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6023 results in Facet Publishing

Page 275 of 302

  • 13 - Future directions

  • Martin White
  • Book:
    Making Search Work
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    18 March 2007, pp 135-142

  • Summary

    In this chapter:

    ■ What direction will the search industry take?

    ■ How important is innovation by Google and Microsoft?

    ■ Convergence of search and business intelligence

    ■ Social software and search

    One of the themes of this book has been the need to plan ahead, to assess what the needs of the organization will be in the years to come, so that the best strategic fit can be made between the requirements of the organization and the implementation of a search engine, whether for a website, the desktop, one or more intranets, or for enterprise-wide search. This chapter takes the risky approach of trying to suggest the directions that search technology will take in the future. A reader looking at this chapter even a year or so after publication may well be amused rather than informed.

    Having spent over ten years in the business of high-technology market forecasting I look back on some of the reports that I wrote over that time and can now scarcely credit the astounding rate of progress that has been achieved, especially in the area of price–performance.

    So, here are some predictions for the future, in the hope that, if nothing else, they will make you, the reader, focus on what is happening in the areas I have highlighted, and draw your own interpretation and vision.

    Search is going to be a big business

    Most IT markets grow on an S-curve, with a number of early adopters who then act as validation for the technology and its initial applications. After that there is a more general uptake, which is rarely truly exponential. Even though computer-based search has been available for over 40 years, its adoption by organizations is still in the very early stages. We are still at the very beginning of the S-curve, and the main reason for this is not that the technology did not work but that there was no identifiable market.

    Now that market is beginning to exist. The advent of content management software to enable websites to be created and managed more easily, the total inability of organizations to find anything in e-mail servers, the widespread use of shared drives, the ubiquity of Microsoft SharePoint and the demands for compliance solutions are just a few of the drivers for this market.

  • 2 - How search works

  • Martin White
  • Book:
    Making Search Work
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    18 March 2007, pp 13-30

  • Summary

    In this chapter:

    An explanation of how search software works

    ■ The differences between ranking, relevance, precision and recall

    ■ The value of a taxonomy

    ■ How to ensure that document confidentiality is not compromised by a search engine

    Introduction

    In order to evaluate and implement a search application it is important to understand the basic elements of search technology, which form the basis of both search software and search application products. There are a number of distinct elements in the process, from capturing content to presenting it within a browser on demand:

  • ■ content definition

  • ■ indexing

  • ■ query management

  • ■ ranking of results

  • ■ results formatting

  • ■ document access.

    • The challenge in selecting a search application is that every vendor carries out these processes in a slightly different way. Understanding the similarities and differences between the products on the market is important in ensuring that user requirements are fully accommodated. A good understanding of search technology is also important when it comes to implementing and ‘tuning’ a search engine. There will be a continuing need to look at the types of search being carried out, and the results they obtain, and then changing various elements of the search process (especially the way in which ranking is carried out) to ensure that users obtain the maximum number of relevant results.

    Content definition

    The initial task is to define the content that needs to be searched, and hence indexed. For smaller applications the index is generated on the server that also contains the content to be indexed, a common situation with website searching. The search query is then run against this index. However, the index to a set of documents may typically be between 15 and 50% of the file size of the content collection and querying the index also requires a substantial amount of processing.

    As a result the indexes and query management are accomplished on a separate server. A number of options are then available.

  • 10 - Personal and professional development

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 177-196

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The purpose of this chapter is to explore practical approaches to personal growth and development. This is vital if you are to provide effective team leadership or supervision particularly if you are working in a challenging and turbulent environment. Individuals who are effective team leaders and supervisors are often very clear about who they are and what they want to get out of their work as well as other aspects of their lives. They are likely to pay attention to the topics covered in this chapter which include looking after yourself; work/life balance; time management; personal and career support; professional networks and communities of practice; and personal portfolios.

    Looking after yourself

    Team leaders and supervisors are likely to experience a range of challenges in the workplace, e.g. demanding workload, information overload, initiative overload, issues arising from individual team members or customers, new ways of working in a team, new working practices and/or technical innovations. As a result it is important to be able to manage yourself in the workplace so that you can lead your team in a relatively stress-free manner.

