The answers of respondents on training needs and knowledge development are interesting. The vast majority of knowledge is acquired mainly in informal circles. Knowledge is mainly developed by gaining practical experience: for 81 percent of respondents this is an important source of knowledge development. 69 percent of respondents develop knowledge by reading blogs and articles in the field of community management and 61 percent are inspired by other communities. Only 19 percent of respondents develop knowledge by following courses, seminars and training.
knowledge development
The need for knowledge development is also largely in informal circles: 64 percent of respondents indicate that they need more knowledge exchange with colleagues and experts. It is striking that a relatively small percentage (26%) of respondents indicate that they need more seminars, courses and training within the field.
knowledge development need
Conclusion: we are quite professional
The results of the survey among 94 community managers show that we in the Netherlands are already professionally engaged in the profession. Communities are initiated business-wise, we talk about specific functions and roles with regard to community management. Community managers think clearly about tasks and responsibilities and are actively engaged in knowledge development.
Considerable growth of the field possible
At the same time, the survey shows that there is still considerable room for growth within the field. From business-initiated communities, it is clearly visible that the link between external and internal goals can be improved. Community managers generally still have a strong focus on the outside, while there is also a responsibility to internal organizations in the area of results and support.
Communities are generally still small and the impact is still relatively limited. The accountability for more strategic objectives can be further developed. The vision of community managers on tasks and responsibilities seems to vary greatly, while there is a clear description of the tasks and responsibilities that are necessary (both internally and externally) to make communities successful. Broadening the field of work and the associated knowledge and skills of community managers is therefore a point of attention for the future.
Should the subject area be credited?
Knowledge development still mainly takes place in an informal setting. This will brother cell phone list remain an important source, but the limited use of formal knowledge development through training and courses, as well as the seemingly limited need for it, argues for a stronger focus on professional training and perhaps even crediting of the field.
Background of the research
With 94 respondents (of the estimated 400+ community managers in the Netherlands) we tried to ensure the representativeness of the research as much as possible. In addition, there are a number of large (successful) business communities in the Netherlands that are not represented in the research by the responsible community managers. However, the results of the research should mainly be interpreted as indicative. With the results we hope to contribute to the importance and support for the field.
Thanks to Melle Gloerich for his support with the research.
Illustration intro courtesy of Fotolia. This article was previously published on Communitymanagers.nl
- Board index
- All times are UTC
- Delete cookies
- Contact us