How do we thrive in a hyper-connected, complex world?
An afternoon of conversation with David Gurteen
There was a great start to this Zoom meeting. David Gurteen gave some simple guidance to participants so we could all Zoom smoothly. It was great best practice demo. We are all becoming good at Zoom but simple guidance on how to set the visuals, and mute the sound is a wise precaution to make sure we are all competent with the medium. He also set out how the seminar would be scheduled, with breakout groups and plenaries. It was to be just like a NetIKX seminar in the BDA meeting room, even though it was totally different! I felt we were in very safe hands, as David was an eary adopter of Zoom, but still recognizes that new people will benefit by clarity of what works best. Well done David.
The introduction set the scene for the content of our café. We were looking at how we live in a hyper-connected complex rapidly evolving world. David outlined many dimensions to this connectedness, including transport changes, internet, social media, global finances…
In his view; over the last 75 years this increased connectivity has led to massive complexity, and today we can conceive of two worlds – an old world before the Second World War and a new world that has emerged since 1945. Not only are our technological systems complex, but we human beings are immensely complex, non-rational, emotional creatures full of cognitive biases. This socio-technical complexity together with our human complexity has resulted in a world that is highly volatile, unpredictable, confusing, and ambiguous. Compare the world now, with the locally focused world that dominated the pre-war years.
Furthermore, this complexity is accelerating as we enter the fourth industrial revolution in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the way we live and work. Our 20th-century ways of thinking about the world and our old command and control, hierarchical ways of working no longer serve us well in this complex environment.
Is it true that if we wish to thrive, we need to learn to see the world in a new light, think about it differently, and discover better ways in which to interact and work together?
Break out groups
With practiced expertise, David set us up into small break-out groups that discussed the talk so far. Did we agree, or feel continuity was a stronger thread than change. Then we swapped groups to take the conversation on further.
Leadership
After the break-out groups, David looked at the two linked ideas behind Conversational Leadership. He had some wonderful quotes about leadership. Was the old control and lead model gone? Do leaders have to hold a specific role, or can we all give leadership when the opportunity is there? Of course, David provided examples of this, but perhaps after the seminar a very powerful example stands out – the 22 year old footballer changing the mind of a government with an 80 seat majority! You don’t need to have the expected ‘correct’ label to be a powerful leader.
Conversation
We also looked at the other element: talking underpins how we work together. Using old TV clips and quotes, David urged us to consider how we communicate with each other, and if there is scope to change the world through talking? Again, there was plenty of food for thought as we consider new ideas such as ‘unconscious bias’, ‘media bubbles’, ‘fake news’ and the global reach of social media.
We then broke into small groups again, to take the conversation further, using David’s talk as a stimulus.
Plenary.
At the end of the break-out groups, we re-joined as a mass of faces smiling out of the screen, ready to share our thoughts. It is a wonderful thing, when you make a point to see heads nodding across the Zoom squares. I recommend this to anyone who has not tried it!!!
Some themes emerged from the many small group chats. One was the question of the fundamental nature of change. Was our world so different when the humans within it remain very much the same? We looked very briefly at what we think human nature is and whether it remains a constant despite the massively different technology we use on a daily basis. Even if humans are the same fallible clay, the many practical ways we can now communicate gives us much more potential to hear and be heard.
We also considered the role of trust. In our workplaces, trust often seems to be in short supply, but it is a key to leaders taking on authority without becoming authoritarian. The emphasis on blame culture and short-term advangabe has to be countered with building genuine trust.
Is there potential for self-governing teams? The idea sounds inviting but would not ensure good leadership or sharing of ideas. The loudest voice might still monopolise attention. And with some justification, as not everyone wants to be pro-active. Some prefer to follow as their choice, and others like to take part but balk at the tedium of talking through every minute decision! This idea may have potential, but we agreed it would not be a panacea.
We did agree that roles and rules could be positive to help give shape to our working lives, but that they need not constrict our options to lead when the time comes. And we can see the leadership role that our professional calling suggests. With so many new information channels, so many closed groups and so many conflicting pressures, as information or knowledge professionals, we can take a leadership role in helping and supporting our chosen groups of very human work colleagues to understand and thrive in this complex and evolving world. Conversational Leadership should be one of the tools we take away to enable our work with colleagues.
Final Notes:
The NetIKX team.
NetIKX is a community of interest based around Knowledge and Information Professionals. We run 6 seminars each year and the focus is always on top quality speakers and the opportunity to network with peers. We are delighted that the Lockdown has not stopped our seminars taking place and expect to take Zoom with us when we leave lockdown! You can find details of how to join the lively NetIKX community on our Members page.
