Dysart & Jones » Organizations http://dysartjones.com Fri, 04 May 2012 19:37:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 SLA: What’s Love Got To Do With It? http://dysartjones.com/2012/02/sla-whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/ http://dysartjones.com/2012/02/sla-whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:59:03 +0000 Juanita http://dysartjones.com/?p=2995 At the recent SLA Leadership Summit, James Kane – considered to be the world’s foremost expert on what makes an individual truly “loyal” to a product, brand or, in this case, association – made a very interesting remark about love.  He pointed out that the 43% of members who are “Predisposed” to SLA (more on that in a moment) is our biggest association blind spot:  because we think they love us … but they don’t. 

Working with SLA, James has undertaken the Loyalty Project to ascertain how SLA members fit on a scale of relationship levels and what percentage of the members are “loyal”.  Based upon a statistically significant survey, the following profiles SLA’s relationship levels with members today:

Relationship Level Survey says Definition LOYAL   6% Members who are committed to SLA.  They perceive that their relationship with SLA makes their lives better, easier, happier. PREDISPOSED  43% Members who are satisfied with their relationship with SLA – they are happy with the status quo and will stay as long as it’s comfortable.  However, if the association changes, these members will need to re-evaluate their relationship with the association. TRANSACTIONAL  45% Members who receive value for the money they spend on the association services.  Their reason for belonging is purely based upon receiving a specific product or service – be that discounted conference registration, member rates for meetings, etc – for the money paid. ANTAGONISTIC   6% Members who actively or passively do not support the association.  They may continue

Continue reading SLA: What’s Love Got To Do With It?

]]> At the recent SLA Leadership Summit, James Kane – considered to be the world’s foremost expert on what makes an individual truly “loyal” to a product, brand or, in this case, association – made a very interesting remark about love.  He pointed out that the 43% of members who are “Predisposed” to SLA (more on that in a moment) is our biggest association blind spot:  because we think they love us … but they don’t. 

Working with SLA, James has undertaken the Loyalty Project to ascertain how SLA members fit on a scale of relationship levels and what percentage of the members are “loyal”.  Based upon a statistically significant survey, the following profiles SLA’s relationship levels with members today:

Relationship Level Survey says Definition
LOYAL   6% Members who are committed to SLA.  They perceive that their relationship with SLA makes their lives better, easier, happier.
PREDISPOSED  43% Members who are satisfied with their relationship with SLA – they are happy with the status quo and will stay as long as it’s comfortable.  However, if the association changes, these members will need to re-evaluate their relationship with the association.
TRANSACTIONAL  45% Members who receive value for the money they spend on the association services.  Their reason for belonging is purely based upon receiving a specific product or service – be that discounted conference registration, member rates for meetings, etc – for the money paid.
ANTAGONISTIC   6% Members who actively or passively do not support the association.  They may continue to be members for a variety of reasons – their employers pay the fees, there is a cultural expectation of belonging to a professional association.  This type of member will always exist.

What’s the “ideal” relationship level for associations or brands?  20% of the members are loyal, as seen here:

Relationship Level Ideal
LOYAL

 

   20%
PREDISPOSED

 

   39%
TRANSACTIONAL

 

   37%
ANTAGONISTIC     4%

 

SLA’s opportunity is to move the “Predisposed” members to being “Loyal”. How Can SLA Get Members  To Love It?  To Really, Really Love It?

The SLA Chapters have a great opportunity to drive loyalty. Chapters are the units “on the ground” with the potential for frequent interaction with the membership.  There are 4 elements to develop a loyal relationship level:

  1. Increased engagement
  2. Forgiveness
  3. Advocacy
  4. Retention

In Chapters, 20% of the members are “engaged”.  Therefore, 80% are just “transactional” – they pay their dues … but they probably would like to be more engaged with their Chapter.  And therein lies the opportunity – because there are 3 elements required to CREATE loyalty:

  1. Trust – 87% of members surveyed reported trusting SLA
  2. Belonging – 62% of members reported feeling a sense of belonging
  3. Sense of greater purpose  – 56% of members perceived that SLA has a vision

The level of trust reported meets the “ideal” for an association.  However, the level for belonging is off target.  What can we, in our local Chapters, do to promote a feeling of belonging?  This was the challenge issued to all the unit leaders at the recent SLA Leadership Summit.  Much discussion ensued.  I believe that, for an association such as SLA, this is not that great a challenge.  So, come on!  Get engaged!  How can we promote the sense of belonging so that ALL SLA members feel that they are part of an active, interested community?  We want everyone to feel the love!

