Information Research an International Electronic Journal, Mar 1, 2015
Introduction. Evidencebased practice is a process through which evidence in its various forms is ... more Introduction. Evidencebased practice is a process through which evidence in its various forms is sourced, appraised and applied in order to solve a problem, inform decision making, or improve practice. The purpose of this paper is to share findings from a qualitative research study that sought to identify evidence used by Australian special librarians, and explore influences associated with its use. Method. Data was collected through participant diaries and semi structured interviews with five special librarians to capture and explore evidence use in practice. Analysis. Participant diaries were used to inform semistructured interview questions. Data from the interviews was analysed using the constant comparative method to determine common themes. Results. Findings describe the role of evidence from a practitioner's perspective, which included what constitutes evidence in practice, and how and why it is used. This led to the development of a 'map' of evidence used by Australian special librarians, guided by existing evidencebased practice frameworks. Conclusions. Results raise awareness of the types and uses of evidence in different circumstances by special librarians. Findings contribute an initial understanding of what constitutes best available evidence in the current evidencebased library and information practice model in the context of special libraries.
Active and collaborative learning are becoming essential strategies to attract, engage and retain... more Active and collaborative learning are becoming essential strategies to attract, engage and retain students. These methods have been adopted within the Science and Engineering Faculty of Queensland University of Technology for use in its Science, Information Technology and Engineering degrees. This paper describes the adoption and application of these techniques in a specific first year unit in a new Bachelor of Information Technology degree which has majors in Computer Science and Information Systems. The paper reports on the design, development and implementation of this foundation subject and discusses how it uses active and collaborative learning to teach design thinking through a series of design challenges, and how it uses critiquing and reflection to ensure that students become more aware of design and team processes.
The purpose of this paper is to explore how participatory prototyping, through the use of design ... more The purpose of this paper is to explore how participatory prototyping, through the use of design charrettes, can advance participatory action research (PAR) approaches and contribute to codesign practices in organisational settings. This will be achieved through the comparison of two varying design charrette experiences from a PAR initiative to redesign spaces in the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado. Each design charrette followed a three-stage sequence of information sharing, idea generation and prototyping, and prioritisation with each stage building upon the former, both in terms of design concepts and in building up elements of ‘making’. While both charrette structures were similar, leadership and execution varied considerably. Lessons learned from the two design charrette experiences are presented, including the value of participatory prototyping within PAR to support ‘research through design’ activities. In addition, it highlights the value of authentic design participation of ‘designing with’ rather than ‘designing for’ to encourage optimal design outcomes.
Abstract Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participa... more Abstract Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory methods of co-design to contribute to designing human-centred interfaces, systems and services. Design thinking has recently developed as a set of strategies for human-centred co-design in product innovation, management and organisational transformation. Both developments place the designer in a new mediator role, requiring new skills than previously evident. This paper presents preliminary findings from a PhD case ...
Design Creativity has largely been explored as an individual expression of design cognition rathe... more Design Creativity has largely been explored as an individual expression of design cognition rather than as the collective manifestation of interaction in context. Recent approaches to design with an emphasis on co-design suggest that the problem-solution space co-evolves through social interaction. Socially Responsive Design for Social Innovation constitutes the most recent and perhaps the most promising domain of application for design thinking practices that emphasize collaborative innovation. In this paper, we describe the ideation of a service design solution for homeless families (Em.power.me), developed through consultation with a range of stakeholders over a three month period. This service design innovation aimed to visualise how such a service would operate and identify the potential benefits for all stakeholders. We focus here on the phases leading to the ideation of the service design.
Corporate business and management are embracing design thinking for its potential to deliver comp... more Corporate business and management are embracing design thinking for its potential to deliver competitive advantage through helping them be more innovative, differentiate their brands, and bring more customer centric products and services to market (Brown, 2008). As consumers continue to expect more personalisation and customisation from their service providers, the use of design thinking for innovation within organisations is a logical progression. To date however, there is little empirical literature discussing how organisations are setting about integrating design thinking into their culture and innovation practices. This paper is a first step in initiating a scholarly discussion on the integration of design thinking within organisational culture.
