Dear colleagues,

The lost art of training people on their entry to an organisation.

My history lesson in Records Management in Australia advised that when
anyone was employed with a major organisation e.g. BHP now BHP Billiton an
Australian corporate icon with details available @
http://www.bhpbilliton.com/  the entry point of employment was the head
office central file room, then located in Newcastle, New South Wales "NSW".
This position was not for a day or a week but for an extended period e.g. 6
months or so. The individual could while located here get an understanding
of the processes of the organisation, its structure, its personnel, its
outlying offices, its clients and suppliers, and in a nutshell, its
business. My advice is that this process was a common feature in corporate
Australia in earlier times and to a possibly lesser extent across government
entities e.g. the GPO "General Post Office" now Telstra and Australia Post
e.g. a telegram delivery boy was the entry point.

These days are long gone and I am not advocating their reintroduction.

My question is what has replaced this basic knowledge of the ORGANISATION
and an understanding of good, or poor RM processes and practices where a
chosen few who started employment via the CENTRAL FILE ROOM became CEO's of
these same organisations some years in the future? Not bad odds, as everyone
came through the process surely one of them would make the top position as
in those days recruitment of senior management from external sources was not
the norm, so it was almost 100% likely that the CEO would be home grown.

For the second time, what, IF ANYTHING has replaced this hands on exposure
for the future leaders of the corporate and government world? Has anything?

In an article I had published back in 2003 titled "IS RECORDS MANAGEMENT TO
BE THE NEXT NEW BUZZWORD?" I included the following:

"In the middle ages, I am advised, in Italy at the University of Bologna for
a student to study for a major in Records Management they first needed to
study a minor in Law. Maybe the Harvard Business School and its colleague's
world wide should consider elevating records management back to a higher
level in their business related programs that mirrors its past position in
the hierarchy of learning."

I support the principle espoused by Sharon Burnett in her post of Tue, 2 Nov
2004

>Just as we teach basic reading, writing and all, it seems that records and
information management concepts should be taught as a part of general
requirements for any degree program. Maybe I'm all wet (and it is raining
pretty hard here in Seattle), but it is starting to appear that no matter
what you want to become when you grow up, some R&IM basics would be more
than nice to acquire.<

Maybe Sharon can drop by Uncle Bill Gates place and suggest that such a
position put forward by David Gaynon be promoted and implemented that:

>Now further imagine that you are meeting with the presidents of some of the
elite American schools of higher education to discuss their interest in
accepting these funds and launching a RIM teaching and research program.<

Maybe the Gates support for the enlightenment of under resourced educational
opportunities could be extended to assist the potential future leaders of
corporate and government, world wide to enable them to understand the basic
requirement of RM when setting up, or operating an organisation of any type.


Worth a try?

Anyone talking to Uncle Bill lately?

I know someone who plays chess online with Uncle Bill but they never talk
business or pleasure only Chess. Chess, is that business or pleasure?

NOTE: I liked Larry Medina's input re the flood in Hawaii at the Hamilton
Library:

> Based on this excerpt from the article on the flood in Hawaii, I would say
it SHOULDN'T be taught in the "School of Library and Information
Sciences"... at least not there! <

We all know where to direct people when they need to find the records
department.

Take the lift to the lower ground floor then take a left and go down the
stairs two flights and you will find them located under the carpark!

NOT TRUE! Not in my records area!

In my past live as a sales representative for Xerox I had a small cartoon
showing a crane [the lifting type] lifting a large solid object over an
individuals head with the wire rope of the crane rapidly unwinding and
getting ready to snap and the individual below making the statement - "We
will plan for the next disaster as soon as it occurs!" I left it with people
who would not listen to my spiel.

Laurie Varendorff

Mr Daniel Lawrance [Laurie] Varendorff, ARMA
A Records Management Professional, and proud of the fact!
Consultant/Trainer/Tutor/Presenter: Records and Information Management
Imaging and Micrographic Specialist: 30 years experience

TVC -The Varendorff Consultancy also representing: Digital Microfilm
Equipment - DME

You may care to visit our web site @ Digital Microfilm Equipment (DME) - For
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