Our Facilitator
David Gurteen is a writer, speaker, and conversational facilitator. The focus of his work is Conversational Leadership – a style of working where we appreciate the power of conversation and take a conversational approach to the way that we connect, relate, learn and work with each other. He is the creator of the Knowledge Café – a conversational process to bring a group of people together to learn from each other, build relationships and make a better sense of a rapidly changing, complex, less predictable world. He has facilitated hundreds of Knowledge Cafés and workshops in over 30 countries around the world over the past 20 years. He is also the founder of the Gurteen Knowledge Community – a global network of over 20,000 people in 160 countries. Currently, he is writing an online book on Conversational Leadership. You can join a Knowledge Café if you consult his website.
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January 2021 Seminar: Managing Knowledge in Project Environments
/in Corporate knowledge and information management, Events 2021, Organisational K and IM: project management, Previous Events/by Rob RossetSummary
This meeting was about Knowledge Management which is widely practised in project environments, but not always recognised as such. What is recognised as knowledge management is often information management – and tends to be treated a series of unconnected activities.
Members joined us to find out where knowledge management has been hiding, and how to use knowledge management thinking to solve common project problems.
Speaker
Our speaker was Judy Payne. Judy is a management consultant – she is a Director of Hemdean Consulting – and an academic – BPP University, Associate Faculty, Business and Law Schools. She was formerly a director of the Henley KM Forum and preceded that by being Visiting Executive Fellow where she undertook research, supervision of MBA dissertation students and occasional teaching.
The focus of her work is on KM and organisational learning – how to get people to work together effectively and efficiently to get things done, to come up with new ideas, to make better decisions and generally make the very best use of what they know. In practice, she runs workshops and undertakes consultancy assignments. The former involves designing and facilitating the workshop itself, the latter involves several months work.
She is Chair of the BSI Knowledge Management Standards Committee. She is Co-Chair of Knowledge SIG – Association for Project Management. Her mission is to open up project management thinking to knowledge management. She has a 1st Class Honours Degree in Water Resources and Computer Science from Aston University. She has a PhD in Sustainable Urban Drainage, also from Aston University. She has an MBA from Henley Management College.
Time and Venue
This was a Zoom meeting held on Thursday 21st January 2021 at 2:30 pm.
Slides
No slides available
Tweets
#netikx108
Blog
See our blog report: Managing Knowledge in Project Environments
Study Suggestions
None available at present
Blog for November 2020 Seminar: Framework and ISO standards for Collaboration, KM and Innovation
/in Netikx/by AlisonAt first glance it may seem counterintuitive to have standards for innovation and collaboration – these are, after all, things which many people perceive as happening organically and spontaneously: the myth of creativity as a ‘Eureka moment’ is still prevalent, despite evidence to the contrary. Standards are often viewed as being imposed by authority and making work processes more cumbersome and bureaucratic. In this seminar, Ron Young of Knowledge Associates outlined how standards can in fact provide a framework for creativity and innovation and how they can be applied within an organisation.
Ron began by outlining the need for standards in knowledge management, starting with the 1998 white paper on ‘UK competitiveness in the global knowledge-driven economy’, a high-level strategy for the UK which acknowledged that effective collaboration, co-creation, knowledge and innovation were difficult to copy and were therefore key to global competitiveness and sustainability. As humans, we like to collaborate and share, but trust needs to be in place for this to succeed. Trusted partnerships and a collaborative business model are vital. The development of blockchain technology is relevant here as it provides a decentralised trust model for the exchange of information. Ron reminded us that trusted systems are as important as trusted people.
The importance of collaboration was illustrated by a number of examples of international projects, ranging from the establishment of the first Europe-wide KM team in 1999, the first pan-European KM conference in 2000 and the first global KM community of practice in 2001, through to the publication of the global KM standard, ISO 30401 in 2018. This standard was also adopted by the European Space Agency as the basis for its knowledge management governance framework.
We then learned more about the published standards ISO 44001 (collaborative partnerships), ISO 30401 (knowledge management) and ISO 56002 (innovation management) as well as the way in which these, along with ISO 55001 (intangible asset management) and ISO 27001 (information security) all fit together to form a common framework for knowledge- and information-driven thought leadership. Knowledge asset management (the ‘Internet of Assets’) is fundamental to achieving organisational objectives, but ethical considerations are also crucial, especially as we enter a world dominated by artificial intelligence. This has been recognised by the IEEE in their work on ethically aligned design. Ron pointed out that all ISO standards now ensure that the principles of the standard are embedded in the standard itself. As technologies, processes and people all change over time, principles remain the same and provide a reminder of why we are ‘doing’ KM. We need to make sure that knowledge is transformative and strategic and to build a ‘virtuous spiral’ of knowledge.
