Michele I really like this distinction you are making between profession and craft in philanthropic practice. I agree with you that there is much about foundation practice that is more customized and relationship-oriented, guided by a specific foundation's culture and history. Of course craft and profession cannot be separated entirely. A foundation guild just as the medieval guilds would have norms and specified levels of expertise. But the idea that craft is more relational or individually (even client?) centred certainly applies in my experience of how individual foundations operate. I do think that craft assumes a level of expertise and that has to be acquired through learning and experience. What many if not most staffed foundations still do not pay enough attention to in my view is the shaping and prioritization of learning. Foundations can be explicitly mindful about their learning by adopting learning agendas, setting aside time for learning, and incorporating learning into their daily practice. Would love to see more examples of this.
Hilary, thanks so much for this reflection and comment. I absolutely agree on the learning agenda, and I'd add a reflecting agenda! The guild would still provide apprenticeship and training. The risk is always that the expert doesn't quite transfer their knowledge to continue the guild over time. Ego can be excessive in all settings.
Much of foundation work is, I believe, as Donald Schön described: knowing-in-action, reflection-in-action. The challenge is in stopping the action to capture the knowledge and then treating it as such. I'm struck by Sennett's dichotomy of examples, too - of building institutions to appreciate craft and learning, and those that have tried to be perfect, mechanical, and nail it on the first try, etc. There is a slowness, reflectiveness and timelessness to craft, which, running the risk of sounding overly romantic or idealistic, I think fits or could fit foundation work.
I would love a conversation about if, where and how this learning/reflection is happening. It's different than professional development, or at least has a different quality to it.
Michele I really like this distinction you are making between profession and craft in philanthropic practice. I agree with you that there is much about foundation practice that is more customized and relationship-oriented, guided by a specific foundation's culture and history. Of course craft and profession cannot be separated entirely. A foundation guild just as the medieval guilds would have norms and specified levels of expertise. But the idea that craft is more relational or individually (even client?) centred certainly applies in my experience of how individual foundations operate. I do think that craft assumes a level of expertise and that has to be acquired through learning and experience. What many if not most staffed foundations still do not pay enough attention to in my view is the shaping and prioritization of learning. Foundations can be explicitly mindful about their learning by adopting learning agendas, setting aside time for learning, and incorporating learning into their daily practice. Would love to see more examples of this.
Hilary, thanks so much for this reflection and comment. I absolutely agree on the learning agenda, and I'd add a reflecting agenda! The guild would still provide apprenticeship and training. The risk is always that the expert doesn't quite transfer their knowledge to continue the guild over time. Ego can be excessive in all settings.
Much of foundation work is, I believe, as Donald Schön described: knowing-in-action, reflection-in-action. The challenge is in stopping the action to capture the knowledge and then treating it as such. I'm struck by Sennett's dichotomy of examples, too - of building institutions to appreciate craft and learning, and those that have tried to be perfect, mechanical, and nail it on the first try, etc. There is a slowness, reflectiveness and timelessness to craft, which, running the risk of sounding overly romantic or idealistic, I think fits or could fit foundation work.
I would love a conversation about if, where and how this learning/reflection is happening. It's different than professional development, or at least has a different quality to it.