Engaging with change: Information and communication technology professionals’ perspectives on change at the mid-point in the UK/EU Brexit process

Background Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been a key agent of change in the 21st century. Given the role of ICT in changing society, this research explores the responses and attitudes to change over time from ICT professionals and ICT academics in dealing with the potentially far reaching political challenge triggered by the UK’s 2016 European Union Referendum and its decision to leave the European Union (Brexit). Whilst the vote was a UK based decision its ramifications have global implications and as such the research was not confined to the UK. This article presents the second phase of the research at the mid-point in the UK/European Union (EU) Brexit process, thus complementing the findings gathered immediately after the Referendum decision. The fundamental question being researched was: What are ICT professionals’ personal and professional perspectives on the change triggered by Brexit in terms of opportunities and threats? Methods and findings Data was collected through a survey launched in March 2018, one year on from the UK’s triggering of Article 50 and marking the mid-point in the two-year Brexit process. The survey replicated the one delivered at the point of the Referendum decision in 2016 with some developments. In addition, two appreciative inquiry focus groups were conducted. The research sought to understand any shifting perspectives on the opportunities and threats that would exist post-Brexit for ICT professionals and academics. 59% of survey participants were negative regarding the Brexit decision. Participants noted the position post-Brexit for the UK, and the remaining 27 EU Member States (EU27), was still very uncertain at this stage. They observed that planned change versus uncertainty provides for very different responses. In spite of the uncertainty, the participants were able to consider and advocate for potential opportunities although these were framed from national perspectives. The opportunities identified within the appreciative inquiry focus groups aligned to those recorded by survey participants with similar themes highlighted. However, the optimum conditions for change have yet to be reached as there is still not an informed position, message and clear leadership with detailed information for the ICT context. Further data will be gathered after the UK exit from the EU, assuming this occurs

Examining the issues & challenges of email & e-communications. 2nd Northumbria Witness Seminar Conference, 24-25 Oct 2007 Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne.

These proceedings capture the content of the second Witness Seminar hosted by Northumbria University’s School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences. It followed the success of the first witness seminar in terms of its format and style but differed in that it focused on one topic - managing email and other electronic communications technologies from a records perspective. As before the witnesses were invited to share their views and opinions on a specific aspect taking as their starting point a pertinent published article(s). Three seminars explored the business, people and technology perspectives of email and e-communications, asking the following questions: What are the records management implications and challenges of doing business electronically? Are people the problem and the solution? Is technology the problem or panacea? The final seminar, 'Futurewatch', focused on moving forward, exploring new ways of working, potential new technologies and what records professionals and others need to keep on their radar screens

Continued communication – maximising the business potential of communications through Web 2.0

This paper is concerned with Continued Communication, a Northumbria University led co-operative inquiry, critically evaluating a central research question: how can organisations maximise the potential of their communications, taking into account the impact of the individual. This paper provides a high level discussion of the research and outputs of the Continued Communication’s UK group. It discusses the complex dimensions of communication; organisational requirements, individual agendas, and communication channels/tools

Diseño definitivo de la Avenida "Padre Carollo" ubicada en la Provincia de Pichincha, cantón Quito, parroquias Quitumbe-Turubamba

We have developed the final project studies Av. Padre Carollo, located in the city of Quito in the South-East sector Turubamba parish. As part of these studies, the design of the center of the track in plan and profile was made considering the topographical failures as Quebrada El Conde, which beat proposing a bridge about light 50 m, in the survey work were placed 6 GPS points, located at the beginning, middle and end of the project, for vertical and get the project references the Quito coordinates are used in the Zonal Administration Quitumbe link was based on a GPS point of the Metropolitan Public Company water and Sanitation (EPMAPS).Se han desarrollado los estudios definitivos del proyecto Av. Padre Carollo, localizados en la ciudad de Quito en el sector Sur-Este, parroquia de Turubamba. Como parte de estos estudios, se realizó el diseño del eje de la vía en planta y perfil considerando las fallas topográficas como la Quebrada: El Conde, la cual se venció proponiendo un puente de luz aproximada de 50 m, en el trabajo topográfico se colocaron 6 puntos GPS, ubicados en el inicio, medio y final del proyecto, para el enlace vertical y obtener el proyecto en referencias con las coordenadas Quito que son utilizadas en la Administración Zonal Quitumbe, se partió de un punto GPS de la Empresa Pública Metropolitana de Agua Potable y Saneamiento (EPMAPS)

Information Governance: Are we there yet and … if not where are we heading?

Information Governance has provided strategic frameworks for maximizing information value in line with regulatory requirements and taking into account security risks. However, to date, it has largely harvested and merged traditional models to achieve these balances. The real possibilities for co-creating, managing, sharing and reusing information/data to enhance societal delivery in ethical ways have yet to be realized. This paper will consider new ways of framing and managing information/data considering wide ranging stakeholder needs, social justice agendas and technological realities and possible futures. Data has been described as the “new oil” ” that drives society and certainly has a recognized commoditized/asset value. In addition, it is being understood as a more fundamental resource such as water, with clean, good quality data driving decision making. As it increasingly links to new technological innovations and possibilities the full impact of where we are heading in terms of information governance has not yet been fully understood and considered. Within this context there are a number of challenges and opportunities for recordkeeping and auditing. These need to be considered in a range of technological contexts considering but not limited to algorithms, blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. It is estimated by PwC, that the latter will grow global GDP by 14% in the next decade changing many interactions between citizens, industry and government. However, the policies and frameworks needed to agree the governance requirements are still emerging. Information governance has the potential to place citizens back at the heart of this agenda and to deliver ethical frameworks and public policy delivery for society. This is a moment for the information and records management to focus in order to be part of, if not centre stage, in this critical agenda and longer term delivery. Let us hope that Records and Information Professionals are there when we arrive at a destination of ethical information delivery. This paper will discuss ways we can get to this destination

