Open Password – Wednesday June 9, 2021
#932
Vfm spring conference – Agile organization and development – Willi Bredemeier – Management theory – Management practice – Buzzword – Content Management RTL News – Information, documentation and archive – SWR – SR – Case studies – Kurt Jansson – SPIEGEL documentation – New Work – Bottom Up – Work- Life-Blending – Dissolving boundaries of work – Stefan Doganay – Forms of publication – Home office – Short-time work – Restructuring – Large projects – Flexible resource shifting – Modularization – Agile task distribution – Employee pool – Chief Happiness Officer – Task prioritization – Flexibilization – Generalists vs. specialists – Cherry picking – Jasmin Baumgartner – Christiane Bouche – Silo structure – Steering group – Sounding board – Project group – Network structure – Guides – Basic training in agility – Design thinking – Cultural mindsets – Cross-location collaboration – Need for coordination – Feedback culture – Corona – Innovation workshop – Google – Google Store – ProctorU – Artificial intelligence – Economist Education – Reuters – Refinitiv – East View Information Services – Center for Research Libraries – Twitter – Tomorrow – LexisNexis – Nexis for Competitive Intelligence – Thomson Reuters – HighQ – Contrat Analysis – Katerra – Soft Bank Group – Quick Check – HAW Hamburg – Degree programs – Library and Information Management – Outsell
I
Cover stories:
1.
“Agile organization and development” session: After all the hype about agility,
a longing for your former boss?
2.
Content management at RTL News: Serving all forms of publication from a single source.
Agile division of labor, clear prioritization of tasks, modularization and flexible resource shifting
3.
SWR and SDR: Return of agility, personal responsibility and new ideas
to the documentation of SWR and SR
II.
International News
III.
HAW Hamburg: Newly designed bachelor’s degree program
“Library and Information Management”
vfm spring conference (1):
“Agile organization and development” session
After all the hype about agility,
a longing for your former boss?
By Willi Bredemeier
For a century now, management theory and management practice have been inventing a new “buzzword” every now and then in order to achieve higher operational productivity through (partial) disempowerment of superiors in favor of (greater) self-responsibility of employees who coordinate in teams. The new “buzzword” dominated the scene for several years until it was replaced by another term. This raises suspicions that the managers could not be disempowered so easily.
For a few years now, “agility” has been the latest rage in the design of business organization; this is a “buzz word” that once again struck me as lacking concreteness. Concrete facts, thanks to the vfm spring conference, were provided in large numbers in the case studies on RTL News and on the information, documentation and archives at SWR and SR. However, these left me pretty perplexed. The speakers’ commitment, enthusiasm and identification with ongoing experiments are certainly commendable, but I still can’t imagine exactly how it all works (or doesn’t). Shouldn’t we also come up with case studies that are not influenced by the interested parties? Could it be that completely different practices are hidden under the operational realities that are called “agile organization and work” (and perhaps something else soon)?
Before we get carried away by the enthusiasm of the makers of “agile solutions”, let’s take a look at the discussions about the presentations on RTL and SWR. Kurt Jansson from the SPIEGEL documentation still saw agile work as positive, especially when it was combined with “fun and a good mood”. On the other hand, he viewed “New Work” more critically, especially when it is exclusively organized from the bottom up and in a “work-life blend” leads to a “dissolution of boundaries of work” and constant availability. To continue this thread, would some then wish for an end to the overemphasis on social relationships and for a return to superiors, the hierarchy pyramid and clear guidelines?
vfm spring conference (2):
Content management at RTL News
All forms of publication from a single source serve
agile division of labor, clear prioritization of tasks, modularization and flexible resource shifting
“Agile working in content management”. Stefan Doganay from Content Management at RTL News spoke about this at the vfm spring conference.
The tasks of content management are video material management and production support for all journalistic products of RTL News, for example news and magazine programs, shows, sports reporting and online portals. Based on brands or programs, these include RTL.De, ntv, Vox and RTL 2 NEWS. In other words, content management serves all publishing platforms from a single source.
Content Management has 49 employees. These include 32 media documentarians and content coordinators, two volunteers and 15 student employees. The area is structured into five teams. Examples of such teams are “Team Magazine”, “Team News” and “Team Sport”. The work is carried out in a 24-student company, so that RTL and its content management are present wherever something important is happening. However, “research and provision” is limited to working days and here to 4 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. In 2020, 120,000 working hours were spent on the “Server Cologne”, 96,000 working hours on “managed material”, 40,000 working hours on raw material and 6,500 working hours on the archive.
The framework conditions for content management have been in a turbulent state of change since 2019, due to
- Changes in management, further management and editorial staff,
- Introduction of home office and short-time work in the wake of Corona as well
- Establishment of a central editorial team for all publishing platforms (2021), which was then rejected and replaced by a new structure with departments and editorial departments.
