Belief / Mission / Vision (2)

There are a number of things that I really believe in. They are the principles that underlie my work as a consultant, and they are as follows (part 2):

Integral approach
If you focus on Information Management during a change, you might miss the essence of IM: supporting the business and management processes within the organization. IM is not a goal in itself: it is there to make the organization better, to serve the organization. During projects, therefore, the focus is on how to make the organization function better. An application doesn’t stand on its own. Focus not just on the application but also on the process, the organization, the technology, the people and the culture. All of these aspects need to be taken into consideration in order to make a change successful and accepted by the organization. I have developed a model describing the 4 levels that have to be integrated, connected and/or intertwined.



Reuse solutions
Whenever I devise a solution together with customers, or when I write training material, I like to make it available to others and share it. My conviction is that solutions already paid for don’t need to be paid for again; especially within education, where most of the money comes from government and so, indirectly, from the taxes we are paying. This is why you will not find a copyright on any of the documents; if material is reused, I ask only that the source of the information be credited.

Working together
During projects, people have to work together to reach the project’s goals. Playing politics or competing with others can distract from these goals. Competition in itself is not bad. Striving for excellence is good when you want to share and if the intention is sincere. Competition on content of education and on research within or between organizations is not bad because it stretch and enriches the organizations. But competition on IM is competition on a common good that serves the organization and the people working within it. IM is something that can contribute to a better (more effective and efficient) organization, but it should never be a goal in itself.

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