 

 

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2012/02/sla-whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/feed/ 0 Business Goes Virtual http://dysartjones.com/2011/11/business-goes-virtual/ http://dysartjones.com/2011/11/business-goes-virtual/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:04:44 +0000 Jane Dysart http://dysartjones.com/?p=2827 Thanks to Cindy Gordon who gave me a copy of the book she just wrote with John & JoAnn Girard, Business Goes Virtual: Realizing the Value of Collaboration, Social and Virtual Strategies.  I will be interviewing Cindy for the Education Institute Conversations with Leaders series on Tuesday December 6th at 2pm EST.  The book begins with a definition of virtual business and the new face of organizations which is being enabled by social technology.  Another enabler in the virtual world is leadership and Chapter 3 of the book shares stories of a number of businesses and the strategies that have been successful for them — lots of tips for any organization here!  The culture of sharing and collaboration is another enabler for virtual business and the book includes some great stats on the return on collaboration.  Virtual worlds and their adoption by tweens is covered and discussed as an impact for organizations of the future.  Strategies for and examples of successful organizations abound — you’ll get lots of ideas and insights from the book and from my interview with Cindy.  Get the latest strategies and insights for any organization as our world becomes more virtual.  Join us.  Register here.

]]> Thanks to Cindy Gordon who gave me a copy of the book she just wrote with John & JoAnn Girard, Business Goes Virtual: Realizing the Value of Collaboration, Social and Virtual Strategies.  I will be interviewing Cindy for the Education Institute Conversations with Leaders series on Tuesday December 6th at 2pm EST.  The book begins with a definition of virtual business and the new face of organizations which is being enabled by social technology.  Another enabler in the virtual world is leadership and Chapter 3 of the book shares stories of a number of businesses and the strategies that have been successful for them — lots of tips for any organization here!  The culture of sharing and collaboration is another enabler for virtual business and the book includes some great stats on the return on collaboration.  Virtual worlds and their adoption by tweens is covered and discussed as an impact for organizations of the future.  Strategies for and examples of successful organizations abound — you’ll get lots of ideas and insights from the book and from my interview with Cindy.  Get the latest strategies and insights for any organization as our world becomes more virtual.  Join us.  Register here.

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2011/11/business-goes-virtual/feed/ 0 Creativity, Visions & Success http://dysartjones.com/2011/10/creativity-visions-success/ http://dysartjones.com/2011/10/creativity-visions-success/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:20:47 +0000 Jane Dysart http://dysartjones.com/?p=2775 An interesting study by MDC Partners & Allison & Partners called the C-Factors Report points to creativity, collaboration and culture to re-engerize today’s global economy. They surveyed leading CEOs & CMOs who view creativity as a criticial driver of the global economy.   Great stats & insights:

* 73 % of respondents think we’ve entered the “imagination” economy, with 98 percent affirming that creativity is critical to economic success today

* 76% state that creativity has a significant impact on driving business forward

* over half (57%) strive to develop a strong creative culture within their organizations; & 80% believe creativity must be generated and fostered by industry leaders in order for new and innovative thinking to survive

* 73% of senior executives will place an increasing emphasis on creatively inspired communications in the coming years

“Creating a vision, and building a defined culture around that vision, was a strong theme. Thought leaders from start-ups such as Inkling, to legacy companies such as IBM, all cited the need for deep discipline and a firm self-audit process to unleash the broadest creative efforts possible within a corporation.”

I’ts exhilarating for Rebecca and I when we work with clients to create visions that are so exciting and forward thinking that organization leaders can build strong support for their strategies to guide them towards that positive future.  I love the “imagination” economy mentioned in this study and the fact that leaders realize innovative thinking and creative cultures are so important today.  Goes back to my favorite Walt Disney

Continue reading Creativity, Visions & Success

]]> An interesting study by MDC Partners & Allison & Partners called the C-Factors Report points to creativity, collaboration and culture to re-engerize today’s global economy. They surveyed leading CEOs & CMOs who view creativity as a criticial driver of the global economy.   Great stats & insights:

* 73 % of respondents think we’ve entered the “imagination” economy, with 98 percent affirming that creativity is critical to economic success today

* 76% state that creativity has a significant impact on driving business forward

* over half (57%) strive to develop a strong creative culture within their organizations; & 80% believe creativity must be generated and fostered by industry leaders in order for new and innovative thinking to survive

* 73% of senior executives will place an increasing emphasis on creatively inspired communications in the coming years

“Creating a vision, and building a defined culture around that vision, was a strong theme. Thought leaders from start-ups such as Inkling, to legacy companies such as IBM, all cited the need for deep discipline and a firm self-audit process to unleash the broadest creative efforts possible within a corporation.”

