Living Out Loud
Living Out Loud By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens -- Library Journal, 6/1/2007
It's easy for staffers to give lip service to an idea they don't believe in and then step back and watch it fail because they had no input or information or, in some cases, not even an inkling that a new service or technology was coming.Corporate blogs and wikis—and any other tools that create transparency in the organization—foster the concept of vertical teams, where front-line staff have the ability to communicate and cooperate with top-level administrators. This internal openness is as important as external transparency. Building morale within the organization—and sharing the big-picture ideas with everyone who will listen—creates a stronger and more motivated work force, one willing to participate and share new ideas. Such internal openness will translate into external transparency, which is vital to the library's future.
Comments
I fully agree with the concept that the more you inform about what is going on the more you motivate the members of any organisation to participate in what is happening. I also think that blogs and wikis might be a way to achieve this. I only see one problem with this...the fearmongering. If you are to have a library where you try and include everyone by using the internet, you also must have both staff and users willing to use this media. This might not always (for a number of reasons) be the case. Fear of computers being one of the reasons. I do think that the future will bring change, understanding and ultimately transparency.
Posted by: Veronica Sarge Cech | June 12, 2007 12:29 PM
This article really strikes a chord.
Posted by: Darren | June 20, 2007 09:32 PM