As is traditional at NetIKX seminars, the talk was followed by syndicate sessions (replicated in Zoom by breakout rooms) during which we discussed the issues covered in Ron’s presentation, including our own experiences of using and applying standards, the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and the importance of keeping the ‘human in the loop’ in KM processes in which algorithms and machine learning are incorporated. We were all impressed by the way in which Ron made a potentially dry subject so interesting and relevant to everyday KM practice.
Rob Rossett
November 2020 Seminar: The framework and ISO standards for Collaboration, KM and Innovation and how these might be integrated into your organisation
/in Events 2020, Knowledge and information organisation and modelling, Previous Events, Protecting information and knowledge, Uncategorised/by Rob RossetSummary
This seminar, affectionately know as the Two Ronnie’s show, aimed to introduce the Five dimensions Framework of Collaboration, Knowledge and Innovation. They gave an overview of the collaboration, knowledge management and innovation published standards ISO44001, ISO 30401, ISO 56002. This was of great interest to the gathered crowd by establishing the relationships there. They then tackled how it would be valuable to do more to integrate these into a more interdependent, holistic and integrated management system. They talked about the relevance of systems thinking. This was followed by some break out sessions where people could have focused discussions on the issues raised. The meeting finished with a summary from the two Rons.
Speakers
Ron Young is the founder of Knowledge Associates International, a knowledge management consulting and solutions group based at St Johns Innovation Centre, Cambridge U.K. He is acknowledged as a leading international expert and thought leader in strategic knowledge asset management and innovation. He specializes in knowledge driven results for organizations. He advised and assisted the UK DTI Innovation Unit in the production of the UK Government White Paper ‘UK Competitiveness in the Knowledge Driven Economy’ (1999).
He regularly provides keynote presentations and workshops at leading knowledge management and innovation conferences around the world. He has chaired for several years both the British Standards Institute (BSI) Knowledge Management Standards Committee and the European Knowledge Management Standards Committee.
He is a visiting lecturer for international business administration and global knowledge economy programs. He runs regular Knowledge Asset Management master classes at King’s College Cambridge University, UK. He is a consultant for the World Bank, Washington, USA, and for the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Brussels.
He is currently developing knowledge management strategies and knowledge management & innovation conferences around the world. He has chaired for several years both the British Standards Institute (BSI) Knowledge Management Standards Committee and the European systems, and advising and assisting major multi-national corporations, international UN agencies, National governments, military, security, and professional institutions around the world. He was a lead consultant for the European Commission 2 Million euro ‘Know-Net’ project. He has joint authored seven books. His hobbies are flying, music, yoga and meditation, travel and philosophy.
Knowledge Associates – leverage the world’s knowledge (knowledge-associates.com)
Ron Donaldson is a self-employed knowledge ecologist working with methods and ideas from a range of disciplines such as problem solving, open innovation design thinking, collaborative community building through to using narrative frameworks to communicate complex ideas. He works closely with the Cognitive Edge project. Ron is a member of the NetIXK Committee and supports speakers at our seminars.
Time and Venue
November 26th at 2:30 pm on the Zoom platform. This is a virtual session.
Slides
Not available
Tweets
#netikx107
Blog
See our blog report: Framework and ISO standards for Collaboration, KM and Innovation
Study Suggestions
ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Information technology – Security techniques – Information security management systems – Requirements.
ISO 56001:2014 Asset Management
ISO 56002:2019 Innovation Management – Innovation Management System – Guidance
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Implementation Guide
ISO 44001:2017 Collaborative Business Relationship Management
ISO 30401:2018 Knowledge Management Systems – Requirements
Also a useful site for KM writing: http://www.nickmilton.com/2020/10/what-is-4th-enabler-forknowledge.html Nick Milton is a director of ‘Knoco’ an international firm of Knowledge Management Consultants. His website is a cornucopia of KM material. Incidentally, the ‘4th enabler’ for KM is ‘governance’.
The Systemic Design Group may be of interest: https//www.systemicdesign.group/empathy-talks/
Blog for October 2020 Seminar: Information as an Asset and the Hawley Report
/in Netikx/by AlisonIn 1995, a ground-breaking report, Information as an Asset: the Board Agenda (which came to be known as The Hawley Report) was published. This report called for a recognition of corporate information as a strategic asset and laid out the responsibilities of boards to identify their information assets and to ensure that these are managed appropriately and deployed to best advantage. It was developed by a group led by Robert Hawley, the CEO of Nuclear Electric, and aimed firmly at boards and senior executives. The report itself disappeared from view for several years after publication, but it remained an important milestone in corporate knowledge and information management.
