1. Key success factors for
implementing new roles and
organisation for information
professionals
Henri Stiller

2. Presentation outline

A paradoxical observation

Methodology and information sources

State of the art in 8 proposals

Key success factors, obstacles

Conclusion
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3. Histen Riller in brief

Set up in 1979, information as a decision making tool

Reports, surveys, competitive intelligence, information
monitoring, training, consulting

Customer references: large companies, public
administrations and ministries
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4. A paradoxical observation
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5. A paradoxical observation

Information professions are in turmoil

the functions they implement tend to be
scattered within organizations

their role and added value is constantly
challenged

their positioning is not stable

professional wording is not any more in tune
with the evolution of businesses
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6. A paradoxical observation

Production and use of information
grows exponentially

How organizations access to information
they need for their operation, information
that affects or influences their strategy?
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7. Methodology and information
sources
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8. Methodology and information
sources

Field surveys carried out by Histen Riller in
large companies, between 1995 and 2010

Professional literature regarding recent trends
of information professions

Benchmarking survey carried out for the
Defence ministry by Histen Riller in December
2012
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9. State of the art in 8 proposals
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10. 1 - A significant number of companies choose to
run their business without information
professionals

Almost 36% of the 200 largest French companies
do not have an identified information department (HR
survey 2010)

correlated with the sector of business activity (HR
survey 2010)

sectors involved in advanced technologies choose rather to
have a team of information professionals

sectors like retail, hospitality and restauration make rather the
opposite choice
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11. 1 - A significant number of companies choose to
run their business without information
professionals
What solutions for companies without an
explicit information department? (HR survey
2010)

A technical system like a massively deployed
intranet

fitted with a lot of tools -> information access for
users, collaborative practices

external information: access is prepared by the
communication department -> downloading on the
intranet for provision of staff
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12. 1 - A significant number of companies choose to
run their business without information
professionals
What solutions for companies without an
explicit information department? (HR survey
2010)

diffusion of this information:

pull mode – users search for the information they need on
the intranet

push mode - newsletters, RSS flows, mail alerts, etc.
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13. 1 - A significant number of companies choose to
run their business without information
professionals

Trend (HR benchmark 2012)

train engineers in technical watch, rather than recruit
dedicated information professionals (even in highly
innovative sectors where access to information technology has a
strategic value)
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14. 1 - A significant number of companies choose to
run their business without information
professionals

"In terms of human resources, the trend is to train
experts in information searching, rather than the
recruitment of information professionals" (electronics /
communication sector) - (HR benchmark 2012)

“Involvement of experts and internal specialists, trained
in information retrieval techniques, as well as in
information monitoring & CI -> development of added
value related to information management” (chemistry
sector) - (HR benchmark 2012)
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15. 1 - A significant number of companies choose to
run their business without information
professionals

“Acquisition of skills, and profile shifting of the same
players, without going through the recruitment of new
information professionals” (chemistry sector) - (HR
benchmark 2012)
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16. 2 - Companies favor the development of technical
solutions for accessing and sharing information
while maintaining their workforce of information
professionals at a low level

The volume of information processed by companies explodes

Figures of the employment market for information professionals
demonstrate that these professions are on the decline
either

development of tools to manage this increase in volume
or

processing this increase by other professions, including users
themselves
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17. 2 - Companies favor the development of technical
solutions for accessing and sharing information
while maintaining their workforce of information
professionals at a low level

Combination of both solutions -> users autonomy
becomes increasingly strong

Sometimes this happens in pain

Testimony of an officer of a company in the sector of electronic and
communication: "The Information Centre works with a loyal
and active users core, but is ignored by some of the staff.
The latter is drowned out by the glut of information
available on the intranet "
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18. 2 - Companies favor the development of technical
solutions for accessing and sharing information
while maintaining their workforce of information
professionals at a low level
TESTIMONY (HR benchmark 2012)

Defence / Aerospace sector

The «Information monitoring & CI » function is organized around
a CI unit attached to the Direction of Strategy

Oriented primarily toward commercial, competitive, and strategic
information monitoring, this function will be organized around
tools for its network operation and its coordination
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19. 3 - “Information monitoring (IM) and Competitive
Intelligence (CI)" is a function that is not always at
the strategic level that one might expect, even in
high-tech companies;

« IM » is a notion well understood in large companies

Among them a large part (around 50%) implements a
kind of « unstructured IM »

without the support of the general management, simply
driven by individual initiatives and willingness of managers of
the departments concerned

(HR survey 2010)
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20. 3 - “IM and CI" is a function that is not
always at the strategic level that one might
expect, even in high-tech companies;
TESTIMONIES (HR benchmark 2012)

