Julie Colgan wrote:
One of the things that I have always struggled with in terms of
'traditional RM' (please don't hate me! ...) is the apparent rigidity,
or a seeming inflexibility, which often inhibits the necessary agility
to effectively address a dynamic business environment.

Julie, I think you hit something right on the head, and - I will confess
- its something I find myself struggling with constantly, and need to be
repeatedly working on (not always successfully, I will confess). There
is always a tension between being "records cops", rigidly enforcing the
rules, and providing a service that our stakeholders see as useful and
cost effective. You're absolutely right - often the easy route is simply
laying down the rules and demanding "satisfaction". Easy, but not so
effective. Its so much harder to develop business processes, policies,
and approaches that meet our customers needs in a way that supports
their goals and values, as well as ours. It's a real balancing act - one
which I have found is generally played out by a thousand incremental
steps of compromise towards a larger goal, knowing when to put your foot
down, and listening listening listening. Enormous patience is required -
reminding myself of why I do this, and where we fit into the larger
picture, helps ensure those steps have coherence (which is why I
occasionally lapse into spasms of idealism!). However, I have full
confidence that it can be done, and I'm glad to hear that you feel you
are on the same journey. 

Dwight Wallis, CRM
Records Administrator
Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution & Stores
(FREDS)
1620 SE 190th Avenue
Portland OR 97233
phone: (503)988-3741
fax: (503)988-3754
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