Deloitte Australia is a large professional services firm employing over 5700 staff in 12 offices across Australia. The company provides a range of services to clients in the areas of audit, tax, financial advisory and consulting. In early 2011 the company made a strategic commitment to introducing design thinking into the organisation’s practices. While it already maintains a strong innovation culture, to date it had largely been operating within an analytical business environment. For Deloitte, design thinking is an opportunity to create better outcomes for the people they serve – both internal and external stakeholders (Brown & Wyatt, 2010).
Research was conducted using case study methodology and ethnographic methods from June to September 2011 at the Melbourne Deloitte office. It involved three methods of data collection: semi structured interviews, participant observation and artifact analysis. This paper presents preliminary case study findings of Deloitte’s approach to building awareness and a consistent understanding of design thinking, as well as large scale capability, across the firm. Deloitte’s commitment to transforming its culture to one of design thinking poses significant potential for understanding how design thinking is comprehended, enabled and integrated within a complex organisational environment.
Sense making through conversation plays a key
role in channelling and furthering participatory bu... more Sense making through conversation plays a key role in channelling and furthering participatory business model innovation. The designer as facilitator, with conversation as a core tool, is an emerging area of interest within the design research literature. This paper will discuss preliminary findings of a case study of Second Road, a strategy and innovation consultancy that employed a design thinking approach and conversational methods to redesign a client’s business development model. Through this study conversation based co-creation emerged as the primary method for participatory innovation.
The term design thinking is increasingly used to mean the human-centred ‘open’ problem solving pr... more The term design thinking is increasingly used to mean the human-centred ‘open’ problem solving process decision makers use to solve real world ‘wicked’ problems. Claims have been made that design thinking in this sense can radically improve not only product innovation but also decision making in other fields, such as management, public health, and organizations in general. Many design and management schools in North America and elsewhere now include course offerings in design thinking though little is known about how successful these are with students. The lack of such courses in Australia presents an opportunity to design a curriculum for design thinking, employing design thinking’s own practices. This paper describes the development of a design thinking course at Swinburne University taught simultaneously in Melbourne and Hong Kong. Following a pilot of the course in Semester 1, 2011 with 90 enrolled students across the two countries, we describe lessons learned to date and future course considerations as it is being taught in its second iteration.
Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory meth... more Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory methods of co-design to contribute to designing human- centred interfaces, systems and services. Design thinking has recently developed as a set of strategies for human-centred co-design in product innovation, management and organisational transformation. Both developments place the designer in a new mediator role, requiring new skills than previously evident. This paper presents preliminary findings from a PhD case study of strategy and innovation consultancy Second Road to discuss these emerging roles of design lead, facilitator, teacher and director in action.
University students want flexibility in their study options in order to balance competing demands... more University students want flexibility in their study options in order to balance competing demands of personal and professional life while furthering their education. To meet this changing need, since 2008, the Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Master of Information Technology (Library and Information Science) (MIT(LIS)) has been embracing a more student friendly learning delivery. The once face-to-face only degree now provides students the choice to mix and match online or face-to-face study options. Blended learning has been instrumental in ensuring the success of this new direction.
This paper discusses the preliminary findings from a study that explored the issues, challenges and opportunities faced by LIS academics when teaching in a blended learning environment. The study is one part of a larger project funded by a QUT Faculty of Science and Technology Teaching and Learning Grant that will move from incremental innovation toward institutional enhancement by establishing a ‘whole of degree’ approach to blended learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of QUT’s LIS teaching team. Two strong themes that characterise and shape the design and delivery of the LIS course at QUT emerged from these interviews: the dual mode student cohort and ‘extreme’ flexibility in delivery.
