October 2008, Jerusalem

From October 28-29, 12 senior Jewish professionals based in Israel, the United States, Europe and the FSU came together in Jerusalem for the second of a series of three seminars designed to build a “community of practice” – a group of committed people with an interest in sharing and developing their expertise in, and knowledge of the practice of a certain topic, in order to perform their tasks at a qualitatively high level.

The Jerusalem seminar built directly on the learning which had taken place the previous June in Oxford, and, in the intervening months, through a series of structured conversations and virtual work groups. Working closely with the facilitator, Dr. Janine Nahapiet of the University of Oxford, participants utilized their real-life experiences in managing partnerships for the JDC in order to shed light on common challenges and potential strategies.

During the final sessions, participants identified a series of tools—from templates for managing the creation of a partnership, to an interactive programme for “mapping” an external relationship—which could not only help to cement their learning, but enable others within the organization to better understand and manage their partnerships. Working groups were created to begin developing these in advance of the third and final seminar.

June 2008, Yarnton Manor

From June 2-4, 12 senior Jewish professionals based in Israel, the United States, Europe and the FSU came together in Oxford for the first of a series of three seminars designed to build a “community of practice” – a group of committed people with an interest in sharing and developing their expertise in, and knowledge of the practice of a certain topic, in order to perform their tasks at a qualitatively high level.

The topic we chose to explore was “partnership” – what it is, when it works, models of effective practice and some of the core principles that underpin the concept. The goal of the seminar series is both to deepen participants’ understanding of how and when partnerships work, and to improve their professional practice through becoming part of a community that engages in serious reflection and thought. The seminar was facilitated by Dr. Janine Nahapiet of Templeton College, Oxford, and in the first stage of the process, she helped participants to understand some key central concepts – social capital, intellectual capital, knowledge management and collaboration.

The group is continuing to work together on an on-going basis, and the second seminar in the series will take place in Israel in October 2008.

October 2007, Yarnton Manor

From the field to the boardroom and across the globe, the work of Jewish professionals increasingly requires and involves the building of partnerships: with communal leaders and institutions, with other agencies and with donors. Better understanding the nature and potentialities of partnerships is vital not only to our daily activities but to our strategic choices for the future.

Held between October 8 and October 10, this seminar attracted professionals from three continents. Together they explored the practical as well the theoretical dimensions of partnership, examining values and definitions, questions of management, and how partnerships can and do operate in real-life contexts.

The first segment, facilitated by Dr. Janine Nahapiet of Templeton College, Oxford, examined the principles and realities of partnerships. Dr. Nahapiet, a recognized expert in organizational strategy, drew on a wide array of examples to explore models and principles of partnership, as well as characteristics of best practice in their creation and management.

The second segment, led by Professor Rafael Ramirez, a Fellow of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and Templeton College and a veteran consultant and management educator, utilized case studies prepared and presented by seminar participants to discuss in detail how partnerships operate within and among Jewish institutions.

March 2007, Yarnton Manor

From March 26 to March 28, senior Jewish professionals from southern and eastern Europe, the FSU and Israel joined together to learn and debate under the guidance of two leading professors from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.

The first module of the seminar was conducted by Dr. Marc Ventresca, a top researcher and consultant in the field of social entrepreneurship. His sessions investigated how business concepts—including networks and innovation—could be utilized in the non-for-profit sphere. In the second module, Professor Rafael Ramirez employed his management expertise to facilitate the analysis of several case studies on Jewish social entrepreneurship.

Sept. 2006, Yarnton Manor

This Seminar brought senior professionals from Israel, Latin America, Romania and the Moslem republics of the Former Soviet Union, among others, to Yarnton Manor.

It was conducted by senior faculty from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and from HEC Paris.

The first segment, led by Prof. Gilles Amado (HEC Paris), analyzed organizational change processes through the Transitional Approach to Change. The second segment, conducted by Professor Rafael Ramírez, focused on community professionals as agents of change and drew heavily on participants’ case study material to link theory with the practical reality of the Jewish communal context.

April 2006, Yarnton Manor

In April, a seminar targeting top fund-raising professionals was held at Yarnton Manor. The seminar included participants from Israel, Europe, Latin America and the United States.

The seminar was designed and conducted by Professor Rafael Ramirez and Dr. Marc Thompson. Professor Rafael Ramirez teaches Strategic Management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and has consulted for an array of public and private enterprises on management-related issues. A fellow member of the faculty at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Dr. Marc Thompson teaches executive education programs, working with a broad range of international organizations.

Jan. 2006, Yarnton Manor

This seminar brought senior professionals from Europe, Latin America, Israel, and United States to Oxford for a three-day academic training session under the instruction of Dr. Michael Barzelay and Professor Rafael Ramirez, two of the most recognized experts in the field today.

Dr. Michael Barzelay is a leading specialist in Management for the Public Sector at the London School of Economics and a former faculty member of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Professor Rafael Ramirez teaches Strategic Management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and has consulted for an array of public and private enterprises on management-related issues.

Sept. 2005, Yarnton Manor

This seminar addressed a group of senior professionals from 13 countries, including Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Tunisia and Israel.

The seminar was conducted by Dr. Michael Barzelay, a specialist in Management for the Public Sector from the London School of Economics and Political Science and former faculty member of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and Professor Rafael Ramirez, professor of Strategic Management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, known as England’s leading business school.

Sept. 2005, Yarnton Manor

In September 2005, JDC-ICCD hosted a group of professionals and lay leaders from Moscow and St Petersburg. The Russian group participated in a five-day program combining visits to a variety of Jewish organizations in the London area with a retreat in Oxford. During facilitated sessions at Yarnton Manor, participants analyzed the models and ideas they had encountered and reflected on potential applications in their own work.