintaining goals of inclusion

    • Self-Awareness

    • Treating others with dignity, respect and equity

    • Value diverse people and ideas

    • Empowering team members to contribute ideas/achieve goals

    • Conflict resolution

Communities of Practice: The Missing Piece

Communities of practice are rising in popularity at organizations that seek to focus its members on a specific outcome while also having the added benefits of facilitating personal growth and fostering community. Encouraging communities of practice within the workplace directly addresses issues like organizational silos, duplication of work, and discouragement due to lack of support.

Ready to incorporate communities of practice in your workplace? Remember these key elements:

Create a safe environment where members are comfortable asking questions and exploring ideas Support...

How Social Learning is Transforming Professional Development

According to Wenger-Trayner, “Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.” Communities of practice are a key component of effective professional development because learning is a social activity.

There are three components of CoPs:

1. THE DOMAIN: Any CoP is defined by a common interest and focus. It is not just a group of people who like the same thing or have the same tastes—there is a shared...

How Social Learning Theory Works

Albert Bandura's social learning theory suggests that observation and modeling play a primary role in how and why people learn. Bandura's theory goes beyond the perception of learning being the result of direct experience with the environment. Learning, according to Bandura, can occur simply by observing others' behavior.

He explains in his 1977 book Social Learning Theory, "most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions, this coded...

Why Communities of Practice Are Important

Educational theorist Etienne Wenger proposed and established the concept of collaborative learning through reflection, inquiry, and practice in his 1998 book, Communities of Practice. Since then, communities of practice have become an acclaimed professional learning method due to its long-term and short-term benefits for both the individuals involved and the organization as a whole. As members of communities of practice develop enhanced skills such as networking and confidence, organizations will also gain value in retention of talent and innovation, among other benefits.

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People Skills for a Multicultural Workplace

Working in a cuturally diverse environment is a rewarding and fufilling professional experience that provides opportunities to expand your communication skills. Self-awareness and other practices, such as patience and understanding, are necessary qualities to have when working and thriving with colleagues in a multicultural workspace.

Learn more here.

Guide to Building Team Transparency

Encouraging and practicing team transparency means facilitating a trusting system of communication between organization members.

Use this guide to start building an open, skill-sharing team environment and better understand the context in which your direct reports work.

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Berkeley at Home

Berkeley at Home aims to foster community and bring the campus spirit home during social distancing, especially how to come together with teams and friends while maintaining that all-important physical distance. Our brand new variety show just aired - think of it as a weekly homeroom video for the campus community, featuring messages from Chancellor Carol Christ, news updates, cooking ideas, fitness tips and interviews with Berkeley’s brightest. Check out the first episode...

As A Leader, Political Savvy Is NOT About Being Political

Organizational politics can be difficult to navigate as a leader. However, it is necessary to understand how to best ensure that the organization runs smoothly by developing a set of leadership skills such as being able to analyze a conflict and building partnerships.

Read more about being politically savvy here.

5 Ways to Become Politically Savvy at Work

You don't have to run for President to play politics. You can do it right at work. Office politics is a real game in every organization and you can win by learning the rules of being politically savvy.

Learn more here.

My UC Career

This online development portal is available to all UC faculty, academic personnel, staff and students seeking to advance their career. Six self-paced modules help users discover their internal UC career mobility options, highlight accomplishments and identify how they can achieve their career goals within UC.

Registering for an account provides instant access to the following six self-paced modules:

Begin Career Discovery Job Search Resume Tell Your Story Network and Research Pre and Post Interview

Learn more about these modules...