Aerospace sector:
 « IM and CI » is not enough acknowledged in the
company

staff in charge of this function devotes 10 to 40% of its
time, except at the commercial department where a
person is fully dedicated to it
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21. 3 - « IM & CI » : its implementation combines
actions of information professionals and of topic
specialists
TESTIMONIES (HR benchmark 2012)

Chemistry sector:

Information monitoring has a scattered organization: units
located within branches, without many relations between
them

Some units may have a dedicated information
professional, but rather engineers trained in information
processing perform this function
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22. 3 - « IM & CI » : its implementation combines
actions of information professionals and of topic
specialists
TESTIMONIES (HR benchmark 2012)

Oil chemistry sector:

Technological watch is provided partly at the Information centre
by information professionals with usually a double training: a
scientific core education, reinforced by ongoing training for
Information Science

Researchers receive from the Information Centre information
related to their topics of interest, and perform a complementary
watch on very specialized subjects
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23. 3 - « IM & CI » : its implementation combines
actions of information professionals and of topic
specialists
TESTIMONIES (HR benchmark 2012)
Electronics / communication sector:

The « IM & CI » function is deployed on several levels

In this frame, expert integration to ongoing studies is being
carried out by the mean of tools, implemented by the
Information centre staff

Rather than to recruit information professionals, the trend in
this company is to train experts in information retrieval
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24. 3 - « IM & CI » : its implementation combines
actions of information professionals and of topic
specialists

Information professionals largely take part in the « IM &
CI » function: 68% among them are involved in
information monitoring activities (« Professions & salaries »
ADBS survey 2010)

In large French companies, Information Centres are
involved in the information monitoring process,
sometimes they manage it totally (HR survey 2010)
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25. 4 - Staff which is not information professional is
increasingly involved in the “IM & CI” process
TESTIMONIES
(HR benchmark 2012)

IM tasks are performed by users themselves through web
searches, or through their personal network (aerospace sector)

Technological watch is also performed by scientists (engineers,
PhD students). They have been trained in use of information tools
(chemistry sector)

The acquisition of new skills allowing analysis of collected
information is done through interviews with domain experts in
the group (chemistry sector)
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26. 4 - Staff which is not information professional is
increasingly involved in the “IM & CI” process
TESTIMONIES

(HR benchmark 2012)
Also involved in the « IM & CI » process are strategy
analysts, upstream studies engineers, vendors
(defense / aerospace sector)
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27. 4 - Staff which is not information professional is
increasingly involved in the “IM & CI” process
In large companies, IM systems involve:
information professionals
AND
 experts in the company fields


Experts -> trained in information retrieval

Information professionals: needs and challenges of experts for
whom they work
Observation: a relatively small number of information professionals
acts as resource persons (in information technology), the largest
part of information monitoring is carried out by the recipients
themselves
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28. 4 - Staff which is not information professional is
increasingly involved in the “IM & CI” process
Trends

hybridization

tasks distribution according to skills

Information professionals are involved until a certain level of
specialization in the field

Tasks are then taken over by experts

Conversely, domain experts develop search queries until they
reach a level of complexity that requires the intervention of an
information professional
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29. 5 - The functions performed by information
professionals are moving towards the production
of more added value

Basic activities of Information centres show a
clear tendency to get reduced in favor of more
diverse and complex missions

The needs of companies are turning to the
production of analysis, synthesis, to the
enhancement of relevant information
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30. 5 - The functions performed by information
professionals are moving towards the production
of more added value

In parallel to the development of their autonomy, a need
for user training and consulting tends to increase

In most cases, users perform simple searches for their
need for access to information, and then turn to
information professionals for more complex searches
(eg in the field of patents)
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31. 5 - The functions performed by information
professionals are moving towards the production
of more added value

This increase in added-value activities of
information management does not necessarily
result in job creation for information professionals

The implemented solutions are based on the
involvement of experts and internal specialists,
trained in information management, “IM & CI”
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32. 6 - A new positioning of information professionals
on cross-functional and intermediation functions
emerges, resulting in the creation of new jobs

Information professionals are more and more
requested for cross-functional projects

Tasks regarding support for project
management are increasing

methodology, skills regarding information sources
and tools
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33. 6 - A new positioning of information professionals
on cross-functional and intermediation functions
emerges, resulting in the creation of new jobs

Logistics intermediation: foster access of staff to
internal as well as external information by tagging the
information landscape

The position of information professionals is changing

they are more likely not to work within a centralized information
unit

but they tend to get near to their users being attached to their
department
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34. 6 - A new positioning of information professionals
on cross-functional and intermediation functions
emerges, resulting in the creation of new jobs