The renewed restructuring led to the media group’s strategic focus being placed on journalistic products. In 2021, this meant more documentaries, more shows and more online videos were produced. This included 30 journalistic special programs, three themed evenings (Corona and “Storm on the Capitol”) and various large documentaries. The consequence for content management was that an increasing number of large projects had to be managed, which resulted in enormous effort at very short notice and repeatedly required colleagues to be released quickly. Doganay named “speed”, “availability of the service”, “clarification of rights and packaging” and “adherence to the budget” as requirements for online publishing.
The “brave new world” (Doganay) of content management after the restructuring now consists of “agile working”. This is characterized by four principles:
- flexible resource shifting to be able to react quickly to load peaks;
- Modularization means breaking down all repetitive and non-time-critical tasks into work packages that are assigned and processed in shifts instead of fixed working hours. However, in addition to “research and provision”, there are fixed shifts in “off-peak areas” and in “newsroom documentation”. Doganey named “broadcast archiving”, “content indexing in the archive”, “raw materials” and “project work” as examples of modules;
- Distribution of tasks via a board, referred to by Doganey as an “ agile division of labor ” because this means that “employees are responsible for day-to-day distribution of tasks” and draw from an employee pool to process all modularized task packages . Each team is assigned a “Chief Happines Officer” who, although not given leadership responsibility, encourages individual employees when necessary and ensures that the work progresses;
- clear tasks for task prioritization. The question “What goes away first?” was easier to answer after learning how to set priorities during a short-time work phase during one of the Corona lockdowns, when there was much less manpower available.
With the restructuring of content management, employees have to come to terms with the fact that the tasks they have to handle are difficult to plan and that they are required to be more flexible. Doganay confirmed that there was strong resentment over the change. The advantages of the new regulations were not recognized equally by everyone. In the new structure there are not only winners, but also losers. On the other hand, employees can better develop their individual skills and organize their working hours flexibly, which is an important advantage for employees with small children, for example.
Does the new structure promote generalists or specialists? In the end, Dagonay was unable to make a clear decision, especially since many discussions are still being held internally on this point. Will the new division of labor be perceived as fair? There is no such thing as absolute justice, said Dagonay. However, “cherry picking” would be prevented. There is constant communication about the distribution of tasks.
vfm spring conference (3):
SWR and SDR
Return of agility, personal responsibility and new ideas
to the documentation of SWR and SR
Jasmin Baumgartner and Christiane Bouche (SWR in Baden-Baden and Mainz) reported at the vfm spring conference on “Reinventing IDA – How and why employees redesign their HDA” (HA IDA = Main Department of Information, Documentation and Archives of the SWR and the SR ).
A reorganization of media documentation had become necessary because the general conditions were constantly changing, automation had reached a critical level and customers wanted new products and services. It was also realized that the previous hierarchical silo structure of isolated departments had blocked the development of new products and services and the necessary decisions. With the new structure, employees should take on more responsibility and develop better.
A steering group, a project group and a sounding board were set up for the development and implementation of a new organization. The steering group includes the main department management, sounding board, the project group, the human resources managers of Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and SR (Saarländischer Rundfunk), the staff representatives of SWR and SR, corporate development and the representative for the severely disabled. The project group primarily includes IDA employees. These were found in advance with the help of a tender. Additional members are sent by the staff representatives, corporate development and the severely disabled representatives. The IDA leadership team belongs to the sounding board. It is true for all committees that it made external participation possible. In this way, feedback from many colleagues can be obtained and incorporated into the committees’ decisions. The circle of those involved in the reorganization process is constantly expanding and changing, according to the speakers.
The fundamental change is that the hierarchical pyramidal structure has been abolished in favor of a network structure. Collaboration between the individual committees and networks should be ensured by overlapping memberships in the various circles. Initially, the committees were concerned with agreeing on common goals and creating a framework for personal responsibility. The results were laid down in guidelines, which are so comprehensive so that you can orient yourself in the new structure. At the same time, “the conditions were created for us to develop further from within ourselves.” This includes basic training in agility and the promotion of agility, especially among managers, as well as in personnel development and planning.
The first successes have now become apparent, say Baumgartner and Bouche. Many methods are already in place, as can be seen in the committee meetings and feedback workshops, in the collaboration at team level and in the transfer of knowledge within the overall network. The design thinking method is used to develop new products and services (design thinking = approaches to solving problems and developing new ideas that are convincing from the employees’ perspective). The speakers also looked confidently at what has been achieved so far when it comes to changing the “cultural mindset” of the employees (development of potential, personal responsibility, customer orientation and network). The cross-location collaboration in developing a new organizational structure brought colleagues closer together, even if they worked in Baden-Baden, Mainz or elsewhere. The speakers described their “product” as an “IDA desk for the entire southwest”.