I’ts exhilarating for Rebecca and I when we work with clients to create visions that are so exciting and forward thinking that organization leaders can build strong support for their strategies to guide them towards that positive future.  I love the “imagination” economy mentioned in this study and the fact that leaders realize innovative thinking and creative cultures are so important today.  Goes back to my favorite Walt Disney quote, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2011/10/creativity-visions-success/feed/ 0 10 Skills for the Future Workforce http://dysartjones.com/2011/06/10-skills-for-the-future-workforce/ http://dysartjones.com/2011/06/10-skills-for-the-future-workforce/#comments Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:54:48 +0000 Jane Dysart http://dysartjones.com/?p=2489 This is my day for The Atlantic.  Another great article, the first three parts of a 5 part series on the future workforce & the skills necessary:

1. Sense Making: The ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed (also known as critical thinking about which Rebecca and I were talking in our SLA workshop — Thinking Strategically & Critically; Seeing Possibilities)

2. Social Intelligence: The ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions (what Rebecca & I and our friend Stephen Abram discussed at the SLA Marketing Section breakfast last week — building relationships, aligning with customers & senior managers — hope someone took notes!)

3. Novel and Adaptive Thinking: Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based.

4. Cross-Cultural Competency: The ability to operate in different cultural settings

5. Computational Thinking: The ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning

6. New-Media Literacy: The ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication.

Oh no, we have to wait for the last four skills!  But aren’t they articulate and right on?  Read the full articles for more.

Update:  Well thanks to Steve Barth for flushing out the U of Pheonix Research Institute Study,  Future Work Skills 2020 where you can download the PDF of

Continue reading 10 Skills for the Future Workforce

]]> This is my day for The Atlantic.  Another great article, the first three parts of a 5 part series on the future workforce & the skills necessary:

1. Sense Making: The ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed (also known as critical thinking about which Rebecca and I were talking in our SLA workshop — Thinking Strategically & Critically; Seeing Possibilities)

2. Social Intelligence: The ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions (what Rebecca & I and our friend Stephen Abram discussed at the SLA Marketing Section breakfast last week — building relationships, aligning with customers & senior managers — hope someone took notes!)

3. Novel and Adaptive Thinking: Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based.

4. Cross-Cultural Competency: The ability to operate in different cultural settings

5. Computational Thinking: The ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning

6. New-Media Literacy: The ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication.

Oh no, we have to wait for the last four skills!  But aren’t they articulate and right on?  Read the full articles for more.

Update:  Well thanks to Steve Barth for flushing out the U of Pheonix Research Institute Study,  Future Work Skills 2020 where you can download the PDF of the full study!  And here are the last four skills:

7. Transdisciplinarity: literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines

8. Design mindset: ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes

9. Cognitive load management: ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning using a variety of tools and techniques

10. Virtual collaboration: ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a virtual team





]]> http://dysartjones.com/2011/06/10-skills-for-the-future-workforce/feed/ 0 A Morning Person? You might want to be! http://dysartjones.com/2010/08/a-morning-person-you-might-want-to-be/ http://dysartjones.com/2010/08/a-morning-person-you-might-want-to-be/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:39:07 +0000 Rebecca Jones http://dysartjones.gowtz.com/?p=1400 A few years ago Stephen Abram & I were at the airport waiting to board one of those break-of-day flights. I grabbed us coffee & treats while Stephen did his usual voracious reading, and, of course, I chatted my way through the line-up. When I returned to Stephen he exclaimed ”you are just TOO perky in the morning!”(Those of you who know Stephen know there was an expletive in there…..!)

Except on a few occasions, I do tend to be a morning person — and turns out that’s a good thing from a career standpoint within organizations! Harvard Business Review’s July-August 2010 issue reports on biologist Christopher Randler’s research that our biorhythms actually impact our careers. Randler builds on other research indicating that “evening people” “tend to be smarter and more creative than morning types, have a better sense of humor, and are more outgoing” but (and here’s the impact on careers) they tend to be “out of sync with the typical corporate schedule. When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards.”

Those within the “morning people” category tend to “anticipate problems and try to minimize them…..and are proactive” — important factors within a corporate structure.  The early risers tend to become senior decision-makers.

