Jinfo: You are under-using your best opportunity to develop an information-savvy workforce

You are under-using your best opportunity to develop an information-savvy workforce
Jinfo Blog

5th April 2017

Abstract

In the second of the insights from Jinfo's Research Focus, "Developing an information-savvy workforce through strategic alignments", director of research, Robin Neidorf, explains when is the optimum time to develop information literacy and embed information skills throughout the organisation.

Item

You likely have some kind of onboarding information or presentation for new staff to let them know what your department can do for them. But is it optimised? Do you treat promotions or lateral moves like new hires? And what about re-org initiatives - are you making the most of these opportunities to educate workers throughout the newly designed company?

The fact is that changes in employment status or placement are one of the best opportunities for embedding information awareness and skills in the workforce... and most information teams under-utilise or ignore them.

Any employment change is a trigger for you to educate workers on how they should use your expertise, how they should be in relationship with you. This is the most important outcome of any presentation, training or engagement you may undertake with new hires or other workers with changed status.

This means your engagement with them needs to be role-based rather than task-based: not "the two databases that sit on your desktop and how to use them" but "the three business problems you're trying to solve, how to ask good questions to solve them, and when to come to the information experts".

Take a hard look at your onboarding materials. Do they focus on tasks or roles? What's the measurable outcome you are trying to achieve with them? How do you manage effective follow-up?

Then consider other employment triggers, particularly with high-priority groups of workers. These are even more important in many ways than your new staff.

The best information teams position themselves as strategic assets to the business, rather than transaction services. Onboarding and employment change triggers are your best, most under-used opportunity to embed this education.

Get started right away: leverage Jinfo's research and experience

Free: key insights

The main lessons learned of this three-month Research Focus, plus a thematic index to all content published, are listed in the "Insights and Actions" report for the Research Focus, "Developing an information-savvy workforce through strategic alignments".

Non-subscribers: request a free copy by registering your interest.

Subscribers: sign in now to download your copy and access all premium content.

Content

The content in the current Research Focus, "Developing an information-savvy workforce through strategic alignments", helps prioritise, research and engage with key learning groups so that you can optimise outreach at trigger points. Your Jinfo Subscription provides access to these items.

Use these items from the Research Focus for specific guidance (paid subscription):

The following webinar will also be useful (paid subscription):

Best practices in effective, activity-based learning for information literacy

Community

Join your peer group in Jinfo Community sessions to work on these issues (paid subscription, with Community option included):

Creating the roadmap towards information literacy

Consulting

Jinfo Consulting is working with customers today to provide peer-review and improvements on onboarding materials and processes, as well as development of training based on employment trigger points. Contact us to learn how we can help you.

About this article