This paper focuses on the dual modality of the LIS course and considers the implications of marrying dual modality, ‘extreme’ flexible delivery, and blended learning, teasing out the implications for teachers and the development of a whole of course framework for blended learning in the MIT(LIS) at QUT.
In 2010, the Library and Information Science (LIS) teaching staff at Queensland University of Tec... more In 2010, the Library and Information Science (LIS) teaching staff at Queensland University of Technology embarked on a year-long teaching and learning research project that sought to define a best practice framework for delivering blended learning across the Master of Information Technology (LIS). This paper presents some preliminary findings and discusses some of the chief concerns that have emerged from the project. In particular, this paper discusses the concept of blended learning and the problem of defining it, the increased complexity of delivering blended learning to a dual mode (internal and external) cohort, issues related to student engagement, and finally the appropriateness of blended learning in the context of LIS education.
With the aim of advancing professional practice through better understanding how to create workpl... more With the aim of advancing professional practice through better understanding how to create workplace contexts that cultivate individual and collective learning through situated ‘information in context’ experiences, this paper presents insights gained from three North American collaborative design (co-design) implementations. In the current project at the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado, USA, participants use collaborative information practices to redesign face-to- face and technology-enabled communication, decision making, and planning systems. Design processes are described and results-to-date described, within an appreciative framework which values information sharing and enables knowledge creation through shared leadership.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of collaborative evidence base... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of collaborative evidence based information practice (EBIP) as an organizational effectiveness model.
Design/methodology/approach – Shared leadership, appreciative inquiry and knowledge creation theoretical frameworks provide the foundation for change toward the implementation of a collaborative EBIP workplace model. Collaborative EBIP reiterates the importance of gathering the best available evidence, but it differs by shifting decision-making authority from “library or employer centric” to “user or employee centric”.
Findings – University of Colorado Denver Auraria Library Technical Services department created a collaborative EBIP environment by flattening workplace hierarchies, distributing problem solving and encouraging reflective dialogue. By doing so, participants are empowered to identify problems, create solutions, and become valued and respected leaders and followers.
Practical implications – In an environment where library budgets are in jeopardy, recruitment opportunities are limited and the workplace is in constant flux, the Auraria Library case study offers an approach that maximizes the capability of the current workforce and promotes agile responsiveness to industry and organizational challenges.
Originality/value – Collaborative EBIP is an organizational model demonstrating a process focusing first on the individual and moving to the collective to develop a responsive and high performing business unit, and in turn, organization.
Information Research an International Electronic Journal, Mar 1, 2015
Introduction. Evidencebased practice is a process through which evidence in its various forms is ... more Introduction. Evidencebased practice is a process through which evidence in its various forms is sourced, appraised and applied in order to solve a problem, inform decision making, or improve practice. The purpose of this paper is to share findings from a qualitative research study that sought to identify evidence used by Australian special librarians, and explore influences associated with its use. Method. Data was collected through participant diaries and semi structured interviews with five special librarians to capture and explore evidence use in practice. Analysis. Participant diaries were used to inform semistructured interview questions. Data from the interviews was analysed using the constant comparative method to determine common themes. Results. Findings describe the role of evidence from a practitioner's perspective, which included what constitutes evidence in practice, and how and why it is used. This led to the development of a 'map' of evidence used by Australian special librarians, guided by existing evidencebased practice frameworks. Conclusions. Results raise awareness of the types and uses of evidence in different circumstances by special librarians. Findings contribute an initial understanding of what constitutes best available evidence in the current evidencebased library and information practice model in the context of special libraries.
Active and collaborative learning are becoming essential strategies to attract, engage and retain... more Active and collaborative learning are becoming essential strategies to attract, engage and retain students. These methods have been adopted within the Science and Engineering Faculty of Queensland University of Technology for use in its Science, Information Technology and Engineering degrees. This paper describes the adoption and application of these techniques in a specific first year unit in a new Bachelor of Information Technology degree which has majors in Computer Science and Information Systems. The paper reports on the design, development and implementation of this foundation subject and discusses how it uses active and collaborative learning to teach design thinking through a series of design challenges, and how it uses critiquing and reflection to ensure that students become more aware of design and team processes.