He’s conducting more research to understand these cycles and tendencies more so “organizations will look for ways to bring out the best from their night owls.”  In the meantime, as Randler says morning people are “conscientious”, and, equipped with this understanding of their evening colleagues, will look for ways in organizations to accommodate

Continue reading A Morning Person? You might want to be!

]]> A few years ago Stephen Abram & I were at the airport waiting to board one of those break-of-day flights. I grabbed us coffee & treats while Stephen did his usual voracious reading, and, of course, I chatted my way through the line-up. When I returned to Stephen he exclaimed ”you are just TOO perky in the morning!”(Those of you who know Stephen know there was an expletive in there…..!)

Except on a few occasions, I do tend to be a morning person — and turns out that’s a good thing from a career standpoint within organizations! Harvard Business Review’s July-August 2010 issue reports on biologist Christopher Randler’s research that our biorhythms actually impact our careers. Randler builds on other research indicating that “evening people” “tend to be smarter and more creative than morning types, have a better sense of humor, and are more outgoing” but (and here’s the impact on careers) they tend to be “out of sync with the typical corporate schedule. When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards.”

Those within the “morning people” category tend to “anticipate problems and try to minimize them…..and are proactive” — important factors within a corporate structure.  The early risers tend to become senior decision-makers.

He’s conducting more research to understand these cycles and tendencies more so “organizations will look for ways to bring out the best from their night owls.”  In the meantime, as Randler says morning people are “conscientious”, and, equipped with this understanding of their evening colleagues, will look for ways in organizations to accommodate the strengths those who prefer to start later/stay later bring in terms of wearing the more pessimistic “black hat” that can balance out discussions with the optimistic early risers.

When reporting on this research the UK’s London Evening Standard mused “Could a Prime Minister be elected today who worked like (Winston) Churchill, reading, writing and thinking in bed before getting out of it at noon?” Winston Churchill did demonstrate the “evening person” tendencies of depression, creativity, and high-intelligence and humour — and from 1940-1945 no one cared that he started work late since his leadership was helping turn the tide of the war.

I think any research that allows us to better understand, appreciate and bring into play each other’s tendencies, preferences and behaviours is so critical, especially as our organizations and working styles become more virtual than office bound.

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2010/08/a-morning-person-you-might-want-to-be/feed/ 0 iSchool Institute: Fall Course Lineup http://dysartjones.com/2010/08/ischool-institute-fall-course-lineup/ http://dysartjones.com/2010/08/ischool-institute-fall-course-lineup/#comments Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:29:57 +0000 Rebecca Jones http://dysartjones.gowtz.com/?p=1257 iSchool Institute: Web & Classroom Courses — new Certificate on Intelligence Analysis; new courses on Human Factors, Wirearchy, etc.

The iSchool Institute at the Faculty is Information (was Professional Learning Centre) is ready for another busy semester ahead. We are now on Twitter – follow us @ischoolinst.We also have a Facebook page – join us there. Watch and listen to our instructors on YouTube or on our new website: institute.ischool.utoronto.ca..

Our fall 2010 courses are now available and registration is open. The following listing includes iSchool Institute courses offered in Toronto in September. For our full offering, online courses and face-to-face courses offered in Ottawa visit our website: institute.ischool.utoronto.ca.

We are pleased to announce that in the fall we will be offering 9 new courses: one new online course (Rebecca Jones will be teaching a 6-weeks online course Engaging Adult Learners: Strategies for Information Professionals and 8 new face-to-face courses in Toronto – we will circulate a separate listing of all new courses.

In April 2010 the iSchool Institute started its monthly series of free public lectures and specialized workshops with the same invited speaker. We have a full fall schedule available on our website (check our events calendar). The series starts on September 22.

September 2010 courses – Toronto

Information Management Fundamentals

Fri. 10 Sep 2010 OR Fri. 24 Sep 2010 1 Day (6 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Instructor: Deirdre Grimes Fee: $250.00 Cert: IM or stand-alone

Information Management (IM) is the discipline of applying best practices, standards, and technology to

Continue reading iSchool Institute: Fall Course Lineup

]]> iSchool Institute: Web & Classroom Courses — new Certificate on Intelligence Analysis; new courses on Human Factors, Wirearchy, etc.


The iSchool Institute at the Faculty is Information (was Professional Learning Centre) is ready for another busy semester ahead. We are now on Twitter – follow us @ischoolinst.We also have a Facebook page – join us there. Watch and listen to our instructors on YouTube or on our new website: institute.ischool.utoronto.ca..

