> Has anybody experienced your employer paying no attention to RIM, even
> hiring a person specilized in RIM, but not providing too much supports,
> inputs or even comments to most of your proposals.


An interesting question, although sadly not an uncommon situation.  I've
even been hired as a consultant in the past to perform a full assessment of
a client's RIM program and as part of the contract asked to develop an
action plan to address the identified gaps only to find out on follow-up
calls, the report and recommendations were shelved.

How did you handle this, and was this a situation you can survive and
> succeed?



The answer to this may lie in an self-performed analysis of how thick your
skin is =)

In many cases, an organization comprehends the need to do something, and it
may even be required to comply with regulations and or laws, but the cost is
so great (in terms of effort and investment) they are unwilling to move
forward.  And while some cases may allow them to take "baby steps" to
success, those changes (if enacted) may cause even greater gaps to form.

In some cases, an organization may be working as a Contractor to a Federal
Agency, and all of their funding comes from that agency.  In their Contract,
there may be specific requirements to comply with, and following the
issuance of that contract, new guidance may be issued.  However, the
guidance is not included in the requirements of the existing contract, and
after evaluating the new changes required to comply with it, it is
determined substantial additional funding would be required.  If that
funding is not available, an "accommodation" must be reached that satisfies
both parties.  Anyone ever been in this position??

In private industry, many times a decision is made NOT to comply fully with
a requirement, simply  because the fine for failure to comply is
substantially less than the cost to implement changes to comply.  In other
cases, a decision is made that the risk of being found out of compliance is
so low that there's no bottom line benefit to doing anything.  As long as
the organization is able to conduct it's primary business with no
ill-effects, why expend money and effort unnecessarily?

My recommendation is if YOUR responsibilities include ensuring you have
identified any gaps for compliance or ineffective and/or inefficient
business practices relative to Records and Information Management being
performed by your organization, and you have done that and provided a report
to your management indication all of these items, then you have fulfilled
your obligations.  Continue to keep your study information current, provide
periodic updates to your management, and hope for a day when they are
willing to adopt it.

Take a look at your proposal/plan and see if there are "pieces" that can be
pulled out and tackled independently .  If there are, submit suggestions for
approaching those components on their own.  Or another option is to find a
department/division/function within your organization that could potentially
adopt your recommendations and approach them as an opportunity for improving
their practices.  If they succeed, use this as a "springboard" to continue
working with others.

Best of luck to you!

Larry

-- 
Larry Medina
Danville, CA
RIM Professional since 1972

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