1 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff IMARK Investing in Information for Development Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff © FAO 2005

2 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff At the end of this lesson you will: identify investment options for dealing with the motivation and retention of skilled staff. Learning Objectives

3 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Introduction 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.

4 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Staff and the new information environment The information revolution has affected staff in the following areas: CONTENT ACTIVITIES DISSEMINATION CAREER OPTIONS TECHNOLOGY

5 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Staff 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. TRAINING 2. INCENTIVES To improve staff skills To improve motivation

6 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Four 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 practices New decision-making procedures New approaches to training New commitments to facilities development Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4

7 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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 dont have much to talk with them about...our roles as information professionals are just too different from theirs…

8 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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 PERSONAL INSECURITY NOTHING 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

9 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 2: New decision-making procedures MORE AWARENESS of information issues and options BETTER UNDERSTANDING of staff goals and work situations NEW MANAGEMENT SKILLS in IM/IT 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. + =

10 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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… 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.

11 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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.

12 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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?

13 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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.

14 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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.

15 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 3: New approaches to training The advantages of on-the-job training include: Location Timing Costs Practical Focus Inter-organizational cooperation.

16 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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 JournalsHardware and software

17 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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?

18 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Option 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.

19 of 19 Organization and Management New Approaches to motivating Staff Summary 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.