In 2017, CILIP and KPMG launched a joint programme of work to plan and deliver an updated version, which was published in February 2019 as Information as an Asset: today’s board agenda’. This was based on a survey of over 540 respondents who gave insights into their respective organisations. The authors noted several developments in the field since the original Hawley report, including the importance of AI, text and data analytics, machine learning, and robotics; the development of systems which learn faster than humans; the growth of ‘big data’; the increasing need to protect information assets; and the socio-political climate around recognition of the value and management of personal data. In early March 2020, a further report, ‘The Edge of Intelligence’, was published by the Financial Times.
Twenty-five years on from the original Hawley Report, the information landscape has changed considerably, but the need to manage information as a corporate asset is arguably greater than ever.
NetIKX was pleased to welcome Stephen Phillips, an information professional whose experience spans over 30 years and includes having been Global Head of Business Services at a leading investment bank, to provide an overview of Hawley’s legacy and the subsequent developments within corporate knowledge and information management. Stephen took us through the key themes of the three reports and posed the question of how organisations are dealing with the current COVID-19 crisis in addition to those challenges already facing them pre-pandemic. Key findings of Dell’s recent Digital Transformation Index emphasised the importance of knowledge sharing, extraction of insights from data, skills in data analysis and related disciplines and the need to make business decisions based on data in real time. This survey was undertaken in July and August 2020, so reflected concerns raised by the COVID-19 pandemic more closely.
Although some issues raised in the Digital Transformation Index are specifically related to the current crisis – such as lack of economic growth and the need for increased cybersecurity due to home working – the key themes from The Edge of Intelligence remain relevant.
Stephen went on to explore these four themes, which reflect the areas where most companies lack confidence about their competencies – limited horizon scanning, ‘lost in translation’ (bridging the gap between data science and operational expertise), technical failure, and ‘data without democracy’ (sharing market intelligence across functions). In the 2019 Information as an Asset report, market research was consistently viewed as the most reliable source of intelligence, but there are signs that this may be shifting – particularly in light of the growing importance of AI and the Internet of Things (IoT). The McKinsey COVID Response Center has produced a set of response tools for business leaders which highlight the importance of talent (a factor which was notably ranked low in responses to the FT survey) and supply-chain resilience, as well as cybersecurity and the need to re-evaluate analytics models.
Drawing on the information from these sources, Stephen then invited us to consider a proposed set of priorities for what has come to be called ‘the new normal’:
* accelerated decision-making
* horizon-scanning
* data deluge
* talent
* democratising data
* insight
* intelligence and knowledge
* ethics and integrity
This formed the basis for discussion in the breakout sessions, where we shared our own views and experiences of issues such as the risks of decision-making based on algorithms, the increased role of social media in sharing information (or disinformation!) and the continued need for us as information professionals to convince others of the commercial value of knowledge and information management. As we navigate the ‘new normal’ – whatever that may turn out to be – our skills are increasingly needed.
October 2020 Seminar: From Hawley to the Edge of Intelligence : the continuing evolution of Knowledge and Information Management to adapt to the new normal
/in Events 2020, Previous Events/by Rob RossetSummary
This seminar was all about the ‘Financial Times’ survey entitled ‘The edge of intelligence’ published in early March 2020. Stephen Phillips is a member of CILIP, the Library and Information Association, which worked with the ‘Financial Times’ to commission a survey of its readers. The purpose of this was to build a better understanding of their perception of knowledge and information management. This exercise followed on from the release in 2019, of ‘Information as an Asset’, an update of an earlier report from the mid-1990s issued by the Hawley Committee. NetIKX has always been deeply involved with this work and therefore wanted to provide an overview of the new report and how it had developed from the previous Hawley Report. Stephen also discussed the ‘Key findings of Dell’s recent Digital Transformation Index’ which emphasised the importance of knowledge sharing, extraction of insights from data, skills in data analysis and related disciplines and the need to make business decisions based on data in real time.
The seminar therefore gave the audience an opportunity to reflect on the key findings of the survey and then discuss the practical ways that Knowledge and Information Managers can help their organisations going forward, through the pandemic, constantly maintaining and building on their success.
Speaker:
Stephen Phillips is the owner of Smart IM Ltd which he has created following on from a highly successful thirty year career in the financial services industry where he developed and implemented KM and IM strategy, 3rd party data sourcing and management and onshore/offshore staffing models. He has a track record of innovative use of technology to shape and manage workflows, 3rd party inventory, entitlements, credentials and usage tracking, machine translation and KM platforms. Smart IM provides strategic support to deliver these capabilities, including research, information and knowledge management solutions.
Stephen believes that world class Knowledge and Information Management enables good decision making and competitive advantage. Organisations can be helped to address four strategic imperatives : to increase revenues; to reduce costs; to mitigate risks and to comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
Stephen is 2021 Conference Chair for SLA Europe and Vice Chair of CILIP’s Knowledge and Information Management Member Network. He has previously served as President of the European Chapter of SLA and actively contributes to industry events and journals.