    Key aspects of looking after yourself in the workplace may include:

  • • Know your own work peaks and troughs. Most people have times of the day when they are full of energy and other times when their energy is low. For example some people are at their best in the morning (larks) while others are afternoon or evening people (owls). If you know your best times and you are able to organize when you carry out your work then it makes sense to do your most demanding work when your energy levels are at their highest.

  • • Have tea breaks and lunch breaks. Eat healthy food.

  • • When you have a break, if possible get away from your desk and get some fresh air.

  • • Keep your working environment clean, tidy and uncluttered (see Chapter 5).

  • • Use time-management techniques (see summary in Figure 10.1).

  • • Speak to colleagues if you feel overwhelmed.

  • • Use breaks to network with colleagues.

  • Introduction

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp xv-xvii

  • Summary

    The aim of this book is to provide a practical guide for new and aspiring team leaders and supervisors. The book covers the main areas of concern for new team leaders and supervisors, and it is also relevant to experienced practitioners who wish to refresh their approach to managing teams.

    This book is based on information and knowledge obtained and developed from:

  • • my experiences as a team leader in academic and workplace information and library units

  • • my experiences in teamwork as an independent consultant and trainer

  • • feedback from colleagues attending my workshops run through professional associations such as CILIP and ASLIB/IMI in the UK

  • • visits (both real and virtual) to a wide range of information and library services (ILS)

  • • professional networks and conferences, and also the literature.

    • The book is not intended as a prescriptive guide to leading and supervising teams. It presents well tested and current approaches to teamwork and a range of examples and case studies, and these are meant to demonstrate current practice in a wide range of information and library units. After reading this book or dipping into it, I hope that you will use the tools and techniques that are most relevant to your professional context. Each topic is covered in a practical and down-to-earth manner. Although references are made to relevant theories the main focus of this book is on the practice of leading and supervising teams; it is very much a ‘how to …’ guide for supervisors and team leaders. Some chapters include self-assessment audits to enable you to consider and reflect upon your knowledge and skills. There are also a number of activities and the purpose of these is to help you to relate the content of each chapter to your own work situation. Individual chapters conclude with a list of references and the book ends with a guide to further reading and a brief index.

    Chapter 1 provides an overview of working as a supervisor or team leader. This includes understanding the role and the responsibilities of team leaders and supervisors. This chapter includes an audit tool which you may use to reflect on and think about your knowledge and skills with respect to leading and supervising teams.

  • 5 - Managing the work

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 69-96

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter is concerned with managing the work in your team. This includes creating an appropriate working environment so that the information and library service both looks professional and is also a pleasant working environment. This chapter considers ways of managing both types of work experienced in an ILS: routine work and project work. It also considers issues relevant to both routine and project work, i.e. delegating tasks, giving instructions, giving feedback, setting goals and monitoring and reviewing performance.

    Managing the work environment

    The physical work environment, i.e. the organization and layout of the public and staff areas in the ILS, will have an impact on everyone coming into the service. Individuals will judge your ILS on the basis of what they see. If they come into an environment where everything looks tidy, notices are up-to-date and welcoming, and there is the sense of stepping into a professional workspace then they are likely to feel positive about the ILS. Conversely, if the ILS looks disorganized with outof- date notices, old computers cluttering up corners, dying plants in dark corners, staff desks heaped with piles of paper and used coffee cups, then potential readers are unlikely to feel confident about the quality of service. In addition, there are health and safety factors to be taken into account in organizing the work environment: a well organized and tidy environment is likely to be a safe environment.

    Managing the work environment involves everyone taking responsibility for their own working space and the public areas of the ILS. Many team leaders ensure that individual members of staff have responsibility for specific aspects of maintaining the physical environment and tasks such as tidying book shelves, notice boards, organizing and maintaining the stationery store, and checking that computers are working.

    Ways of providing a professional-looking ILS involve ensuring:

  • • tidy and up-to-date notice boards

  • • effective and up-to-date guiding

  • • temporary guiding produced to a good standard

  • • tidy shelves

  • • reader areas checked and tidied at regular intervals

  • • public computers and printers checked regularly

  • • tidy and uncluttered help desks

  • • everything labelled and in the most appropriate place

  • • absence of food and drink in all public areas

  • • providing a ‘trophy’ wall where photographs, e.g. of visitors to the service, awards and other accolades are displayed to anyone coming to the service.

