What happens next… Caroline Coetzee
Web strategy in real life
Nov 19, 2014
J. Boye Aarhus 09 conference presentation by Caroline Coetzee, Online Communications Manager, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH)
Abstract:
Audiences often leaves conferences with a feeling that most of the ideas would not work in their organisations – so why do we keep going? In this session, Caroline will reflect on the real-life experiences of someone who has been inspired many times and not always been able to achieve all the great results that the gurus promise, but nevertheless made progress:
What happened when I decided to effect a major change in the organization I worked for at the end of 2007
How easy is it really to get management’s ear in a big, conservative organization?
The realities and potential pitfalls of bringing your work to the attention of more powerful managers than your own
The compromises you can end up making, whether these are worthwhile and where do you draw the line
Whether it is really you who needs a seat at the table – and if not you, then who?
Why it’s worth doing
And, I guess – why I still attend conferences!
Abstract:
Audiences often leaves conferences with a feeling that most of the ideas would not work in their organisations – so why do we keep going? In this session, Caroline will reflect on the real-life experiences of someone who has been inspired many times and not always been able to achieve all the great results that the gurus promise, but nevertheless made progress:
What happened when I decided to effect a major change in the organization I worked for at the end of 2007
How easy is it really to get management’s ear in a big, conservative organization?
The realities and potential pitfalls of bringing your work to the attention of more powerful managers than your own
The compromises you can end up making, whether these are worthwhile and where do you draw the line
Whether it is really you who needs a seat at the table – and if not you, then who?
Why it’s worth doing
And, I guess – why I still attend conferences!
Welcome message from author
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Transcript
What happens next…
Caroline Coetzee
What happens when we all go home?
• We’ve heard brilliant talks and attended excellent tutorials
• Some practical• Some inspiring• We’ve listened to the strategy gurus• What now?
Listening to the gurus
The guru
• A guru (Sanskrit: गुरु) is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others.
• As a principle for the development of consciousness it
leads the creation from unreality to reality, from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge.
• Some Gurus ask for unquestioning obedience, but full trust of the disciple is only justified, when the Guru can see God at any time he so desires.
The web manager
This isn’t about the well funded web manager with organisational buy in and a large enough team!
The web manager
• May work in the public sector / NGO • And / or manages an intranet• May never have had much in the way of resources• And / or has seen investment for projects, but no
significant programme budget• Is competing for money against equally worthwhile
projects elsewhere
What have our gurus asked of us?
• Lead, damn it• Expand your mandate• You may want to reconsider what it is you are
trying to achieve• Are you whining?• Change your manager if you need to• It’s your job to *manage* everything• Get it right and you could have a seat at the table
How do we feel?
Why?
• What you hear in the breaks at every conferenceThat’s all very well,
but it would never work
for meEverybody here is
able to achieve things impossible in my organisation My manager
would never go for that
These people just don’t live in the
real world.
Even if you’re positive…
Daily GrindNOROVIRUSSwine flu
All too often it all gets lost
What if you decide to act
• CMF 2007
• Made a conscious decision not to lose it
Acting quickly
• On the Friday morning – created a presentation• On the Monday morning – presented it• No new ideas (for me)• Just things I had been nervous about putting on
the table• But I was feeling inspired• This passed through to my manager
The consequence
• A business case to do things better• A huge amount of work
– Managing consultants– Amassing evidence– Trying to prove ROI– Writing the case– Lobbying– Finding allies and champions
Oh, by the way, this stuff hasn’t gone away
Daily GrindNOROVIRUSSwine flu
What does it take?
• Your ideas in place …• … and in line with organisational strategy• You need:
– Patience– Persistence– Pragmatism– Politics
• Commitment
A quick return to the web manager
• How well equipped are we?• Many web managers ‘fell into’ our roles• You may not have created strategy before• Some are uncomfortable with politics• Or prefer to keep a low profile• This can move you way out of your comfort zone –
even if you don’t mind putting yourself on the line• The trouble is – there really is nobody but you…
And the gurus
• Lead dammit• Expand your mandate• It’s your job to *manage* everything
• But doing nothing is not an option
And the gurus
• Change your manager if you need to– This may or may not be possible– Or desirable – Credibility issue
• You do need to be aligned with the right managers
And the gurus
• Get it right and you could have a seat at the table– Are you really the right person? Literally…– I’m not!– Hospital hierarchy - I am not the best person– Nor is my manager (who sits at the table)– We need the senior medics to be our voice– That’s my seat at the table
Back to the story – what happened next
• Business case took nine months to reach the board…
• …who sat on it without saying yes or no• The credit crunch hit• The organisational structure changed – and with it
the investment process• Looks like a story with no happy ending
But…
• Eighteen months of being noisy have raised awareness
• The intranet has become indispensable• The public website and GP extranet too
(but less strategic)• Departments are starting to demand action• We have the backing of the CEO
Moving forward with pragmatism
• The big story is still there • Departmental projects with local budget• Aligned with web and departmental strategy• Useful to patients or the hospital• And hopefully will prove our point• None of this would have happened without the first
leap into the unknown
A final return to the gurus
• The daily grind means we need inspiration• As important as ‘great knowledge, wisdom and
authority’• We need to pick the bits that will ‘lead us from
unreality to reality’• This may be what makes conferences worthwhile
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