“Where is the problem?” Baumgartner and Bouche asked and they answered: The new structure has led to stronger structuring and thus more rules (see also the extensive guidelines). This results in a greater need for coordination. Not everyone liked the newly installed feedback culture, a finding that Doganay basically confirmed for RTL. The speakers assessed their colleagues as follows: a third convinced employees – a third followers – a third people in resistance. The restructuring could lead to excessive demands, especially as the corona pandemic continues to change the framework conditions and is associated with additional burdens. On the other hand, the pandemic contributed to the acceleration of reforms.
The future of the experiment is to be mastered with an innovation workshop that will develop new ideas independent of current political problems. Baumgartner and Bouche foresaw further structural changes in the wake of digitalization and also that the savings targets would take effect. Furthermore, the “cultural mindset” of the employees will be particularly important.
International News
Google Is Opening Its First Physical Retail Store This Summer in NYC
Google is opening its first physical retail Google Store which will debut in New York City this summer. The Google Store will display and sell a variety of Google products. Customers will also be able to order products through Google’s online stores and pick them up in person at the physical Google Store location.
ProctorU Abandons Business Based Solely on AI
ProctorU is ending one of the ways it sells its services. No longer will colleges be able to purchase a system based solely on artificial intelligence. Instead, colleges will be required to purchase systems that involve a human being in analyzing what the video has captured.
The Economist Creates a New Revenue Stream with Online Courses
The Economist is tapping into the online education market to bolster its revenue, editorial and reader engagement strategy. A new program, Economist Education, launches starting off with a six-week online course. The program is aimed at mid-career professionals in business, non-profit or government sectors.
Reuters Postpones Website Paywall Amid Refinitiv Dispute
Reuters News postponed the launch of its website paywall following a dispute with Refinitiv over whether the move would breach a news supply agreement between the two companies. Reuters had been planning to start charging for news on Reuters.com from June 1. It was not immediately clear how long the delay would last.
East View Information Services and the Center for Research Libraries are pleased to announce Phase 2 of the Global Press Archive Charter Alliance (GPA CRL Alliance). The GPA CRL Alliance is an academic-commercial partnership between the CRL and East View Information Services to expand open access to the world’s newspapers.
Twitter Teams with Climate Vet to Launch Local Weather News Service
Twitter is partnering with climate journalist and meteorologist Eric Holthaus to launch a local weather news service on the platform called “Tomorrow.” The team will produce newsletters and long-form content on Twitter via the company’s newsletter platform, as well as membership-specific short-form content for users.
LexisNexis Launches Nexis for Competitive Intelligence
LexisNexis Legal & Professional has launched Nexis for Competitive Intelligence to empower strategy, market research, R&D and investment decisions. The solution allows users to search, compare and analyze key business indicators to spot trends, visualize how the competition stacks up and share key findings with stakeholders.
Thomson Reuters Launches AI-Powered HighQ Contract Analysis
Thomson Reuters launched HighQ Contract Analysis, a contract review and analysis tool that uses machine learning to answer the specific questions legal professionals want to address – in an easy-to-read report.
Katerra Inc. is shutting down, according to a person familiar with the matter, a collapse for a company that raised about $2 billion from investors including SoftBank Group Corp. Katerra had promised to shake up the construction industry with its efficient factories, prefab parts and modular construction units.
Thomson Reuters Adds Quick Check Contrary Authority Identification to Westlaw Edge
Thomson Reuters has introduced Quick Check Contrary Authority Identification, a Westlaw Edge feature within Quick Check that helps researchers quickly find weaknesses in an opponent’s arguments by clearly identifying new cases that are contrary to their arguments.
Source: Outsell
HAW Hamburg
Newly designed bachelor’s degree program
“Library and Information Management”
(HAW) In the newly designed bachelor’s degree program “Library and Information Management” experts are qualified who design information systems and architectures for the information supply of science, business and society and support participation, participation and inclusion according to the maxim of lifelong learning.
The subject of the course is activities related to the curation, structuring, provision and communication of media, information and data. Equally relevant is the user’s skilled use of media, information and knowledge. Information and media literacy are promoted within the framework of library education, taking ethical and legal issues into account. The focus of the course is always on people dealing with data, information and knowledge.
There is the possibility of specialization as early as the second semester:
- Participation in the information society. Experts who deal with ethical and social issues and develop programs for library education as well as cultural and educational work are qualified.
- Digital & open science. Experts who develop and manage information infrastructures and services as well as design open science initiatives to promote the availability of information in science and society are qualified.
- Search & User Experience. Experts who understand, evaluate and optimize search and information processes in information systems based on valid scientific findings from the perspective of users are qualified.
HAW-Hamburg is accepting applications via its online portal until July 31, 2021.
Further information: https://www.haw-hamburg.de/studium/studiengaenge-az/studiengaenge-detail/course/courses/show/bibliotheks-und-informationsmanagement/Studieninteressierte/ .
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