Our fall 2010 courses are now available and registration is open. The following listing includes iSchool Institute courses offered in Toronto in September. For our full offering, online courses and face-to-face courses offered in Ottawa visit our website: institute.ischool.utoronto.ca.

We are pleased to announce that in the fall we will be offering 9 new courses: one new online course (Rebecca Jones will be teaching a 6-weeks online course Engaging Adult Learners: Strategies for Information Professionals and 8 new face-to-face courses in Toronto – we will circulate a separate listing of all new courses.

In April 2010 the iSchool Institute started its monthly series of free public lectures and specialized workshops with the same invited speaker. We have a full fall schedule available on our website (check our events calendar). The series starts on September 22.

September 2010 courses – Toronto

Information Management Fundamentals

  • Fri. 10 Sep 2010 OR Fri. 24 Sep 2010
  • 1 Day (6 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
  • Instructor: Deirdre Grimes
  • Fee: $250.00
  • Cert: IM or stand-alone

Information Management (IM) is the discipline of applying best practices, standards, and technology to ensure that information is properly managed throughout its lifecycle. This course will provide participants with the fundamentals of IM including key terms, business drivers, technology tools, compliance requirements, and industry standards. ”The instructor was very knowledgeable and her ability to link topics was remarkable”; ”The program was well thought out and very timely”

______________________________________________________________________

Overview of ECM Technologies

  • Fri. 17 Sep 2010 OR Fri. 1 Oct 2010
  • 1 Day (6 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
  • Instructor: Ivan Welsh
  • Fee: $250.00
  • Cert: IM or stand-alone

The explosion of electronic information is driving organizations to seek out technology tools to help them regain control and better manage it in order to improve efficiencies and compliance. An enterprise content management (ECM) system is a suite of product components that are capable of managing all of the unstructured information within an organization for their entire lifecycle. Unstructured information exists in many electronic forms including: word processing documents, spreadsheets, images, email, and many other file types and formats.

At the end of the course, students will: Get an overview of the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technologies, why an organization should implement each, features, benefits, implementation considerations and leading vendors Know the state of the ECM industry and current trends Learn about Information Management (IM) resources and how to obtain more information.  ”The instructor was enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable in subject matter”; ”Great introduction to ECM”; simply great!”

______________________________________________________________________

Google Analytics for Content-Rich Websites

  • Wed. 15 Sep 2010 – Thu. 16 Sep 2010
  • 2 days (12 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
  • Instructor: June Li
  • Fee: $425.00

Has Google Analytics been installed on your organization’s website but you and your organization find the data interesting but not useful? You see clicks to your website but wonder where these people are coming from and what content they are looking at. What can you do to improve usability, content findability, leads or search engine optimization?

This two-day introductory to intermediate course is intended for those who have Google Analytics already installed on at least one website and are interested in improving the effectiveness of their website(s) in delivering self-serve information content. This course will help you turn Google Analytics from a data reporter into a truly useful analysis tool.  ”Enjoyed this workshop – June was knowledgeable interactive and answered questions well.”; ”It’s a very complicated area and this course has given me more confidence to try more things.”

TORONTO:

Two core courses credited towards (future) Intelligence Analysis Certificate:

Introduction to Intelligence Analysis <http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=266>

Sat. 16 Oct 2010 – Sat. 23 Oct 2010

2 days (12 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Instructor: Christopher Brown-Syed

Fee: $500.00

Core course in (future) Intelligence Analysis Certificate

The last ten years have seen the demand for people who can sift through masses of information, find patterns, weak signals and warnings in it, and draw conclusions from it. Not only do public safety, national intelligence agencies and the military deal in this sort of information handling: it is becoming a key part of companies’ ability to analyse markets, competitive threats and the like.

Intelligence analysis is composed of a mix of information management, library-type skills, data manipulation and analysis capabilities and a way of thinking about problems affecting the future.

In this course, attendees will be introduced to the analytic side of intelligence work. There will be a number of pieces of additional reading cited to allow those interested to tailor their interests based on this course; it is also the first of two core courses leading towards an Intelligence Analysis Certificate (coming up).

AND

Open Source Analytic Methods <http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=267>

Sat. 20 Nov 2010 – Sat. 27 Nov 2010

2 days (12 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Instructor: Christopher Brown-Syed

Fee: $500.00

Core course in (future) Intelligence Analysis Certificate

This lab-based course introduces students to the tools and techniques associated with various types of intelligence-related data and its analysis. This course is meant for people who plan to work either in law enforcement/national intelligence operations or in the intelligence gathering and analysis functions of a commercial or not-for-profit organization.