  • 6 - Communication skills

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 97-118

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The aim of this chapter is to provide an outline of the communication skills required by team leaders and supervisors. Excellent communication skills are at the heart of teamworking and they involve people in thinking about the person to whom they are communicating, what they want to communicate, and the most effective means of getting their message across. This chapter considers the following topics: communications in organizations, communicating with the team, e.g. briefing teams and individuals, leading meetings, listening and presentation skills and using virtual communication tools.

    Communications in organizations

    It is traditional to classify the communications processes in organizations into formal and informal systems.

    Formal communications

    Formal communication systems are those set up by the organization to ensure that the organization and its staff work towards their goals in an efficient and effective manner. Formal communication processes include:

  • • Written communications:

  • — formal letters, minutes of meetings and memos

  • — annual reports

  • — procedure manuals.

  • • Verbal communications:

  • — manager's briefings

  • — formal meetings.

    • Large organizations often have a department, frequently the marketing or communications department, that is concerned with internal as well as external communications. Individual managers and team leaders may be provided with guidance about the communication standards within their organization and department. However, the communications processes within a department or team are the responsibility of the managers, team leaders or supervisors. In small organizations individual managers will take much greater responsibility for all communication processes including external communications relevant to their department.

    Informal communications

    Informal communications include written communications such as notes, birthday cards and e-mails, and a whole range of activities such as gossip, discussions over lunch or in the pub and informal meetings over a photocopier. An important difference between formal and informal communications is that while the management of an organization has some control over the formal communication processes they have little control over the informal ones.

  • 8 - Human resource management

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 137-156

  • Summary

    Introduction

    As a team leader or supervisor you are likely to have contact with the human resources or personnel department when dealing with people issues. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the types of processes and activities that are involved in human resource management. This will help you to know and understand how the work of these specialists can support and help you in your work.

    An important point to note is that if you are involved in a staff issue then it is always best to obtain expert advice from human resource specialists before attempting to tackle the problem. Employment legislation is constantly changing and developing, and this makes it imperative to ask for specialist assistance when dealing with staff issues.

    The topics covered in this chapter are: human resource management, recruitment and selection, performance management and appraisal processes, disciplinary and grievance procedures, health and safety, managing absence, and equal opportunities and diversity. A useful and standard textbook on the subject is Torrington et al. (2005).

    Human resource management

    Large organizations will typically include a human resources department (previously called the personnel department) which is concerned with the strategic management of staff so that they support the goals and objectives of the organization. The human resources department is likely to take on the following responsibilities:

  • • administration of recruitment and selection

  • • servicing contracts of employment

  • • health and safety

  • • personnel policies and procedures

  • • supporting team leaders and managers in their dealings with their staff

  • • consultation with the recognized trade unions and other employee representatives

  • • workplace learning and development

  • • development and maintenance of personnel management systems

  • • provision of employment information, including statistics, for use within the organization and by related outside bodies

  • • presenting the organization's personnel policies and views in appropriate forums outside the organization.

    • Smaller organizations may employ one or two human resources officers and their function may be more narrowly focused on recruitment and selection, industrial relations, employment policies and practices, and health and safety.

  • 3 - Confident leadership and supervision

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 31-50

  • Summary

    Introduction

    The purpose of this chapter is to introduce a range of ideas that will help the new and developing team leader or supervisor to become confident in working with others. This chapter offers a number of different models that may be used by team leaders as a tool for reflection and personal development.

    The chapter starts by considering some of the characteristics of confident team leaders. This is followed by the presentation of the assertiveness model which offers a useful framework for exploring, understanding and developing individual behaviour. The concept of emotional intelligence was developed in the USA in the 1990s and this model is presented here because it offers a pragmatic approach to exploring the emotional side of leading and working in teams. This chapter includes a section on problem solving and provides a framework for tackling problems in the workplace. This is supported by a long case that demonstrates the application of problem-solving techniques to the type of problem that commonly arises in libraries and information services. Finally, the issue of the management of change is outlined and developed through a framework that explores individual responses to change.

