1 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff IMARK Investing in Information for Development Organization and Management New Approaches.

1 of 19Organization and ManagementNew Approaches to motivating Staff

IMARK Investing in Information for Development

Organization and Management

New Approaches to motivating Staff

© FAO 2005

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At the end of this lesson you will:

 identify investment options for dealing with the motivation and retention of skilled staff .

Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives

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IntroductionIntroduction

Organizations are often at a disadvantage when it comes to retention of information staff.

A real danger is the emergence of a “personnel divide" between those organizations that can afford to hire good IM/IT (Information Management /Information Technology) staff and those that cannot.

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Staff and the new information environmentStaff and the new information environment

The “information revolution” has affected staff in the following areas:

CONTENT

ACTIVITIES

DISSEMINATION

CAREER OPTIONS

TECHNOLOGY

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Staff and the new information environmentStaff and the new information environment

What can a manager do to help staff deal with the pressures of the “information revolution”? Here are two possible areas of intervention:

1. TRAINING1. TRAINING

2. INCENTIVES2. INCENTIVES

To improve staff skills

To improve motivation

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Four options for motivating staffFour options for motivating staff

Here are four options referring to training and incentives. The goal of each one is to increase the motivation of information staff.

New communication practicesNew communication practices

New decision-making proceduresNew decision-making procedures

New approaches to trainingNew approaches to training

New commitments to facilities developmentNew commitments to facilities development

Option 1Option 1

Option 2Option 2

Option 3Option 3

Option 4Option 4

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Option 1: new communication practicesOption 1: new communication practices

Regular and meaningful communication between senior management and their information staff is often not ideal. Why?

As a librarian, I hardly ever get to talk to the

director…there are so many

layers in-between!

…well, anyway, we don’t have much to talk with them about...our roles as information professionals

are just too different from theirs…

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Option 1: new communication practicesOption 1: new communication practices

In the previous conversation, we see some of the barriers to effective communication.Any one of them can lead to decreased staff motivation (and retention):

TOO MANY LAYERS

TOO MANY LAYERS

PERSONAL INSECURITYPERSONAL

INSECURITYNOTHING TO TALK ABOUTNOTHING TO TALK ABOUT

Solution:

Build better links to increase

AWARENESS

Solution:

Build better links to increase

AWARENESS

Solution:

“Put yourself in their shoes” to

improve UNDERSTANDING

Solution:

“Put yourself in their shoes” to

improve UNDERSTANDING

Solution:

Support training of managers to develop new

SKILLS

Solution:

Support training of managers to develop new

SKILLS

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Option 2: New decision-making proceduresOption 2: New decision-making procedures

MORE AWARENESS of information issues and options

BETTERUNDERSTANDING

of staff goals and work situations

NEW MANAGEMENT SKILLS in IM/IT

MORE ACTIVE INVOLVMENT

of IM/IT Staff in organizational decision-making

MORE ACTIVE INVOLVMENT

of IM/IT Staff in organizational decision-making

+The second option is about decision-making procedures. A change in communication practices must be translated into more active involvement of IM/IT staff in decision-making on information issues.

+

=

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Option 2: New decision-making proceduresOption 2: New decision-making procedures

Our scientists seem not to take into account what's going on elsewhere ...And I'm very surprised that hardly any of their proposals say anything about the use of new tools and methods to collect, manage, or analyze data…

Our scientists seem not to take into account what's going on elsewhere ...And I'm very surprised that hardly any of their proposals say anything about the use of new tools and methods to collect, manage, or analyze data…

You're right. If only they would come to me, I could help. Our library can access a lot more material than they think.

I'd like to help more scientists with their research...

You're right. If only they would come to me, I could help. Our library can access a lot more material than they think.

I'd like to help more scientists with their research...

Here is an example from a national rice research institute. The director of the institute is speaking to the head of his library.

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Option 3: New approaches to trainingOption 3: New approaches to training

The third option concerns training.

Even if new communication practices and new decision-making procedures are introduced, most information staff will still need to keep their IM/IT skills up-to-date.

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Option 3: New approaches to trainingOption 3: New approaches to training

But then the question becomes: training in what? Because an organization cannot train everyone in everything, it is important to set priorities.

Does your organization have a human resources development plan that specifies precise IM/IT training needs?

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Option 3: New approaches to trainingOption 3: New approaches to training

Here is an example of balancing the costs of training against the costs of staff replacement.

A manager armed with these figures can make a strong case for training.

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Option 3: New approaches to trainingOption 3: New approaches to training

But formal course-based training is not the only approach to upgrading skills.

Another approach is on-the-job training in other organizations.

It has five advantages over traditional training.

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Option 3: New approaches to trainingOption 3: New approaches to training

The advantages of on-the-job training include:

Location Timing Costs

Practical Focus Inter-organizational cooperation.

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Option 4: New commitments to resources developmentOption 4: New commitments to resources development

The fourth option is investment in IM/IT resources.

New facilities are important motivators for staff who want to feel that they are keeping up-to-date with their fields.

Two types of resources are particularly crucial:

Periodicals and Journals Hardware and software

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Option 4: New commitments to resources developmentOption 4: New commitments to resources development

For many institutions, the highest priority in acquisitions is normally placed on journals and periodicals on topics related to their technical work.

But how can an organization expect its IM/IT staff to keep up-to-date if they do not have access to current literature?

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Option 4: New commitments to resources developmentOption 4: New commitments to resources development

Many professionals consider IM/IT literature too “technical”.

But awareness of developments in IM/IT is important.

The challenge is to inform professionals efficiently: for example, IM/IT managers may carefully select relevant articles and/or more accessible periodicals for circulation to the other professionals.

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SummarySummary

A real danger for organizations is the emergence of a “personnel divide” between those organizations that can afford to hire good IM/IT staff and those that cannot. Here are four investment options to address this issue:

Option 1: new communication practices. Option 2: new decision-making procedures. Option 3: new approaches to training. Option 4: new commitments to resources development.