Attendees will have the opportunity to be “hands on” gathering publicly-available information (open-source), organizing it, processing it and analysing it for patterns.

This course deals with open source intelligence (OSINT), not with classified (covert) intelligence, and parallels the actual operations of organizations currently using people with these skills.

___________________________________________________________________________

Implementing Enterprise Search Solution: The Information Management Issues<http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=261>

Sat. 23 Oct 2010

1 day (6 hours) – 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Instructor: John O’Brien

Fee: $250.00

Whether working as an archivist, museum curator, Information Systems professional or librarian, search is an issue with which your organization wrestles. Successfully implementing Search technology within an organization requires consideration of the nature of the materials being searched.

While it is important to understand the technology that facilitates search, it is equally important to consider the various dimensions of the materials being searched themselves.

This course will introduce techniques for creating these arrangements and evaluating which ones are best suited to the individual styles and needs of your organization’s user community.

Search technologies considered will include search engines but are not restricted to these tools alone.

This course will encourage students who are working in roles that involve collaborating with library, archives or IT departments. The course is designed to be accessible to individuals from each of these professional backgrounds. A prior expertise in any one of these areas would not be required _____________________________________________________________________________

Health – Information, Communication & Exchange. First Steps for New Researchers<http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=129>

Fri. 29 Oct 2010

1 day (6 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Instructors: Susan Gratsaris & Catherine Moravac

Fee: $250.00

If you are interested in health information and community-based research, this one-day workshop is for you! Learn about a variety of FREE (and fee-based) research tools including databases in the health sciences.

Understand how social media can be used to promote communication and participation with others. Examine ways in which community-based research (CBR) can be used in the ‘exchange’ of health information at the community level.

The workshop is highly interactive and combines database search practice, a collaborative resource wiki, a variety of social technologies, and a multimedia gallery

Health and social service providers interested in learning more about how to conduct effective literature searches and how to approach your first research project. This course is also of interest to reference librarians, staff and volunteers with community based organizations, artists, filmmakers, social activists and the general public.

__________________________________________________________________________

From Hierarchy to Wirearchy – Managing in the Wired Workplace<http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=258>

Fri. 5 Nov 2010

7 hours – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Instructor: Jon Husband

Fee: $250.00

The Web is maturing and evolving. Enterprises and organizations everywhere are putting it, and the hyper-linked collaboration capabilities it has spawned, to more frequent and widespread use.

Web 2.0 and more specifically, Enterprise 2.0, are the terms used to describe the next generation of the Internet… a generation characterized by social networking, blogs, wikis and hosted software applications that are being rapidly adopted by business and consumers worldwide.

The workshop is structured so as to develop a draft strategy and practical action plan that will help participants adapt to and accelerate their effectiveness in this new environment. With this engagement, we answer the question, “Why and how do we leverage this new generation of Internet technology?”

Essential for mid-level managers who understand they must begin / continue adapting to a pervasive new environment that involves highly interconnected ecosystems of information, knowledge and action.

These mid-level managers are the people who must coordinate the work of an organization’s “doers” and so must manage the work activities and people in an interconnected environment.

__________________________________________________________________________

pCSI: Forensics for Home/Small Business <http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=254>

Sat. 6 Nov 2010

1 day (6 hours) – 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Instructor: Christopher Brown-Syed

Fee: $250.00

This one-day hands-on course is for anyone concerned about protecting their personal privacy, identity theft, hacking, and false or misleading messages and Websites and for anyone who wants to know more about computer and internet security.

You may be concerned about identity theft, cyber-stalking, fraudulent messages, browsing the Internet safely, or protecting your computer against hacking.

You may be someone setting up a home or office network, concerned about protecting legitimate users, and keeping unauthorized people out, or a parent concerned with children’s online safety.

You may be a Librarian who teaches Information Literacy classes, and wants more technical background on privacy issues.

_________________________________________________________________________

Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) <http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=260>

Sat. 13 Nov 2010 – Wed. 21 Jul 2010

1 day (6 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Instructor: Harold Jarche

Fee: $250.00

PKM is an individual, disciplined process by which we make sense of information, observations and ideas. In the past it may have been keeping a journal, writing letters or having conversations. These are still valid, but with digital media we can add context by categorizing, commenting or even remixing it.

We can also store digital media for easy retrieval. The Web has given us more ways to connect with others in our learning but many people only see the information overload aspect of our digital society.