The vocabulary of information professions
continues to enrich
 community manager
 curator
 document controller
 records manager, etc.
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35. 6 - A new positioning of information professionals
on cross-functional and intermediation functions
emerges, resulting in the creation of new jobs
2 tracks for the development of information
professions



1) changes arising from the development of Internet
technologies
2) requirements in terms of safety, environmental, quality,
health, more generally regulatory compliance
Two strong trends: deeply rooted in the evolution of
our society
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36. 7 - A reciprocal impregnation of expertise in
information science versus company's business
is being tested in some companies

Tendency to complement the skills of information
professionals and field experts reciprocally

Experimental

Solution for access to strategic information:
hybridization -> gain in added value
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37. 7 - A reciprocal impregnation of expertise in
information science versus company's business
is being tested in some companies
TESTIMONIES

(HR
benchmark 2012)
Chemistry sector

The acquisition of new skills allowing analysis of collected
information -> interviews with domain experts within the
company

Mutual enrichment experts-information professionals being
tested -> detachment of experts in the information centre for a
period of six months to a year
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38. 8 - Users deploy autonomy in terms of access and
use of information, sometimes to the point where
they don’t need anymore the intervention of
information professionals

Companies make a decision between:

expert training in information management

recruitment of information professionals who will
implement their information skills in the company fields
or

Both solutions coexist in general, with a predominance
for the first one

NB: The fact that teaching of information monitoring techniques
(STI) is now integrated in the curriculum of engineering
education will further strengthen this trend
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39. 8 - Users deploy autonomy in terms of access and
use of information, sometimes to the point where
they don’t need anymore the intervention of
information professionals

Autonomy gained by users




progress made in terms of human-machine interface in
computer technology (graphical interfaces, intuitive, usable by everyone)
search engine performances
communication and collaboration tools
Large companies: users proceed themselves to
relatively simple searches, and trust information
professionals for more complex searches
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40. 8 - Users deploy autonomy in terms of access and
use of information, sometimes to the point where
they don’t need anymore the intervention of
information professionals

Some information professionals are not scared to
disappear because of the autonomy taken by their users

Oil chemistry sector
 "The Information centre continues to receive requests
for complex searches involving the use of databases
that users do not have access to, or specialized
functions such as bibliometrics [...] or in the field of
patents "
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41. 8 - Users deploy autonomy in terms of access and
use of information, sometimes to the point where
they don’t need anymore the intervention of
information professionals

The whole company is progressing in terms
of added value in its access to information

along with the assimilation of skills in information retrieval by
users-recipients (which allow them to make their own simple research),
new needs emerge, corresponding to an addition in added-value

to meet these new needs, the most advanced skills of
information are implemented
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42. Key success factors, obstacles
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43. Key success factors
Added Value

"The main factor for the successful development of
the information management function in large
companies is acknowledgment of its added value by
executive officers"
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44. Key success factors

1) proficiency regarding tools, methods and
organisation required by their implementation:

IT tools for :





access to information
Information processing (including mapping, visualisation tools)
communication
sharing
Collaboration



Knowledge of information sources tailored to the needs of the
company
web and web 2.0 technologies; etc.
2) understanding of the unique needs of the
company’s business
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45. Key success factors
Added value

taking the role of consultant, trainer, and support to
ICT implementation (including wikis, collaborative
platforms)

proactivity: experimental projects with motivated users
to implement new technologies

always ahead of their users on technological
advances

constant need for training and information monitoring
regarding ICT
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46. Key success factors
Understanding of the specific business needs of
the company: several solutions

Information professionals with a double education

Interpenetration of skills
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47. Key success factors
Communication on Added Value
The added value of the information management function is effective for
its development if and only if it is known and recognized

Users positive feedback -> intranet

Proselytism: show the utility of information management tasks
(information monitoring ensures good image, then follow on other
aspects)

Pilot projects, model implementation (“flash” training on topics or tools)
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48. Obstacles

Acknowledgment of added value by decision makers: if
granted, heads of the information management function
get resources -> virtuous circle

Ignorance of resources provided by the information
management function: information centres typically
operate with a core of active users, but which does not
extend

large population of potential users of the information
management function -> large companies (main success of an
information centre manager of a big aerospace company = "conquest of
new territories")
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49. Obstacles

Difficulties in designing a good organization and good
processes for managing libraries and document
repositories, and information monitoring

New expectations of users - including very short
processing time => adaptation of organizations and
methods

Groping of heads of the information management function

No stereotype of organization, specificity of each business
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50. Obstacles

