Governance in Action

In communities of practice ecosystems, governance is essential as it defines a regulatory framework that facilitates decision-making, provides clarity and transparency in processes, and serves as a strategic guide for actions and projects.

MetaDocencia collaboratively built its governance framework in 2022 and refined it with a “2.0” version in 2023 and 2024. However, despite anticipating various scenarios, unexpected situations are always possible. When an organization’s critical operations are affected by unforeseen events that compromise its functioning, it is wise to implement temporary resolution mechanisms that allow it to remain operational without compromising clarity and transparency in decision-making.

Due to force majeure, MetaDocencia faced an unforeseen challenge that required the urgent creation of mechanisms to temporarily fill the role of the Advisory Committee Chair, a key figure in decision-making and community guidance.

This post explains how our governance responded with agility and impeccable agreements to address this situation.

Versatility

All adaptation and reconfiguration processes in abrupt change scenarios test the flexibility and strength of relationships. Iterations and consensus-building efforts between the team and the Advisory Committee were key to ensuring that decision-making remained transparent and aligned with the community’s guiding principles and commitments.

The MetaDocencia team, in collaboration with the Advisory Committee, defined the following criteria to implement a temporary selection and appointment mechanism for the Chair of the Advisory Committee:

- Experience in MetaDocencia: Extensive knowledge of MetaDocencia’s work, operations, and community. - Time Availability: Dedicating at least 20 hours per week to MetaDocencia. - Compliance with Governance Criteria: Understanding, accepting, and complying with the existing requirements for this position as established in MetaDocencia’s governance.

Additionally, one of the documented governance requirements specifies that the person assuming the role of the Advisory Committee Chair must also be part of the Management Team. Thus, it was necessary to create mechanisms for incorporating individuals as interim members of the Management Team.

Moreover, the statuses of temporary absence, prolonged absence, vacancy, and administrative times were established. These statuses provide a precise and expedited framework to ensure the organization’s operational continuity. The procedure’s clarity also allows community members to understand how each situation will be managed, reducing uncertainty and reinforcing stability in the face of change processes.

It was crucial to adapt the governance and create an annex detailing the consensus reached, documenting adjustments to the pre-existing agreements while ensuring the autonomy of the Advisory Committee and guaranteeing a smooth transition and effective decision-making.

It’s important to highlight that throughout this process, the resilience and commitment of the MetaDocencia team were crucial in overcoming challenges. When faced with the need to add new members to the Management Team, Paz Míguez and Jesica Formoso accepted the proposal and assumed the role without hesitation. At the same time, the Advisory Committee members, Romina Pendino, María Inés Fariello, Eunice Mercado Lara, and Emmanuel Iarussi, increased their hours to generate the necessary documentation in record time. The rapid implementation of temporary mechanisms and the ability to adapt to new circumstances not only allowed the organization to maintain its operations but also strengthened the team’s cohesion and confidence in our governance.

In this regard, our value of versatility was the team’s best ally, as it enabled one of MetaDocencia’s members to temporarily take on the vacant role, thus ensuring our day-to-day operations.

We are navigating this process with the awareness that we still have a way to go, but we recognize that adapting to complex situations is an essential part of the learning journey. This collective effort has shown that even in times of uncertainty, collaboration and sense of community can transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Acknowledgments

This publication was made possible thanks to a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7386372), NASA grants 80NSSC23K0854 (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8215455), 80NSSC23K0857 (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8250978), and 80NSSC23K0861 (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8212072), and grant DAF2021-239366 and subsidy DOI https://doi.org/10.37921/522107izqogv from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (Funder DOI 10.13039/100014989), and the grant “Open Cloud Collaborative Project for Latin America and Africa (the Catalyst Project)” from the same funder (DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8431422).

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This is the quote that we recommend you use to reference it: Romina Pendino, Eunice Mercado Lara, María Inés Fariello, Jesica Formoso, Laura Ación, Paz Míguez (2024). Governance in Action. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13887928