As the economy makes its recovery, what trait will characterize the successful organization? Innovation.

Info pros are always eager to introduce new ways of thinking into their organizations, but finding time to flex your innovative muscle may not have been a priority in the recent economic climate. Yet now it may be more important than ever. In a recent Huffington Post blog, Karen Noble, President of Karen Noble Consulting, discusses how fostering innovation can give organizations the competitive edge.  Noble suggests organizations establish an innovation time where failure is welcome and a team simply gets together to think of ideas, proposals and solutions without rules.

Innovation starts with YOU.

As a professionals in the workplace, you are responsible not only for your own success but for contributing to  the competitive advantage and bottom line of your organizations. SLA urges you to bring innovation back into your repertoire. Here are a few ways to start:

•    SLA’s Innovation Lab will help you keep up to date on the latest Web 2.0 technologies.  Make sure you have the skills you need to connect with your clients today—and it’s free.

•    Explore the vendor community to see how they are helping to further innovation in organizations. Don’t miss this free webinar, where Reed Elsevier shares its best practices on innovation.

•    There is nothing like a good conference to spark the creative juices, and SLA 2010 is the best!  You’ll find  hundreds of networking and professional development opportunities  to help get your inner innovator in gear. Check the Online Conference Planner for the latest information about conference-wide events and sessions.

•    Finally, don’t forget that SLA members have access to free Click University Webinars throughout the year to help you think creatively. Missed one?  Take advantage of  the self-paced replays.

Comments

[Glen Parker]

Just wondering whether you have any SLA conferences planned for Sydney any time soon? If not, perhaps you may know of similar events in our part of the world (say through a sister-company or similar...?) Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

[Linda Broussard]

Glen, check with our Australia and New Zealand Chapter. Visit their Web page at http://units.sla.org/chapter/canz/.

[Suresh D Nair]

Our (Librarians') channels of information are considered more formal and what I see in most of the cases here in this part of the world (could be happening elsewhere also), is top management relying on informal channels of information. Formal channels are considered to flow through the public domain and every body seems to be knowing it and are not fresh or nascent.
We have in our organisations, knowledge management on one side and information security on other; We talk more about team performance and sharing in KM but reward and recognise individual performance. Can we be ever innovative in such a situation?