The purpose of this paper is to explore how participatory prototyping, through the use of design ... more The purpose of this paper is to explore how participatory prototyping, through the use of design charrettes, can advance participatory action research (PAR) approaches and contribute to codesign practices in organisational settings. This will be achieved through the comparison of two varying design charrette experiences from a PAR initiative to redesign spaces in the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado. Each design charrette followed a three-stage sequence of information sharing, idea generation and prototyping, and prioritisation with each stage building upon the former, both in terms of design concepts and in building up elements of ‘making’. While both charrette structures were similar, leadership and execution varied considerably. Lessons learned from the two design charrette experiences are presented, including the value of participatory prototyping within PAR to support ‘research through design’ activities. In addition, it highlights the value of authentic design participation of ‘designing with’ rather than ‘designing for’ to encourage optimal design outcomes.
Abstract Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participa... more Abstract Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory methods of co-design to contribute to designing human-centred interfaces, systems and services. Design thinking has recently developed as a set of strategies for human-centred co-design in product innovation, management and organisational transformation. Both developments place the designer in a new mediator role, requiring new skills than previously evident. This paper presents preliminary findings from a PhD case ...
Design Creativity has largely been explored as an individual expression of design cognition rathe... more Design Creativity has largely been explored as an individual expression of design cognition rather than as the collective manifestation of interaction in context. Recent approaches to design with an emphasis on co-design suggest that the problem-solution space co-evolves through social interaction. Socially Responsive Design for Social Innovation constitutes the most recent and perhaps the most promising domain of application for design thinking practices that emphasize collaborative innovation. In this paper, we describe the ideation of a service design solution for homeless families (Em.power.me), developed through consultation with a range of stakeholders over a three month period. This service design innovation aimed to visualise how such a service would operate and identify the potential benefits for all stakeholders. We focus here on the phases leading to the ideation of the service design.
Corporate business and management are embracing design thinking for its potential to deliver comp... more Corporate business and management are embracing design thinking for its potential to deliver competitive advantage through helping them be more innovative, differentiate their brands, and bring more customer centric products and services to market (Brown, 2008). As consumers continue to expect more personalisation and customisation from their service providers, the use of design thinking for innovation within organisations is a logical progression. To date however, there is little empirical literature discussing how organisations are setting about integrating design thinking into their culture and innovation practices. This paper is a first step in initiating a scholarly discussion on the integration of design thinking within organisational culture.
Deloitte Australia is a large professional services firm employing over 5700 staff in 12 offices across Australia. The company provides a range of services to clients in the areas of audit, tax, financial advisory and consulting. In early 2011 the company made a strategic commitment to introducing design thinking into the organisation’s practices. While it already maintains a strong innovation culture, to date it had largely been operating within an analytical business environment. For Deloitte, design thinking is an opportunity to create better outcomes for the people they serve – both internal and external stakeholders (Brown & Wyatt, 2010).
Research was conducted using case study methodology and ethnographic methods from June to September 2011 at the Melbourne Deloitte office. It involved three methods of data collection: semi structured interviews, participant observation and artifact analysis. This paper presents preliminary case study findings of Deloitte’s approach to building awareness and a consistent understanding of design thinking, as well as large scale capability, across the firm. Deloitte’s commitment to transforming its culture to one of design thinking poses significant potential for understanding how design thinking is comprehended, enabled and integrated within a complex organisational environment.
Sense making through conversation plays a key
role in channelling and furthering participatory bu... more Sense making through conversation plays a key role in channelling and furthering participatory business model innovation. The designer as facilitator, with conversation as a core tool, is an emerging area of interest within the design research literature. This paper will discuss preliminary findings of a case study of Second Road, a strategy and innovation consultancy that employed a design thinking approach and conversational methods to redesign a client’s business development model. Through this study conversation based co-creation emerged as the primary method for participatory innovation.
