SLA All change! All change! – Event report from Stephen Phillips

SLA Europe, in partnership with the Financial Times and Swets, brought together an expert panel to provide their perspectives on managing change.

The panel was introduced by SLA Europe President Darron Chapman, and chaired by Lesley Robinson, Interim Head of Knowledge Management at Baker & McKenzie and Independent Information Consultant.

Ian Wooler  Director IDW Ltd & Senior Associate at TFPL, kicked off proceedings with an overview of Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. These can be used to explain and understand individuals’ reactions or predisposition to change. Ian provided a detailed insight into each had; his notes can be found here.

John Coll, Head of Access, National Library of Scotland, provided a more pragmatic approach.  He advocated a question and answer approach, asking yourself ‘why, where, what, how and when?’. These questions, and at least some of the answers, will be a key part of your toolkit for dealing with change.  When it comes to being an advocate for change, you should lead from the front and be sensitive to the needs of the team.

Veronica Kennard, Director at Rothschilds, reflected on some the organisational challenges of change management. Often it takes a change in leadership to be the catalyst for change in the organisation as a whole. Even then individuals still need to be won round to any proposed changes and the corporate culture may not be ready for change. Veronica reflected on some of the comments in the 2012 annual survey by Alan Foster in Business Information Review in which prominent information managers recognise the need for change if the industry is to successfully adapt to recent challenges.

Ray Phillips, Head of information Service Development at The King’s Fund, provided his own case study of change when his department had to relocate and downsize. Having done this, he was then challenged to make the operation more commercial and to deliver more “bang for the buck”. He walked the meeting through recent (mostly successful) technology initiatives and income generation ideas. Throughout he echoed the sentiments of other panellists, referencing the need to engage his team, look for and deliver quick wins, and to deliver an evolution and not a revolution in his service.

An informative and entertaining evening finished with an opportunity to network, share experiences and reflect on the comments from the panel. Thanks are due to the Financial Times and Swets for kindly supporting the event.