Engaging others can actually make it easier to learn and not become overwhelmed. Effective networked learning is the difference between surfing the waves or being drowned by them.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the concepts and models underlying PKM Select Web tools for critical thinking?
  • Determine PKM methods and processes that will work in their own context?
  • Begin to use some of the web tools that support PKM?

___________________________________________________________________________________

The Human Factor: How to Achieve Results <http://www.plc.ischool.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=259>

Thu. 25 Nov 2010 – Fri. 26 Nov 2010

12 h (12 hours) – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Instructor: Joan Giannone

Fee: $425.00

One of the most critical skills you need to master in today’s competitive, fast-paced environmentis the ability to interact effectively with people.

Successful business people are good at getting things done through others – communicating, directing, persuading, inspiring and empowering people in ways that seem to encourage exceptional delivery and results.

All of that depends upon a their ability to get their message across effectively to influence a variety of people.

The truth is, many of us have developed communication patterns, which do not serve us well, and can greatly hinder productivity and even our careers. Some of these patterns are not that effective and can even result in conflict, poor morale, mutual distrust, pockets of negativity that can linger for years, lack of buy-in to new projects and change initiatives and an inability to advance in our careers.

The Human Factor addresses these and other challenges, providing effective communication approaches and skills to help Executives, Managers, Supervisors and those who wish to be promoted to Management learn how to apply knowledge of the 4 Behaviour Styles to make more effective, conscious communication choices.

Whether you are dealing with the public, clients, staff, co-workers or managers, the ability to influence and communicate well with many different types of people is critical to success.

For more information on other courses and to register go to: institute.ischool.utoronto.ca; call: (416) 978 7111 or e-mail: ischool.institute@utoronto.ca

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2010/08/ischool-institute-fall-course-lineup/feed/ 2 How we’ll work in the future in both “chair space” & “air space” http://dysartjones.com/2010/04/how-well-work-in-2020-in-both-chair-space-air-space/ http://dysartjones.com/2010/04/how-well-work-in-2020-in-both-chair-space-air-space/#comments Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:36:46 +0000 Rebecca Jones http://www.dysartjones.com/?p=1064 I’m always looking for articles, writings, & ideas about how we’ll work in the future. Not just the type of work that we’ll be doing, but the environment in which we’ll be working too. The how we’ll work is pretty heavily inter-related with the where we’ll work & who’ll we’ll work with (be they clients/patrons or colleagues).  I’m one of those who strongly believes that the workplace (which will be as much as “chair space” as an “air space” — meaning a physical & vi

rtual space) will be increasingly flexible & collaborative both in terms of the organization chart and the physical layout.

FastCompany features “How We’ll Work in 2025″ by Cliff Kuang complete with fabulous photos of different neighbourhoods within a building that will support different types of work; need quiet time? There’s a pod for you…… working on a group project – and one of the group is across town or across timezones? there’s a grouproom with screen/cam/connections for you.

Kuang talks about the transparency of this this type of glassed building for a bank, to allow the clients to “fully experience the business.”  Now we need to imagine this type of space supporting the way we need to work in libraries, with lots of glass & “neighbourhoods” within the library allowing users to “fully experience the library” and staff to “fully experience the library & all that IT and THEY can be.”

]]> I’m always looking for articles, writings, & ideas about how we’ll work in the future. Not just the type of work that we’ll be doing, but the environment in which we’ll be working too. The how we’ll work is pretty heavily inter-related with the where we’ll work & who’ll we’ll work with (be they clients/patrons or colleagues).  I’m one of those who strongly believes that the workplace (which will be as much as “chair space” as an “air space” — meaning a physical & vi

rtual space) will be increasingly flexible & collaborative both in terms of the organization chart and the physical layout.

FastCompany features “How We’ll Work in 2025″ by Cliff Kuang complete with fabulous photos of different neighbourhoods within a building that will support different types of work; need quiet time? There’s a pod for you…… working on a group project – and one of the group is across town or across timezones? there’s a grouproom with screen/cam/connections for you.

Kuang talks about the transparency of this this type of glassed building for a bank, to allow the clients to “fully experience the business.”  Now we need to imagine this type of space supporting the way we need to work in libraries, with lots of glass & “neighbourhoods” within the library allowing users to “fully experience the library” and staff to “fully experience the library & all that IT and THEY can be.”