In his spare time, Stephen is a school trustee, he is a keen golfer, he likes to vacation in Portugal with his family and he enjoys long walks with Reggie, his Airedale terrier “discussing life, the universe and everything” …
Time and Venue
22nd October 2020 at 2:30 pm on the Zoom platform. This is a virtual session.
Slides
Will be made available after the session for members only.
Tweets
#netikx106
Blog
See our blog report: Information as an Asset and the Hawley Report
Study Suggestions
1995 Information as an Asset : the board agenda – https://cilip.org.uk/informationasset
2019 Information as an Asset Today’s board Agenda – https://cilip.org.uk/informationasset
2020 The Edge of Intelligence – https://intelligence.ft.com
Covid Impact on The Workplace – https://www.thebcfa.com/bcfa-covid-19-impact-survey
McKinsey : COVID Response Center – https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/covid-response-center/home
Dell Digital Transformation Index – https://www.delltechnologies.com/en-us/perspectives/digital-transformation-index.htm
Blog for the September 2020 Seminar: TRIZ
/in Netikx/by AlisonTRIZ (a Russian acronym for a phrase usually translated as ‘the theory of inventive problem-solving’) is not a well-known technique in knowledge and information management circles. It is the brainchild of Genrich Altshuller, an engineer, scientist, inventor and writer – who, incidentally, paid the price for his innovative thinking style by displeasing Stalin and consequently being sent to a labour camp. However, he used his experiences there to further refine his problem-solving techniques!
TRIZ is still most widely used in the engineering field, but the TRIZ principles are applicable to any kind of problems, not just technical ones.
Ron Donaldson, NetIKX committee member and TRIZ expert at Oxford Creativity, took us through the fundamentals of TRIZ in an intensive yet enjoyable seminar, enhanced by the wonderful cartoons of Clive Goddard. The TRIZ approach is based on the principle of analogous thinking – often we limit ourselves to the solutions found within our own area of expertise, whereas in fact we could apply solutions from other domains where similar problems have been faced. The advantage of this approach is that you learn to think conceptually and to view a problem in an abstract way, rather than becoming bogged down in detail.
But, given that most of us lack this breadth of knowledge, how do we access these creative solutions? Altshuller analysed 50,000 patent abstracts to identify how the innovation had taken place. From this he developed the essential TRIZ methodology: the concept of technical contradictions, the concept of ideality of a system, contradiction matrix and the 40 principles of invention. He also modelled creative thinking tools and techniques from observing creative people at work and uncovering patterns in their thinking.
At the heart of all problems requiring an inventive solution, there is a contradiction: for example, we want something that is both strong and lightweight, but how do we increase strength without also increasing weight? The existence of a contradiction does not mean you cannot solve a problem: Ron suggested that we need to ‘channel our inner Spice Girl’ and state what we ‘really, really want’ as there is usually a way of getting it without having to change anything!
Altshuller’s research identified three characteristics of creative people: they think without constraints; they think in time and scale, and they get everything they want. When you have identified your ideal outcome, you can work ‘backwards towards reality’.
One of the TRIZ tools is the contradictions matrix, which allows you to map the contradictions inherent in your problem and to identify inventive principles to solve them. We saw examples of the principles and how they can be used in different contexts: for example, principle 13 (The Other Way Round) could involve turning an object upside-down, or making the fixed parts moveable and the moving parts fixed. TRIZ also emphasises the importance of using the resources that you have, which supports sustainability and reuse.
Ron set us two questions to consider in the breakout sessions (which luckily, we were able to replicate effectively via Zoom!): how would you use TRIZ within knowledge management? and which bits of the session really inspired you? This led to a discussion ranging across the design of tin-openers, Altshuller’s science fiction stories and the challenges of applying inventive solutions in the public sector. It is safe to say that we were all intrigued by what we had learned and keen to explore further.
TRIZ is open source and is not copyrighted – so you can try out the toolkit for yourself. The contradictions matrix, the 40 principles and other tools are free to download from the Oxford Creativity site, where you can also sign up for free webinars on TRIZ. Give it a go and unleash your genius!