Free access to information on the Internet -> educational actions,
compromise between free and paid sources

Documentary digitalization: complex to implement in terms of tools and
organization, perception of time waste, misunderstood issues,
volunteering, and often a small part of internal documents is recorded

Development of e-books: publishers implement various processes for
dealing with copyright


Solution (eg Thales Communications): service provider that brings this
consistency but at the expense of the precise choice of content collections
Multinational groups: differences in culture, ways of understanding the
issues related to information

Defense industry: a contradiction between national interests and
harmonization of practices at transnational level
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51. Conclusion
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52. Hybrid solutions, complementary
skills

In terms of access to strategic information – information that influences
companies strategy, globally and locally (teams, departments, projects) – companies are
developing hybrid solutions, combining the skills from information
professionals with their experts ones

Therefore inherently systems are fragmented, with sometimes a
coordination at different levels: :

CI unit attached to the Direction of Strategy or the General Direction

information monitoring units attached to a department, more specifically
a users department

Information Centre acting as information monitoring coordinator
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53. Lack of governance

Even in very large companies, there is no real
governance of strategic information

Personal initiatives taken by managers at a department level,
with the support of their management of attachment, in a
budgetary framework drawn by the General Direction

Gropings and hesitations

Move without visibility in the information world -> single
landmark: reducing or at least controlling costs
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54. Lack of governance

Observation of the under-utilization of information assets
and internal expertise

Commentary frequently repeated by managers we
interviewed was that “IM & CI" was not sufficiently valued in
the company (not to mention knowledge management ...)
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55. Lack of governance

Company difficulties:



complexity of the information landscape growing permanently
chronic gap between ICT use and implementation
Solutions mostly chosen in large companies:


deployment of systems and tools
without necessarily having projected the implications in terms of
organization, changes in processes and uses
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56. Landmarks

Search of invariants or heavy trends





ICT and especially technologies related to the Internet
Evolution towards a society increasingly standardized and regulated
Mobility
Big data
Information world

Reference information


Information / documents with legal or regulatory value, that can be provided as evidence
in case of dispute in front of the authorities, or constituting the technological capital of the
company
Information regarding the current environment

for decision making and actions guidelines, with a more or less short life cycle
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57. Reference information

Reference information: field of archivists, records
managers, information specialists in intellectual
property…

Functions well defined, with clear tasks, implementing
mature practices and procedures

Usually well controlled by companies
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58. Reference informations, project
documentation
Any new project => consumption and production of a large
amount of information, some of which is destined to
become reference information

For large projects, the function of "document controller" was
created, and plays its role perfectly

Multitude of smaller projects: tracing operations
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59. Reference information, project
documentation

« Multi-project document controller »


cross-cutting interventions as "document controller" on
several projects simultaneously
Comparing to:

quality approach

tendancy to extend project management

the « document controller » is a full member of the project team
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60. New professions related to ICT
and the Internet

Development of information professions related to
Internet technologies

webmasters, content managers, community managers,
social networks watchers, curators…

These businesses will evolve in parallel with
technologies => jobs will disappear, other will be
created

Constant adaptation
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61. Intermediary, facilitator, prescriber,
mapping technician, coach, trainer…
Role of mediator, information sources and tools prescriber,
setting landmarks to guide users in an informational world
increasingly opaque

=> sufficient technical training to master the tools and access to
information assets of any kind

Role could be crucial for companies (information overload, poor
ICT and company social networks skills)

Information professionals added value
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62. Intermediary, facilitator, prescriber,
mapping technician, coach, trainer…

Parallel with quality -> supporting role and advising their
users



Training, « best practices » processes for simple information
search
Expertise implementation for more complex search
Scheme implemented in some companies => generalize
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63. Intermediary, facilitator, prescriber,
mapping technician, coach, trainer…

Companies: added-value increase

Demanding in terms of skills => effort in information
professionals training and education

technical (tools, information monitoring, collaborative platforms,
etc.)

consulting

coaching

project management
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64. Survey limits and frame

Sources: field survey of large French companies; recent literature dealing with
the question; benchmarking study about a small number of companies, processed
as a series of case studies

Heuristic approach, not comprehensive

Conclusions apply mainly to large companies in the industrial
world


strong trends for all information professions
Putting it into perspective: development of mobility, of the cloud,
of the big data…

profound transformation of the companies organization
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65. Proposals to shape governance

Proposals to shape governance for access to strategic information,
its processing and its integration into the business processes

Huge field of possibilities -> community of professions under
questioning

Implementation


=> challenge of training courses and education for these professions
=> reconsider the positionning of these professions by business leaders

cross-cutting fields such as quality or management controlling
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