    Confident leadership and supervision

    Confident supervisors and team leaders are people who are able to lead their teams: they know where they are going; they have a range of strategies for getting there; and are able to handle the people issues that inevitably arise in a clear and honest manner. These leaders and supervisors may not always know the ‘right answer’ or the ‘best approach’ to carrying out a task but they have the confidence and leadership skills to work with their team and others to identify and put into place the most appropriate set of actions. While confident team leaders still experience the types of problems and situations common to many teams, e.g. personality clashes, problems with disaffected and demotivated staff and high workloads, they will be pro-active in bringing these issues out into the open and attempting to solve them. An analysis of the ways in which confident supervisors and team leaders work produces the following list of common characteristics.

  • 4 - Motivation

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 51-68

  • Summary

    Introduction

    This chapter presents some common motivation theories that help to explain some of the ways in which team leaders can motivate their team. The final section of the chapter covers motivational drivers that may be used to help motivate individuals or a whole team. These motivational drivers are particularly useful because they provide insights into the ways in which we can influence individuals or the whole team through our use of language. This chapter includes a range of case studies and examples. Case study 4.1 is a long one and this is referred to in the subsequent sections on motivation theory.

    Introduction to motivation

    A motivated team is essential if you want to provide a high-quality information and library service. Motivated teams are a pleasure to work with and mean that, as team leader, you look forward to going to work in the morning. In contrast, demotivated teams are challenging and require a careful development process if they are to change. If you ask individuals about what motivates them at work then you are likely to obtain a range of responses including:

  • • being able to pay the mortgage and other bills

  • • doing a good job

  • • helping people

  • • learning new things

  • • doing an interesting job

  • • developing my career

  • • working with friendly people

  • • not doing the same thing every day • being able to make my own decisions.

    • Understanding what motivates individuals and how to improve their motivation is vital to being an effective team leader.

    Case study 4.1 The new team leader

    The accessions team in a public library was made up of five team members: two parttime clerical assistants (Joan and Jane); two administrative officers (Clare and Tom); and a qualified librarian (Andrea). The team had experienced a number of difficulties in the past three years including loss of a treasured team leader due to cancer; two new team leaders who only stayed for nine months each; change in their work, i.e. rise in purchase of DVDs and CDs and fall in the number of books purchased; threat of closure of department with the idea that acquisitions would be outsourced. Morale in the department was very low and this was illustrated by high rates of absence due to sickness, errors in their work and slow processing of new stock.

  • 7 - Managing and leading complex teams

  • Barbara Allan
  • Book:
    Supervising and Leading Teams in ILS
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 December 2006, pp 119-136

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Team leaders and supervisors may be asked to lead a complex team or, as a result of their role, they may be asked to join such a team or project. The purpose of this chapter is to consider some of the challenges involved in managing and leading different types of complex teams. This includes partnership teams which may be multi-professional, i.e. made up of representatives from different professional groups, or teams involving members from different organizations (who may be from the same or different professional backgrounds); diverse teams where members may come from a wide range of national and cultural backgrounds; and also virtual teams. This chapter will help you to lead or to be an active and effective team member in a complex team.

    Working in collaborative and multi-professional teams

    Partnership is one of the most complex and difficult ways in which to work. When it works even reasonably well, however, it can bring some of the best results for the end-user.

    Dakers (2003, 47)

    Information and library workers have always had a tradition of networking and collaborative working both within the profession and also with other professional groups. In the last decade, governments, agencies and organizations have raised the profile of partnership working as they see this as one way of meeting the needs to modernize and develop new approaches to working and delivering services in a complex and rapidly changing environment. A scan of the current ILS literature reveals that many information workers are now involved in developing and delivering a wide range of services through partnerships. Pilling and Kenna (2002) provide an overview of many collaborative projects and partnerships in the information and library world.

    Sullivan and Skelcher (2002) highlight the rise in collaborative working between public, private and the voluntary and community sectors and they map out how collaboration is central to the way in which public policy is made, managed and delivered in the UK. Partnership working is currently popular with the UK government where it is seen as an important strategy for tackling complex and interlinked issues such as crime, education, health and housing in our inner cities.

Page 275 of 302