An autoethnography exploring the engagement of records management (RM) through a computer mediated communication co-operative inquiry (CMC)

This thesis is an autoethnography exploring the engagement of records management (RM) through the vehicle of a computer mediated communication (CMC) focused co-operative inquiry. CMC is defined as, “communication that takes place between human beings via the instrumentality of computers” (Herring, 1996, p.81). The PhD stance was that with the advent of new technologies, such as CMC, the role and place of RM has been challenged. RM practitioners needed to evaluate their principles and practice in order to discover why RM is not uniformly understood and also why it fails to engage many CMC users and information professionals. The majority of today’s information is generated as the result of unstructured communications (AIIM, 2005 and 2006) that no longer have a fixed reality but exist across fragmented globalised spaces through the Cloud, Web 2.0 and software virtualisation. Organisational boundaries are permanently perforated and the division between public and private spaces are blurred. Traditional RM has evolved in highly structured organisational information environments. Nevertheless, RM could lie at the heart of the processes required for dealing with this splintered data. RM takes a holistic approach to information management, establishing the legislative requirements, technical requirements and the training and support for individuals to communicate effectively, simultaneously transmitting and processing the communications for maximum current and ongoing organisational benefits. However RM is not uniformly understood or practiced. The focus of the thesis was to understand how RM engagement can and should be achieved. The research was conducted by establishing a co-operative inquiry consisting of 82 international co-researchers, from a range of disciplines, investigating the question, ‘How do organisations maximise the information potential of CMC for organisational benefit, taking into account the impact of the individual?” The PhD established a novel approach to co-operative inquiry by separating, managing and merging three groups of co-researchers (UK Records Managers, UK CMC users, international Records Managers and CMC users). I was embedded as a co-researcher within this wider inquiry personally exploring as an autoethnography the relevance of RM to the wider research question, the ability of RM practitioners to advocate for RM and the co-researchers’ responses to the place of RM within this context. The thesis makes several contributions to the research field. It examines how records managers and RM principles and practice engaged through the inquiry, articulating the reasons why users sometimes failed to engage with RM principles and practice, and what assists users to successfully engage with RM. It was found that national perspectives and drivers were more significant as to whether or not individuals engaged with RM concepts than age, gender or professional experience. In addition, users engaged with RM when it was naturally embedded within processes. In addition, as a result of the inquiry’s discussions and actions, the thesis suggests that RM principles and practice need to be refined, for example in regards to the characteristics that define a record. In this respect it concludes that there is rarely likely to be an original archival record surviving through time given the need for migration. The research delivered a novel approach to co-operative inquiry whereby merging groups through time produced new learning at each merger point. The thesis recommends further research to build upon its findings

An autoethnography exploring the engagement of records management through a computer mediated communication focused co-operative inquiry

This thesis is an autoethnography exploring the engagement of records management (RM) through the vehicle of a computer mediated communication (CMC) focused co-operative inquiry. CMC is defined as, “communication that takes place between human beings via the instrumentality of computers” (Herring, 1996, p.81). The PhD stance was that with the advent of new technologies, such as CMC, the role and place of RM has been challenged. RM practitioners needed to evaluate their principles and practice in order to discover why RM is not uniformly understood and also why it fails to engage many CMC users and information professionals. The majority of today’s information is generated as the result of unstructured communications (AIIM, 2005 and 2006) that no longer have a fixed reality but exist across fragmented globalised spaces through the Cloud, Web 2.0 and software virtualisation. Organisational boundaries are permanently perforated and the division between public and private spaces are blurred. Traditional RM has evolved in highly structured organisational information environments. Nevertheless, RM could lie at the heart of the processes required for dealing with this splintered data. RM takes a holistic approach to information management, establishing the legislative requirements, technical requirements and the training and support for individuals to communicate effectively, simultaneously transmitting and processing the communications for maximum current and ongoing organisational benefits. However RM is not uniformly understood or practiced. The focus of the thesis was to understand how RM engagement can and should be achieved. The research was conducted by establishing a co-operative inquiry consisting of 82 international co-researchers, from a range of disciplines, investigating the question, ‘How do organisations maximise the information potential of CMC for organisational benefit, taking into account the impact of the individual?” The PhD established a novel approach to co-operative inquiry by separating, managing and merging three groups of co-researchers (UK Records Managers, UK CMC users, international Records Managers and CMC users). I was embedded as a co-researcher within this wider inquiry personally exploring as an autoethnography the relevance of RM to the wider research question, the ability of RM practitioners to advocate for RM and the co-researchers’ responses to the place of RM within this context. The thesis makes several contributions to the research field. It examines how records managers and RM principles and practice engaged through the inquiry, articulating the reasons why users sometimes failed to engage with RM principles and practice, and what assists users to successfully engage with RM. It was found that national perspectives and drivers were more significant as to whether or not individuals engaged with RM concepts than age, gender or professional experience. In addition, users engaged with RM when it was naturally embedded within processes. In addition, as a result of the inquiry’s discussions and actions, the thesis suggests that RM principles and practice need to be refined, for example in regards to the characteristics that define a record. In this respect it concludes that there is rarely likely to be an original archival record surviving through time given the need for migration. The research delivered a novel approach to co-operative inquiry whereby merging groups through time produced new learning at each merger point. The thesis recommends further research to build upon its findings