Yap 3.0

Kidder and Oppenheim's Intellectual Devotional book was given to me by my best friend Jeffrey recently. In discussing this with my mom (a multi-degree nerd like me; a definite role model), she immediately weaves in a structured priority grid that we've talked about when I was in law school in our conversation indicating that priorities in our constantly moving target daily lives mean constant reprioritizations. This can be stressful, she said; I am quite aware. So we discuss the value of what we've formulated to be a model of constant reprioritization years back.

This is what our discussion would have sounded like 20 years ago. We start with a list of the day's tasks - for example: research for an article I'm writing, grocery, laundry, write an article for Mensa, reshelf books I've read that continues to occupy where my German Sheperd would be napping IF I had time to get one, do my schoolwork [now it would be - do my taxes], and need to spend some time at the gym. So Mom and I would have charted the day's schedule and then indicated to spend 2-3 minutes every hour to recheck if there are additional tasks coming my way that needed priority and I would quickly reprioritize my work. Throughout my first clearly calendared day she would check in to see how I'm doing and how my day is coming along [of course this would translate into micromanaging if this was a workplace but I was a young lad so I welcomed mom's input]. Other potential priorities did come in - a new homework from a stern tort law professor, a car dent from my neighbour's 16 yr old, a relative visiting from LA for an unplanned stayover. Tasks continue to be completed but new tasks needed to be accomodated.

Such training became ingrained in how I've balanced my doctorate program and a full time job. This has translated into how I've assisted my clients, proteges/mentees, and friends as well, especially those trying to become scholar-practitioners themselves and having difficulty with work-life-school balance. It's not easy to be looking at one's schedule at all times and I've had acquaintances indicate that spontaneity would benefit me but spontaneity would be scheduled as well [one day of no computers, no calendars, no nothing but pure fun - then the next day? back to schedule]. In time though, it becomes a natural occurrence and it becomes easier. At this point, I'm on autopilot but my Outlook calendar is not far from my fingertips because now its not about ensuring I know how to prioritze but ensuring I remember what I've actually scheduled. Must be aging.... or just new distractions.... like this book that I've mentioned above; quite fascinating - good thing I only need to read one page a day.

Jeffrey and I, along with a colleague, Dr. Brent Muirhead, published a “viability business blog model” called R.U.B.R.I.C., a year and a half ago. Since we all know how the blogging world moves faster than lightspeed, ensuring that blog related models continue to be current is very important for evidence-based research practitioners like myself. What better way to make sure that this model is still effective but to ask the blogging experts themselves - you! And what better way to do this qualitative research study than at the Northern Voice conference; thus this application for the travel bursary as I'm coming from Toronto and self-financed research studies can be taxing to one's ailing budget.

So why would you care to participate in this study? The literature on blogging continues to be expansive but unfortunately the peer-reviewed academic journals, let alone Canadian research studies on this topic, are not as limitless. What ends up happening is that some researchers study a mesh of pop culture, media driven material, and input from various sources that may not always work with an IRB approved methodology. The PhD's and academics may end up with incomplete material or have to redo the study again. This is where your valuable input come in - its your voice that is being studied, so why not take part in it. It will be you who will validate this model and tell us if it works in your professional and personal blogs. You are continually shaping the blogosphere everyday, how about ensuring that the models that we portray about this landscape is true-to-form so that future bloggers and professors of e-sociology, internet psychology, and virtual organisational management will have a clear understanding of what truly makes up a great blog.

We would be very happy if you could participate in this study and would be most grateful for Northern Voice bursary if they could provide some funding for this Canadian research project whose findings will be very useful for the conference participants and our global blogging family.

Results will be posted on this blog and all participants (over 19 yo or with guardian consent) will remain anonymous unless they indicate otherwise.

Thank you and see you at the conference.

As I ponder upon the takeaway determinants for my upcoming research at the Northern Voice conference, I find myself thinking of additional behavioural and organisational cultural shifts resulting from corporate blogging. One of the hypothesis that came to mind is a follow up to Colombo and DelMastro's 2002 study on Determinants of Organizational Change and Structural Inertia: Technological and Organizational Factors and see if our bloggers at the conference have experience a shift, thrust or even a breakdown of their own structural inertia. Following O'Reilly and Caldwell (1991)* six tactics to change, my question to you would be Is your blogging at home and/or at work perceived as a means to one, some, or all of the following: (1) educate and communicate, (2) participate, (3) facilitate and support, (4) negotiate, (5) manipulate or coopt, or (6) coerce?

You tell me... I have a couple more questions that I've outlined already but you just have to see me at the conference so we could have a chat.

*O'Reilly, C. & Caldwell, D. (1991). People and Organizational Culture: A Profile Comparison Approach to Assessing Person-Organization Fit. Academy of Management Journal, 34(3) 487-516.

 Steve Sugar's new book - Training Games - outlines presentation, models and formulas to make facilitation games fun and exciting. Check it out. It's a practitioner book and its easy to navigate. Good addition to your book collection.

For additional training game ideas, a must know guru is Thiagi. You can click here for his free 146 training games.

Check out the blog (StellarSurveys.com) posting survey forms and asking for comments for effectiveness of the form itself. I like the tag line Evaluating evaluator's evaluations... as it sounds like the critic's critic.

This is useful for learners in assessments and evaluation classes. ibstpi is coming up with the Evaluator's Competencies book and this would be an opportunity to bridge competencies and test evaluator's assessment capabilities through the samples of this blog. A scholar-practise bridge! Great eh?