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2010/04/how-well-work-in-2020-in-both-chair-space-air-space/feed/ 0 Choices: choose to read The Art of Choosing http://dysartjones.com/2010/03/choices-choose-to-read-the-art-of-choosing/ http://dysartjones.com/2010/03/choices-choose-to-read-the-art-of-choosing/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:22:07 +0000 Rebecca Jones http://www.dysartjones.com/?p=1056 I spend most of my professional life facilitating decision-making in all kinds of libraries & organizations. I’m fascinated with how people make choices, how they decide, what influences these decisions – and what doesn’t.

I haven’t finished the book yet, so there will be more postings on this, but The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar is a fascinating study of how people – and publics – make choices. Why do I care about this? And why should all those in the library & information world care about this? Because every day, every minute, decisions are being made about your services, your libraries & their place in the community, the university, the organization. Look at the choices being made right now for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries or New Jersey Public Libraries or the Community Access Program in Canada?

Some initial highlights:

- in North America, the more choices people have the less likely they are to choose one; many very successful companies (like P&G) have scaled back the # of products they offer — and the result is higher sales, higher revenues, higher profits.  Iyengar’s work in this area started with her famous study of the “Jam selection” — when people were offered samples of 24 jams, few ppl choice to purchase 1.  But when they were offered samples of 6 jams, they were 6 TIMES more likely to purchase 1.  I identify with this; I hate huge malls with lots of stores. I’m MUCH more likely to purchase items in

Continue reading Choices: choose to read The Art of Choosing

]]> I spend most of my professional life facilitating decision-making in all kinds of libraries & organizations. I’m fascinated with how people make choices, how they decide, what influences these decisions – and what doesn’t.

I haven’t finished the book yet, so there will be more postings on this, but The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar is a fascinating study of how people – and publics – make choices. Why do I care about this? And why should all those in the library & information world care about this? Because every day, every minute, decisions are being made about your services, your libraries & their place in the community, the university, the organization. Look at the choices being made right now for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries or New Jersey Public Libraries or the Community Access Program in Canada?

Some initial highlights:

- in North America, the more choices people have the less likely they are to choose one; many very successful companies (like P&G) have scaled back the # of products they offer — and the result is higher sales, higher revenues, higher profits.  Iyengar’s work in this area started with her famous study of the “Jam selection” — when people were offered samples of 24 jams, few ppl choice to purchase 1.  But when they were offered samples of 6 jams, they were 6 TIMES more likely to purchase 1.  I identify with this; I hate huge malls with lots of stores. I’m MUCH more likely to purchase items in small towns from a few stores — just ask VISA. I’m overwhelmed at the Eaton’s Centre or other big malls. Yuck. Too much.  The “apex” of choice is 7…….so how many services does your library offer? Or how are these services bundled for people to choose from?

- in North America, which tends to have a culture of individualism, we regard ‘choice’ as our right; but those from other cultures, like China or India, this is not the case….. hm……what are the implications for libraries whose constituencies are new to North America?

Why did I choose to read this book? Because I love to understand how people perceive options & choose among them…..but….that’s just my choice.

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2010/03/choices-choose-to-read-the-art-of-choosing/feed/ 2 Enterprise 2.0 Implementation Framework http://dysartjones.com/2010/02/enterprise-20-implementation-framework/ http://dysartjones.com/2010/02/enterprise-20-implementation-framework/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:37:26 +0000 Jane Dysart http://www.dysartjones.com/?p=937 From Ross Dawson

E2.0 Implementation Framework

A centrepiece of our [Ross'] recently launched Implementing Enterprise 2.0 report is an Implementing Enterprise 2.0 Framework…… download the Implementing Enterprise 2.0 Framework pdf, which includes references to the relevant chapters for each of the action steps. Some of the chapters referred to are available for download from the Implementing Enterprise 2.0 downloads page.

Great stuff, thanks Ross.  We hope you will come and talk about this at KMWorld 2010, Nov 15-18, Washington DC.

]]> From Ross Dawson

E2.0 Implementation Framework

E2.0 Implementation Framework

A centrepiece of our [Ross'] recently launched Implementing Enterprise 2.0 report is an Implementing Enterprise 2.0 Framework…… download the Implementing Enterprise 2.0 Framework pdf, which includes references to the relevant chapters for each of the action steps. Some of the chapters referred to are available for download from the Implementing Enterprise 2.0 downloads page.

Great stuff, thanks Ross.  We hope you will come and talk about this at KMWorld 2010, Nov 15-18, Washington DC.

]]> http://dysartjones.com/2010/02/enterprise-20-implementation-framework/feed/ 0