By Carlin Parry
Carlin’s LinkedIn web address is : https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlinparry/
September 2020 Seminar: TRIZ and how it can be applied to Knowledge and Information Management
/in Developing and exploiting information and knowledge, Events 2020, Previous Events/by Rob RossetSummary
This meeting introduced the little-known methodology with Russian origins, called TRIZ. Patterns that were uncovered while delving deep into the patents database during work in Russia revealed around 100 concepts, principles, and strategies that they believe will help to solve any problem. Ron has extensive experience using TRIZ in a huge range of different situations and brought his passion and expertise to pull together some fascinating examples of TRIZ being used in practical situations. After we had absorbed all the ideas he was explaining, we had wonderful networking sessions to discuss what might be relevant to our own work situations. Audience members left eager to see what they would apply on Monday morning, where Ron had assured us would have the capacity to think like a genius! It was a lively and productive session and even if we fail to deliver at genius level, we had certainly gained fascinating insights into a more systematic way of looking at the problem solving needed for complex situations.
Speaker
Ron Donaldson is a freelance Knowledge Ecologist. Ron has a strong environmental background that includes 21 years with English Nature and an Honours Degree in Combined Sciences.
Beginning his career in systems and process improvement he was drawn towards the anthropological, people and community aspects of knowledge management within which he gained quite a high profile speaking (and facilitating workshops) about the application of story telling and complexity thinking.
He now takes an ecological view of organisational change by placing emphasis on communities and the knowledge and ideas that flow within and between them. His approach to facilitation then creates the conditions for revealing and self-realising the sense made of the stories being told. All of this is done with a deep understanding of the unpredictable nature of complex systems and some of the latest thinking in the Cognitive Sciences.
In the last 10 years as a self-employed knowledge ecologist he has absorbed methods and ideas from an even wider range of disciplines from problem solving to open innovation design thinking, collaborative community building through to using narrative frameworks to communicate complex ideas.
He believes his strongest asset is having a foot in, and being accepted by, several very different networks, from environmental story tellers, engineers, conservationists and groups working for social change, and in doing so identifying and transferring the best insights between them.
Ron introduced us to the basic principles and insights behind TRIZ and then shared with us a couple of techniques for us to familiarize ourselves and apply during the syndicate session.
Time and Venue
30th September 2020 2:30pm on the Zoom platform. This is a virtual session.
Slides
Will be made available to members soon
Tweets
#netikx105
Blog
See our blog report: TRIZ
Study Suggestions
Study suggestions : It has already been mentioned but the most important area of study is the Oxford Creativity website at : https://www.triz.co.uk
This contains a cornucopia of information and resources and educational material, much of which is free of charge.
Other sites which carry selective examples of the TRIZ methodology are :
http://www.triz40.com/aff_Principles_TRIZ.php
http://www.triz40.com/aff_Matrix_TRIZ.php
The following paperbacks explain TRIZ in detail :
TRIZ for Engineers : Enabling Inventive Problem Solving by Karen Gadd.
Wiley, 2011. ISBN 978-0470741887. This is also available in a Kindle Edition.
TRIZ for Dummies by Lilly Haines-Gadd. For Dummies, 2016.
ISBN 978-1119107477. This is also available in a Kindle Edition and as an Audiobook.
Rob Rosset 13/10/2020
Blog for July 2020 Seminar: A Library during lockdown
/in Netikx, Uncategorised/by NetikxAntony Groves has been working at the University of Sussex for 15 years starting in a ‘front line’ role and continuing on into his current job where he is always talking to and supporting a lot of students at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. He is a member of CILIP and blogs for the Multi Media and Information Technology Group. Antony is a reflective practitioner and believes in making things happen. As of now there are two major priorities – proactively working towards making the UoS website accessible by the government deadline of September 23rd 2020 and reactively working to make the UoS website and services as useful as possible following the Covid19# lockdown in March.
Two key ideas – accessibility and usability. Accessibility can be straightforward things such as font size, change in colour and ensuring that the keyboard is operable. For more on accessibility https://www.jisc.ac.uk/accessibility
‘Strategic approaches to implementing accessibility’, more colloquially – ‘The Kent strategy slides’. 2019 saw over a million visits to the library website, 6,170 on the busiest day – Tuesday May 14th. There has been a shift (a pivot) from physical visits to digital space. The main focus is on the user.
At this time there is a rush to open things up after lockdown without necessarily thinking about who is coming through the door and what they want now. Doing updating and coding makes you ‘removed’ from the user. Government Design Principles are a good place to start – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-design-principles
Now this is for everyone. You start with ‘user needs’ and you design with data. You build ‘digital services’ not websites. Remember that ‘A service is something that helps people to do something’. Iterate, then iterate again. We began by speaking to the academic community and gathering feedback. Over 100 pieces of feedback were collected and grouped into four main themes: architecture, behaviour, content and labelling. Top tasks were identified (e.g. searching for and finding books, booking rooms, accessing an account) – https://www.alistapart.com/what-really-matters-focusing-on-top-tasks/
People mainly make use of a handful of tasks so develop these first.
Architecture – “Confusing having two types of navigation”.
Behaviour – “Have never used library search tabs”.
Content – “More photos of the library and more infographics”.
