View from the Hill

Economy and change - I'll say it again "Economy and Change - and did I hear outsourcing?"

Breakfast at Roast Restaurant this week ended with a vox pop of the eleven replete breakfasters.  The question asked was: "In one word, what has had the biggest effect on your daily work in the last five years?"   We all thought, wrote down our word and then said it out loud:  economy, change, economy, enterprise2, change, outsourcing, change, outsourcing, transparency, market research, change!  So four for change, two each for outsourcing and economy (surely related in some bizarre spider web way) and one for the rest.  There was consensus that the speed of change was the highlight.  It will be interesting to see who has what to say on that topic next week.

 

Earlier, while delectable kippers, old-fashioned boiled eggs with marmite soldiers, lush eggs Benedict and copious quantities of coffee were consumed the conversation focussed on the many things that occupy our working (and sometimes waking) hours.  Change of course had featured then as well.  A recruitment freeze was seen as both positive and negative in that it encouraged managers to think smarter as teams got smaller.  That tied in with showing demonstrable ROI when new systems or ways of working were introduced.  Decision making surfaced both as a positive (where prompt and effective decisions were made) and as a negative where failure to make decisions is like a weight around our necks impacts on progress.  Decisions lead to change - keep change positive - give colleagues credit to understand why change is needed, keep communication lines open and include them.  There was more of course - at times intense and at times we roared with laughter.   

 

Want to know more?  Come to a Sue Hill Recruitment Networking Breakfast.  You won’t be scrambled or boiled - just the eggs will be. 

 

- Sue (Hill)

 

 

What would you change? - a breakfast question

Asking (near the close of a lively breakfast) a group of information professionals with a strategic remit one thing they would change in their working lives garnered a level and depth of conversation that could have gone on until after lunch. (Did I see one delegate looking longingly at the lunch menu having just finished breakfast - or did I imagine that?) The question did follow one on what had been the biggest single change factor in our working lives in the last five years.

 

So what is it that this illustrious group might change? The first person was adamant that it would be the Chief Knowledge Officer within their organisation. It was their view that the CKO was a stumbling block to effective knowledge strategy or management and had no real input into board level. Ouch! (Would you mention that in an appraisal I ask myself?) It did reflect much of the earlier conversation where it is clear that unless information strategy is endorsed at board level it won't percolate down through the chain of command. I suspect that the next person who thought scrapping organograms was making the point that if we are put in too rigid a framework we stop thinking outside of the box. Lines of communication within organisations and departments followed as something that could be changed and most people at the table agreed that this could be bettered in their places of work.

A request for acceptance of social media was aimed clearly at management and IT departments; both still fear fast change or fail to see the need to move with the times. New cohorts of students and freshly employed graduates live by smart phones, Facebook, Twitter and the many other facets of communication that bypass traditional methods. If asked, they would give up their computer before their phone. To engage students and new employees is difficult enough and more so where access or use of such tools is limited or even prohibited.

Two votes for information literacy showed that outside of information and library studies education there is still little done in tertiary education to include information literacy as part of the curriculum. Google has changed the way many access information but in the work and study environment it needs to be made clear that there are other ways of gathering information and danger in taking easily found data at face value. A suggestion that perhaps information literacy should be imbued with primary school education was made and accepted with due seriousness.

A vote to remove a whole layer of internal administrators was seen as a good way to free up precious resources that could be better used achieving the aims of business.

 

I'd report on more of the preceding discussion but this was done with exquisite excellence by Lyn Robinson, senior lecturer in library and information science at City University, London on her excellent and informative blog.

 

 

Lyn is one of those rare academics who regularly puts her head above the parapet, is always ahead of the game and who shamelessly uses our breakfasts as a harvesting ground for guest lecturers for her students. She sees the value in networking outside of ones usual comfort zone and ensures that this belief is passed to her students.

 

 

If you would like an invitation to one of SHR's regular breakfast discussions please contact any of the team at SHR.

- Sue Hill

Research Awards 09

A night to get the DJs and posh frocks out and enjoy an evening with the great and the good of the market research world.  Last night saw the annual dinner to celebrate the Market Research industry.  Held at Lancaster Gate Hotel, it was a packed house.  It felt like 2009 was closing and good things were around the corner in 2010.  There was an air of optimism, as everyone started to take their seats.  The food was very good and the wine flowed.  The MRS dinner started with an address by broadcaster Daisy McAndrew, who having predicted a great year for everyone last year decided to not make any rash predictions this year.  She recognised that it had been tough for everyone but also that there was definitely a light, that could now very much be seen.  And so after dinner, the awards started and it was great to see old and new recognised in this fantastic industry.  Razor Research was best new agency, whilst Flamingo were best agency with Conquest and ComRes coming highly commended.  Millward Brown was recognised for their outstanding contribution to the industry and Hall&Partners won best agency to work for.  My table, the Business Intelligence Group, gave the Business to Business Award, won by Nick Bassett (Vodafone Uk Enterprise Business Unit), Matt Burn and Carrie Lawrence (ICM Research), with Trevor Wilkinson (Chair of BIG) doing the honours.  This made it a double for Nick, Matt and Carrie having won the best conference paper at the BIG Conference this year too - so congratulations to all.  Our table was a rowdy and fun one with all nominees joining us (Neil Swan and Catherine Shovlin, as well as above) - great banter was had and everyone seemed to have a really good time.  The drinking and talking continued into the bar afterwards and although I left at 1am this morning, it seemed like the event was only just starting.  I expect there are some sore heads this morning but also a smile as we enter 2010.  Daisy may not have been so bold, but I predict a good year for market research and at next year's awards we will have even more to celebrate.

Congratulations to all last night's winners and thanks to my table and Ali Pugh (Jigsaw Research) for making my evening great.  See you next year.

- Damon Thomas, Recruitment Manager - Market Research