No One Is an Island
Last month, I joined the rest of the association's senior management team at a symposium hosted by the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE). The speaker was Alan Webber, co-founder and editor of Fast Company magazine. If you haven't read this publication, you should. It's full of insightful articles and commentary on the state of the workplace and careers. But I digress...
During Webber's thoughtful discussion on change, innovation, and leadership, I was struck by one statement he made that sums up how we and our colleagues outside of our profession should address the diffusion of knowledge throughout our organizations: "None of us is as smart as all of us."
Wow. That one line just opened my eyes. No one in an organization can be as knowledgeable as the collective group of individuals who put their experiences, their backgrounds, their beliefs, and their perspectives together to make things happen. This holistic view of organizational management speaks directly to our opportunities as a profession, and to our challenges.
Lots of people in the workplace believe that they are the source for all knowledge about what they do. The Alpha Principle (so eloquently described by Harry Beckwith in his book, Selling the Invisible, page 79) suggests that ideas don't follow the good thinking in an organization; ideas follow the power. Translation: whoever looks and sounds like they should have power don't care to give it to others, which means that information and knowledge are things they want to find for themselves, if not horde completely.
Now that desktop access to information is ubiquitous (or close to it), this tendency for employees to at least appear as though they are "the source" for information and knowledge seems even more logical, right? I'm imagining you are sitting there saying, "NO! That's not right at all!" But this perception is one of the primary obstacles we face every day in asserting our value to the organization. If this is the case, then we are better served converting the masses, rather than senior management. The rank-and-file employees who need information every day are the people who can help us the most, because they are the ones who will spread the word that the information professional(s) on staff are great resources for the organization.
So remember Alan Webber's declaration the next time you get a look of disdain from some snot-nosed kid who thinks he or she doesn't need the help of an information professional. Better to convert them while they're young than to fight a cold war with them for years.
This issue of Information Outlook offers articles on a variety of subjects--from the development of SLA's Virtual Association to the dilemma of copyright in the digital world. It will also prepare you for June and our 91st Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. The theme for this year's event is "Independence to Interdependence: The Next Phase in the Information Revolution." Our special sneak preview report will educate you on activities and events taking place in and around the Pennsylvania Convention Center during the conference. Get ready for the revolution!
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