The term design thinking is increasingly used to mean the human-centred ‘open’ problem solving pr... more The term design thinking is increasingly used to mean the human-centred ‘open’ problem solving process decision makers use to solve real world ‘wicked’ problems. Claims have been made that design thinking in this sense can radically improve not only product innovation but also decision making in other fields, such as management, public health, and organizations in general. Many design and management schools in North America and elsewhere now include course offerings in design thinking though little is known about how successful these are with students. The lack of such courses in Australia presents an opportunity to design a curriculum for design thinking, employing design thinking’s own practices. This paper describes the development of a design thinking course at Swinburne University taught simultaneously in Melbourne and Hong Kong. Following a pilot of the course in Semester 1, 2011 with 90 enrolled students across the two countries, we describe lessons learned to date and future course considerations as it is being taught in its second iteration.
Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory meth... more Human computer interaction and interaction design have recognised the need for participatory methods of co-design to contribute to designing human- centred interfaces, systems and services. Design thinking has recently developed as a set of strategies for human-centred co-design in product innovation, management and organisational transformation. Both developments place the designer in a new mediator role, requiring new skills than previously evident. This paper presents preliminary findings from a PhD case study of strategy and innovation consultancy Second Road to discuss these emerging roles of design lead, facilitator, teacher and director in action.
University students want flexibility in their study options in order to balance competing demands... more University students want flexibility in their study options in order to balance competing demands of personal and professional life while furthering their education. To meet this changing need, since 2008, the Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Master of Information Technology (Library and Information Science) (MIT(LIS)) has been embracing a more student friendly learning delivery. The once face-to-face only degree now provides students the choice to mix and match online or face-to-face study options. Blended learning has been instrumental in ensuring the success of this new direction.
This paper discusses the preliminary findings from a study that explored the issues, challenges and opportunities faced by LIS academics when teaching in a blended learning environment. The study is one part of a larger project funded by a QUT Faculty of Science and Technology Teaching and Learning Grant that will move from incremental innovation toward institutional enhancement by establishing a ‘whole of degree’ approach to blended learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of QUT’s LIS teaching team. Two strong themes that characterise and shape the design and delivery of the LIS course at QUT emerged from these interviews: the dual mode student cohort and ‘extreme’ flexibility in delivery.
This paper focuses on the dual modality of the LIS course and considers the implications of marrying dual modality, ‘extreme’ flexible delivery, and blended learning, teasing out the implications for teachers and the development of a whole of course framework for blended learning in the MIT(LIS) at QUT.
In 2010, the Library and Information Science (LIS) teaching staff at Queensland University of Tec... more In 2010, the Library and Information Science (LIS) teaching staff at Queensland University of Technology embarked on a year-long teaching and learning research project that sought to define a best practice framework for delivering blended learning across the Master of Information Technology (LIS). This paper presents some preliminary findings and discusses some of the chief concerns that have emerged from the project. In particular, this paper discusses the concept of blended learning and the problem of defining it, the increased complexity of delivering blended learning to a dual mode (internal and external) cohort, issues related to student engagement, and finally the appropriateness of blended learning in the context of LIS education.
With the aim of advancing professional practice through better understanding how to create workpl... more With the aim of advancing professional practice through better understanding how to create workplace contexts that cultivate individual and collective learning through situated ‘information in context’ experiences, this paper presents insights gained from three North American collaborative design (co-design) implementations. In the current project at the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado, USA, participants use collaborative information practices to redesign face-to- face and technology-enabled communication, decision making, and planning systems. Design processes are described and results-to-date described, within an appreciative framework which values information sharing and enables knowledge creation through shared leadership.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of collaborative evidence base... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of collaborative evidence based information practice (EBIP) as an organizational effectiveness model.
