Computers in Libraries: Continuous innovation and transformation.

Keynote presenter: Steve Denning

This reflection is my synthesis of the information I heard presented at this morning's keynote. 

A new management model is the key to a sustainable future for libraries. We need to start to make the transition from a traditional management model to one of the creative economy. But the process won't be easy because it's a change driven by mindset not by computers or technology. 

The diagrams above show the transition from:

- Goals of outputs to goals of delighting the customer

- Bosses to coaches

- Employees who are told what to do to self forming teams

- Focus on what's good for the library to a focus on what's good for the customer/patron etc. 

- Communication that is top down to communication that is open conversations. 

How to make the transition easier? Denning says to ask the right questions:

- how can we delight our customers?

- how can we manage our libraries to enable continuous innovation?

- What will make things better/faster/cheaper/more convenient FOR OUR CUSOTMERS?

- what needs could we meet that customers haven't thought of?

- what do customers already love? How can we do more of that? How can we make what they already love better/faster/cheaper?

"The future is already here. It is just very unevenly distributed." - William Gibson 

So how will I use this moving forward with staff development? 

I'll start asking better questions. I think the training needs assessment needs an overhaul and a new approach which can easily benefit from such question-asking described above. This can actually be applied to any of the projects I am working on. 

- stop motion animation: how can this delight our customers? How can we make it easier for our customers to incorporate stop motion into their already busy programs?

- WMRL databases. How can our databases delight our customers? How can we make them easier to use and promote?

- Summit. Am I facilitating the team in such a way that enables continuous innovation? Are we designing a summit experience that will delight our participants?

Lots of food for thought here and I will be checking our catalog to make sure we own some of Denning's books to check out!