Labelling – “Skills hub should have a description mentioning academic skills”.
Design with data – We benchmarked with other institutions.
We looked at Google analytics – most/least viewed pages, along with bounce and exit rates. We ran ‘card sorts’ to determine site structure. We created user stories to help edit pages. This resulted in (two examples) – the new ‘Making your research available’ section has very low bounce and exit rates, and these have also dropped across the whole site indicating that people are finding what they expect to. The ‘Find a book in the library page’ had 6,785 views compared with 1,182 in the 2018 Autumn term when it was located in the ‘Using the Library’ section.
Iteration goes on and on. There is still much to ‘unpack’ and ‘improve’. User testing is currently being organised. Usage is being analysed to see which parts of the website are seeing fewer views and less engagement. Working with teams inside and outside the UoS Library to make the digital services as useful as they can be to our community.
When Covid19# hit the UK we considered carefully how to respond. We devised a three pronged approach : Pivot / Add / Hide. ‘The Pivot’ involved moving the library from a physical presence into a digital space. For example, study rooms were no longer available and room bookings were changed into zoom bookings. ‘The Add’ meant introducing new services. There is a ‘click and study service’ starting this week whereby individuals can book a study place. There is a ’click and collect service’ and ‘Library FAQ’s’ appropriate for the period of lockdown. ‘The Hide’ concerned removing information on the website that was no longer appropriate such as ‘Information for visitors’ Instead, we created a guide to ‘Open Access Items’ and a ‘Schools Guide’.
All this work has been recognised by a ‘Customer Service Excellence’ award.
Antony is pleased that the work of the UoS Library Staff has been recognised but he takes it with a ‘pinch of salt’ as he is intent on doing more ‘user testing’ and receiving much more feedback as well as talking to his community.
In conclusion, notification of the inspirer behind this approach to digital services – “Revisiting Ranganathan : Applying the Five Laws of Library Science to Inclusive Web Design”. Ten changes we’ve made to the library website since lockdown – www.mmitblog.wordpress.com
Rob Rosset 25/07/2020
July 2020 Seminar: Time critical user centred library web design
/in Corporate knowledge and information management, Events 2020, Organisational K and IM: library and archive management, Previous Events/by Rob RossetSummary
Antony Groves, from the University of Sussex gave a lively account of how his team have made ten changes to the library website since lockdown. He talked about benchmarking, user surveys and feedback and plenty of iterations to get things right.
They have had two aims: to make the site accessible to meet Government requirements and also to make the site as useful as possible during the lockdown period. This was a huge challenge in difficult circumstances, but the efforts were rewarded by a ‘Customer Service Excellence’ award. Antony gave us sufficient details to really bring home the challenges that were faced by librarians in the lockdown, particularly in the specific context of the range of users who needed resources for their study, research and their daily tasks. NetIKX members have commented on how valuable the session was for their own work in this area and there were plenty of questions to Antony to complete the session.
Speaker
Antony Groves is Learning & Teaching Librarian in the Academic Services department at the University of Sussex. He is the person who co-ordinates teaching for undergraduates and taught postgraduates across all schools of study. This includes embedded teaching, providing student support and organising the Digital Tuesday’s programme. He has developed the Library website, Library Subject Guides, Skills Hub and curated content for LinkedIn Learning; and supports students in using the Library resources and services. He also runs a Library chat service and also blogs for CILIP’s Multimedia Information and Technology Group.
He is a Fellow of the HEA and committee member for CILIPs MmIT.
Time and Venue
2.30 pm Wednesday 22 July 2020. Antony’s talk was delivered via Zoom.
Tweets
#netikx104
Slides
Slides will be available to members soon
Blog
See our blog report: A Library during lockdown
Study Suggestions
MMIT blog: https://mmitblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/16/revisiting-ranganathan-part-1
MMIT blog: https://mmitblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/revisiting-ranganathan-part-2
MMIT blog: https://www.visucius.org/2020/07/27/time-critical-user-centred-library-web-design/
Blog for May 2020: Gurteen knowledge cafe
/in Netikx, Uncategorised/by AlisonHow do we thrive in a hyper-connected, complex world?
An afternoon of conversation with David Gurteen
There was a great start to this Zoom meeting. David Gurteen gave some simple guidance to participants so we could all Zoom smoothly. It was great best practice demo. We are all becoming good at Zoom but simple guidance on how to set the visuals, and mute the sound is a wise precaution to make sure we are all competent with the medium. He also set out how the seminar would be scheduled, with breakout groups and plenaries. It was to be just like a NetIKX seminar in the BDA meeting room, even though it was totally different! I felt we were in very safe hands, as David was an eary adopter of Zoom, but still recognizes that new people will benefit by clarity of what works best. Well done David.
