Turning Your Vision into Reality

by Rita Seelig Ayers

Today, corporations are going through significant changes and turmoil with what often
appears to be continual restructuring, reengineering and downsizing. Corporations are
learning to be competitive. I believe it is a time of crisis. But as the Chinese word for
"crisis" is composed of two picturecharacters one meaning danger and the other
meaning opportunity we can seize opportunity if we are willing to take some risks.

This article focuses on the steps an organization should take once it has identified its
vision. Vision is defined as the concept or picture of what your organization can or
should be; it requires that you fulfill the unmet needs of your customers. For an
organizational unit to be successful, its vision needs to be placed in the context of the
larger visions of the corporate organization, and those responsible for achieving the
mission need to understand how it meshes with that of the larger organization.

How do you create the reality that your vision forecasts? What do you need to do?
How do you get there from here? If you manage the risks and take advantage of
opportunities, you will be able to turn your vision into reality.

Though the path to achieving your vision is usually not obvious, with the benefit of
hindsight, one can often work back through the decisions that were made, the actions
implemented and the resultant success and see a logical progression. As you proceed
through the visioning process, you will often wonder what the next appropriate step is.
Will it be successful? It won't always be. It is a risk. But, let me offer some general
guidance that can help you achieve your vision.

Corporate cultures are different. The background, education and training of the
individuals in your organization are different; and each person is in a different place
regarding the development of his or her individual potential. As a result, how the
challenges and opportunities will be met is likely to be different for each information
services (IS) department.

Despite the variability of organizations, four general issues need to be addressed by all
organizations:

1. Recognize the capabilities of your current organization

2. Recognize the decisions that need to be made and the changes that must occur
 3. Recognize the importance of people in achieving the vision

4. Recognize your needs in relation to the larger organization

These four issues align with four phases for achieving your vision:
Phase 1: Analyze your organization
Phase 2: Develop your organization
Phase 3: Value and develop your people
Phase 4: Maintain and develop your sphere of influence

Phase 1: Analyze Your Organization

The first phase requires a tactical approach and addresses the first issue, recognizing
the capabilities of your current organization. This phase defines a current state and is
largely descriptive. The traditional approach to defining the current state of IS
involves enumerating a list of services such as:

Literature searching, online or manual

Comprehensive patent searching

Conceptual analysis of documents

Language services

Interlibrary loan

Document delivery

The development of a data model, definition of core competencies and development

of a value chain will significantly augment the traditional approach to describing the
current state.

Data Modeling. Conceptual data modeling is a technique used to represent, interpret

and understand data important to a business or function. It helps you understand what
information is needed to operate your function and identifies the commonality that
exists within your organization or function. It provides a first step to understanding
where redundant work is being performed and indicates potential business
simplification or integration opportunities. Process models reflecting the current state
can identify basic work flow and offer similar opportunities.
Core Competencies. Next, what knowledge, skills and abilities does your staff have?
This provides the basis for defining your core competencies, those underlying
capabilities that allow you to be effective information professionals. Information
professionals enable better corporate business decisions by selecting, organizing,
analyzing and retrieving the information needed in decisionmaking. It is critical that
you understand your core competencies and distinguish them from core skills. Core
competencies will remain relatively stable over time, while the core skills needed to
implement them will change.

Value Adding Chain. Developing a valueadding chain can be useful in accomplishing

the objectives of Phase 1. It captures the inputs or raw materials you need, reflects the
fact that your organization or function transforms those inputs from various suppliers
and produces products at several levels, and shows who your customers are. Do you
serve research or development? Do you provide technical support to manufacturing or
sales? Do you focus on business, legal or financial aspects? Understanding whom you
intend to serve is critical. The valueadding chain is also a tool that corporate
management readily recognizes and understands.

Next, determine which services provide the most value. This requires talking to your
customers to understand their needs and values, which may differ for each
organization. In our analysis, we found that our customers need and value the
following things:

Physical access

Choice of services

Responsiveness

Tools to conquer the information glut

Simpler access to multiple systems

Capture/access individual files

Accuracy

Such a list reflects a view of the current state. It should give you an understanding of
where you might bring the greatest contribution to your corporation. Where are the
holes in your offering? What are you doing that is less valueadding or better done by
someone else, either within your corporation or on the outside? Once this is
accomplished, you may proceed to Phase 2.
Phase 2: Develop Your Organization

Phase 2 evaluates how your organization measures up. The results of this analysis will
help you recognize the decisions that need to be made and the changes that must
occur. It requires a hard and honest look at your organization. This process is likely to
be painful, but it is absolutely critical. For the results of Phase 2 to be successful, you
must operate at a more strategic level, taking a broader view of the IS organization:
what it does and how it fits into the larger picture within the corporation.

A clear mission statement and/or business definition is a necessary foundation to

provide the context in which you will evaluate your organization. The conceptual data
model and process models you created in Phase 1 will help you understand how your
organization works from a functional, rather than an activitybased, position. It also
lets you create a picture that reflects your future state.

Does your staff possess the necessary core competencies as you have defined them in
Phase 1? If so, are they aware of it? If they do not possess them, what education or
training do they need to develop the appropriate core competencies? If they already
possess them, do they recognize that they possess them, and do they recognize the
power that gives them and the organization? Do they understand how transferable that
knowledge is to solving broad information problems?