Design/methodology/approach – Shared leadership, appreciative inquiry and knowledge creation theoretical frameworks provide the foundation for change toward the implementation of a collaborative EBIP workplace model. Collaborative EBIP reiterates the importance of gathering the best available evidence, but it differs by shifting decision-making authority from “library or employer centric” to “user or employee centric”.
Findings – University of Colorado Denver Auraria Library Technical Services department created a collaborative EBIP environment by flattening workplace hierarchies, distributing problem solving and encouraging reflective dialogue. By doing so, participants are empowered to identify problems, create solutions, and become valued and respected leaders and followers.
Practical implications – In an environment where library budgets are in jeopardy, recruitment opportunities are limited and the workplace is in constant flux, the Auraria Library case study offers an approach that maximizes the capability of the current workforce and promotes agile responsiveness to industry and organizational challenges.
Originality/value – Collaborative EBIP is an organizational model demonstrating a process focusing first on the individual and moving to the collective to develop a responsive and high performing business unit, and in turn, organization.
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Papers by Zaana Howard
Deloitte Australia is a large professional services firm employing over 5700 staff in 12 offices across Australia. The company provides a range of services to clients in the areas of audit, tax, financial advisory and consulting. In early 2011 the company made a strategic commitment to introducing design thinking into the organisation’s practices. While it already maintains a strong innovation culture, to date it had largely been operating within an analytical business environment. For Deloitte, design thinking is an opportunity to create better outcomes for the people they serve – both internal and external stakeholders (Brown & Wyatt, 2010).
Research was conducted using case study methodology and ethnographic methods from June to September 2011 at the Melbourne Deloitte office. It involved three methods of data collection: semi structured interviews, participant observation and artifact analysis. This paper presents preliminary case study findings of Deloitte’s approach to building awareness and a consistent understanding of design thinking, as well as large scale capability, across the firm. Deloitte’s commitment to transforming its culture to one of design thinking poses significant potential for understanding how design thinking is comprehended, enabled and integrated within a complex organisational environment.
role in channelling and furthering participatory business model innovation. The designer as facilitator, with conversation as a core tool, is an emerging area of interest within the design research literature. This paper will discuss preliminary findings of a case study of Second Road, a strategy and innovation consultancy that employed a design thinking approach and conversational methods to redesign a client’s business development model. Through this study conversation based co-creation emerged as the primary method for participatory innovation.
This paper discusses the preliminary findings from a study that explored the issues, challenges and opportunities faced by LIS academics when teaching in a blended learning environment. The study is one part of a larger project funded by a QUT Faculty of Science and Technology Teaching and Learning Grant that will move from incremental innovation toward institutional enhancement by establishing a ‘whole of degree’ approach to blended learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of QUT’s LIS teaching team. Two strong themes that characterise and shape the design and delivery of the LIS course at QUT emerged from these interviews: the dual mode student cohort and ‘extreme’ flexibility in delivery.
This paper focuses on the dual modality of the LIS course and considers the implications of marrying dual modality, ‘extreme’ flexible delivery, and blended learning, teasing out the implications for teachers and the development of a whole of course framework for blended learning in the MIT(LIS) at QUT.
concerns that have emerged from the project. In particular, this paper discusses the concept of blended learning and the problem of defining it, the increased complexity of delivering blended learning to a dual mode (internal and external) cohort, issues related to student engagement, and finally the appropriateness of blended learning in the context of LIS education.
Design/methodology/approach – Shared leadership, appreciative inquiry and knowledge creation theoretical frameworks provide the foundation for change toward the implementation of a collaborative EBIP workplace model. Collaborative EBIP reiterates the importance of gathering the best available evidence, but it differs by shifting decision-making authority from “library or employer centric” to “user or employee centric”.
Findings – University of Colorado Denver Auraria Library Technical Services department created a collaborative EBIP environment by flattening workplace hierarchies, distributing problem solving and encouraging reflective dialogue. By doing so, participants are empowered to identify problems, create solutions, and become valued and respected leaders and followers.