The introduction set the scene for the content of our café. We were looking at how we live in a hyper-connected complex rapidly evolving world. David outlined many dimensions to this connectedness, including transport changes, internet, social media, global finances…
In his view; over the last 75 years this increased connectivity has led to massive complexity, and today we can conceive of two worlds – an old world before the Second World War and a new world that has emerged since 1945. Not only are our technological systems complex, but we human beings are immensely complex, non-rational, emotional creatures full of cognitive biases. This socio-technical complexity together with our human complexity has resulted in a world that is highly volatile, unpredictable, confusing, and ambiguous. Compare the world now, with the locally focused world that dominated the pre-war years.
Furthermore, this complexity is accelerating as we enter the fourth industrial revolution in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things, robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the way we live and work. Our 20th-century ways of thinking about the world and our old command and control, hierarchical ways of working no longer serve us well in this complex environment.
Is it true that if we wish to thrive, we need to learn to see the world in a new light, think about it differently, and discover better ways in which to interact and work together?
Break out groups
With practiced expertise, David set us up into small break-out groups that discussed the talk so far. Did we agree, or feel continuity was a stronger thread than change. Then we swapped groups to take the conversation on further.
Leadership
After the break-out groups, David looked at the two linked ideas behind Conversational Leadership. He had some wonderful quotes about leadership. Was the old control and lead model gone? Do leaders have to hold a specific role, or can we all give leadership when the opportunity is there? Of course, David provided examples of this, but perhaps after the seminar a very powerful example stands out – the 22 year old footballer changing the mind of a government with an 80 seat majority! You don’t need to have the expected ‘correct’ label to be a powerful leader.
Conversation
We also looked at the other element: talking underpins how we work together. Using old TV clips and quotes, David urged us to consider how we communicate with each other, and if there is scope to change the world through talking? Again, there was plenty of food for thought as we consider new ideas such as ‘unconscious bias’, ‘media bubbles’, ‘fake news’ and the global reach of social media.
We then broke into small groups again, to take the conversation further, using David’s talk as a stimulus.
Plenary.
At the end of the break-out groups, we re-joined as a mass of faces smiling out of the screen, ready to share our thoughts. It is a wonderful thing, when you make a point to see heads nodding across the Zoom squares. I recommend this to anyone who has not tried it!!!
Some themes emerged from the many small group chats. One was the question of the fundamental nature of change. Was our world so different when the humans within it remain very much the same? We looked very briefly at what we think human nature is and whether it remains a constant despite the massively different technology we use on a daily basis. Even if humans are the same fallible clay, the many practical ways we can now communicate gives us much more potential to hear and be heard.
We also considered the role of trust. In our workplaces, trust often seems to be in short supply, but it is a key to leaders taking on authority without becoming authoritarian. The emphasis on blame culture and short-term advangabe has to be countered with building genuine trust.
Is there potential for self-governing teams? The idea sounds inviting but would not ensure good leadership or sharing of ideas. The loudest voice might still monopolise attention. And with some justification, as not everyone wants to be pro-active. Some prefer to follow as their choice, and others like to take part but balk at the tedium of talking through every minute decision! This idea may have potential, but we agreed it would not be a panacea.
We did agree that roles and rules could be positive to help give shape to our working lives, but that they need not constrict our options to lead when the time comes. And we can see the leadership role that our professional calling suggests. With so many new information channels, so many closed groups and so many conflicting pressures, as information or knowledge professionals, we can take a leadership role in helping and supporting our chosen groups of very human work colleagues to understand and thrive in this complex and evolving world. Conversational Leadership should be one of the tools we take away to enable our work with colleagues.
Final Notes:
The NetIKX team.
NetIKX is a community of interest based around Knowledge and Information Professionals. We run 6 seminars each year and the focus is always on top quality speakers and the opportunity to network with peers. We are delighted that the Lockdown has not stopped our seminars taking place and expect to take Zoom with us when we leave lockdown! You can find details of how to join the lively NetIKX community on our Members page.
Our Facilitator
David Gurteen is a writer, speaker, and conversational facilitator. The focus of his work is Conversational Leadership – a style of working where we appreciate the power of conversation and take a conversational approach to the way that we connect, relate, learn and work with each other. He is the creator of the Knowledge Café – a conversational process to bring a group of people together to learn from each other, build relationships and make a better sense of a rapidly changing, complex, less predictable world. He has facilitated hundreds of Knowledge Cafés and workshops in over 30 countries around the world over the past 20 years. He is also the founder of the Gurteen Knowledge Community – a global network of over 20,000 people in 160 countries. Currently, he is writing an online book on Conversational Leadership. You can join a Knowledge Café if you consult his website.