How might you develop that recognition? Discussion and validation of the core
competencies and models can help create that awareness. Have you shared your
vision? Is it their vision too? Taking the opportunity to help individuals understand
when they have applied their core competencies empowers you and your staff. Don't
let your staff take themselves and their knowledge and capabilites for granted. Make
sure that the information professionals recognize their role and responsibility to be the
resource that enables improved corporate decision making.

Focusing on valueadded tasks that require your core competencies may require you to
recognize and make hard decisions about outsourcing or eliminating certain work. It
may require that you downsize in one area to increase capability in another. If people
do not have the appropriate capabilities and will not or cannot develop them, you may
need to replace them. It is difficult to get people to stop doing what they have always
done. Focusing on and prioritizing the most critical valueadding tasks is necessary in
developing a strategy that takes innovations and moves them to implementation.

Finally, is your organization accountable? Have you established the tools for capturing
the work you do? Have you developed adequate ways to measure your contributions
and successes? Accountability is critical to your credibility. Everyone in your
corporation has to accomplish more with less. You need to be able to help members of
the corporation understand the value of the dollars they spend with your organization.
You need to recognize that they are your customers.

Phase 3: Value and Develop Your People

Although the process described in this article is laid out as a series of phases, some
can be worked on concurrently. I encourage you to start Phase 3 as soon as possible.
As the leader of an organization, you need to take every opportunity to understand
what leadership really means and to develop leadership qualities. A vision can only be
realized if you understand how important people are. Develop strong communication
skills and recognize that you need to communicate at many levels. A firm belief in
people and teamwork and a commitment to consensusbuilding will help you achieve
your vision. Personal integrity and credibility are critical. In many cases, the
opportunities your organization confronts will depend in part on the management's
view of the organization's leader. Dedication, perseverance, patience, faith they will
all help you get there.

Strive to be the type of leader who helps people so that eventually they don't need
you. The best leader helps others learn what they need to do to develop their potential
and improve performance and effectiveness. Your role is to help them discover what
they want to do. Give them the freedom to believe in what they are doing and to enjoy
their work. Unleash the tremendous power of accomplishment that each individual
possesses.

Spend time sharing your vision with all the members of your organization until the
vision becomes theirs. You need to spend the time developing a shared understanding
of empowerment. Empowerment is critical to success, but the definition of
empowerment must be understood or the result may be anarchy. My definition of
empowerment is understanding and supporting the vision, mission and goals of an
organization and using that knowledge to gain critical information, understand the
potential impact of the decision on the larger organization and ultimately make a
decision that can be supported and that moves the organization closer to its vision.

Communicate all that you can to members of your organization. Information is critical
to successfully empowering yourself and your staff. Seek the information you need
and share it openly with your organization. Make the time to give your staff all the
attention they need. Value them and believe in them. Your primary function as the
leader of the organization is to support your people. They are the ones who actually
make it happen.

Develop accountability in your people. "Accountability is the recognition and

acceptance that one is answerable for whatever happens within a given area of
activity, regardless of the cause." (PRYOR REPORT, Clemson, S.C.: Pryor Resources,
Inc., January, 1993.) Expect your people to be accountable and give them the
authority they need.

As an information manager, your primary responsibility is to support your people, and

your people need to understand that their primary responsibility is to serve their
customers. This includes a broad understanding that customers include those who
need or use the end products of the IS department, as well as their colleagues within
the function.

You and your staff need to take the time to think about what you are trying to
accomplish. Take the strategic view. Develop leadership in yourself and your staff,
value your people, recognize that each member's role is critical to the success of the
overall organization, empower them and make them accountable. Share your
knowledge. Celebrate the small victories. Put 110% of your abilities into everything
you do.

Phase 4: Maintain and Develop Your Sphere of Influence

You need resources. If you have demonstrated the value of the IS organization, if you
have made the difficult decisions necessary for the effective evaluation and
restructuring of IS, if you have demonstrated creativity and have sought to do the right
thing, if your organization is prepared, if you have communicated frequently and well,
then your organization will likely receive the resources, support and recognition you
need. You must develop judgment to know when to fight and when to back off, and
you must clearly recognize the sphere of your influence. Identify the decisionmakers
in your corporation and be sure that you are talking to them. Make sure your users
know about the quality and breadth of your services, but be absolutely sure that the
decisionmakers know your organization is costeffective and that they understand the
value you bring. Pursue the areas where you can be successful and have the greatest
impact, and communicate, communicate, communicate up, down and sideways. It is
not good enough to address the first three issues. It is not good enough to have
answered the hard questions well. It is not good enough to have a crackerjack staff.
Without communication your chance of success will be very limited.

Achieving Reality

So do your homework, understand your IS organization, make the needed changes,

develop your own and your staff's leadership capabilities, empower your staff with
knowledge and understanding, and communicate, communicate, communicate. Today
your parent organization really needs you. The information function is critical to the
success of corporations. It takes a great deal of energy and commitment, but the view
is definitely worth the climb.

Rita Seelig Ayers is affiliated with DuPont Research & Development, E.I. DuPont de
Nemours & Co.,