Practical implications – In an environment where library budgets are in jeopardy, recruitment opportunities are limited and the workplace is in constant flux, the Auraria Library case study offers an approach that maximizes the capability of the current workforce and promotes agile responsiveness to industry and organizational challenges.
Originality/value – Collaborative EBIP is an organizational model demonstrating a process focusing first on the individual and moving to the collective to develop a responsive and high performing business unit, and in turn, organization.
Deloitte Australia is a large professional services firm employing over 5700 staff in 12 offices across Australia. The company provides a range of services to clients in the areas of audit, tax, financial advisory and consulting. In early 2011 the company made a strategic commitment to introducing design thinking into the organisation’s practices. While it already maintains a strong innovation culture, to date it had largely been operating within an analytical business environment. For Deloitte, design thinking is an opportunity to create better outcomes for the people they serve – both internal and external stakeholders (Brown & Wyatt, 2010).
Research was conducted using case study methodology and ethnographic methods from June to September 2011 at the Melbourne Deloitte office. It involved three methods of data collection: semi structured interviews, participant observation and artifact analysis. This paper presents preliminary case study findings of Deloitte’s approach to building awareness and a consistent understanding of design thinking, as well as large scale capability, across the firm. Deloitte’s commitment to transforming its culture to one of design thinking poses significant potential for understanding how design thinking is comprehended, enabled and integrated within a complex organisational environment.
role in channelling and furthering participatory business model innovation. The designer as facilitator, with conversation as a core tool, is an emerging area of interest within the design research literature. This paper will discuss preliminary findings of a case study of Second Road, a strategy and innovation consultancy that employed a design thinking approach and conversational methods to redesign a client’s business development model. Through this study conversation based co-creation emerged as the primary method for participatory innovation.
This paper discusses the preliminary findings from a study that explored the issues, challenges and opportunities faced by LIS academics when teaching in a blended learning environment. The study is one part of a larger project funded by a QUT Faculty of Science and Technology Teaching and Learning Grant that will move from incremental innovation toward institutional enhancement by establishing a ‘whole of degree’ approach to blended learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of QUT’s LIS teaching team. Two strong themes that characterise and shape the design and delivery of the LIS course at QUT emerged from these interviews: the dual mode student cohort and ‘extreme’ flexibility in delivery.
This paper focuses on the dual modality of the LIS course and considers the implications of marrying dual modality, ‘extreme’ flexible delivery, and blended learning, teasing out the implications for teachers and the development of a whole of course framework for blended learning in the MIT(LIS) at QUT.
concerns that have emerged from the project. In particular, this paper discusses the concept of blended learning and the problem of defining it, the increased complexity of delivering blended learning to a dual mode (internal and external) cohort, issues related to student engagement, and finally the appropriateness of blended learning in the context of LIS education.
Design/methodology/approach – Shared leadership, appreciative inquiry and knowledge creation theoretical frameworks provide the foundation for change toward the implementation of a collaborative EBIP workplace model. Collaborative EBIP reiterates the importance of gathering the best available evidence, but it differs by shifting decision-making authority from “library or employer centric” to “user or employee centric”.
Findings – University of Colorado Denver Auraria Library Technical Services department created a collaborative EBIP environment by flattening workplace hierarchies, distributing problem solving and encouraging reflective dialogue. By doing so, participants are empowered to identify problems, create solutions, and become valued and respected leaders and followers.
Practical implications – In an environment where library budgets are in jeopardy, recruitment opportunities are limited and the workplace is in constant flux, the Auraria Library case study offers an approach that maximizes the capability of the current workforce and promotes agile responsiveness to industry and organizational challenges.
Originality/value – Collaborative EBIP is an organizational model demonstrating a process focusing first on the individual and moving to the collective to develop a responsive and high performing business unit, and in turn, organization.