Jinfo: Jinfo for managing a research team

Jinfo for managing a research team
Jinfo Blog

15th November 2016

Abstract

Where do you need to focus your research team in 2017? What impact is data analytics having on your service, have you considered outsourcing...? Jinfo's director of research, Robin Neidorf, looks at how to support and nurture your team's research skills, as well as those of end-users.

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With 2017 looming, many Jinfo customers who manage teams of researchers are taking a hard look at where they need to focus staff development in the coming year. Their feedback to us is that the current Research Focus, "Data analytics - ready your information service", is both timely and practical.

The move towards a more data-oriented environment touches every aspect of information expertise and service. Increasingly, internal researchers need to be able to conduct more detailed analysis, provide results through visualisation tools, and collaborate with analytics teams so that they are complementing rather than competing with each other's capabilities.

Revisiting the research role

However, these changes do not signal a wholesale abandonment of core research skills; there's still an important role for teams of researchers to play, but it is incumbent upon team leaders to find the right balance between other resources within the business - including self-service by end-users with direct access to research tools.

If you're managing a team of researchers and giving thought to how to support and develop them next year while simultaneously finding the right niche for these services, you're in good company. These are the most common questions amongst your peers as we plan for the coming year:

What's our role in the world of analytics? This feels like an enormous question, but it can be broken down, researched and addressed. We recommend focusing first on internal research: Where are projects emerging? Who is involved? How do our skills add value?... and then identifying skill gaps that reflect the unique expertise of professional researchers to support these projects.
DIY or come to the professionals? Many organisations are emphasising self-service on the part of end-users for basic research, ideally to free up your team to focus on more complex needs. But how to strike the right balance, and how to train those end-users on how to serve themselves, AND when to seek help?
What can we productise? Over the past year, Jinfo has helped a number of research teams analyse regular projects and develop a "productised" approach to delivering them. The result is greater efficiency, as well as deliverables that capture more attention with stakeholders. But to get there, the research team needs support, guidance, training and encouragement; they need to learn to build and refine a product, rather than respond to a research question.
Should we outsource more? This question remains evergreen, and the answer is (as ever), "It depends". Cost savings? Maybe. Better use of internal resources? Probably.

It all comes back to strategy - your department's as well as your organisation's.

Recent Subscription content of particular interest to our customers involved with managing teams of researchers:

Articles

Reports

Webinars - recordings available to view for anyone with a Jinfo Subscription

Upcoming...

The Research Focus, "Developing an information-savvy workforce through strategic alignments " runs from January-March 2017 and encompasses three months of research, reports, webinars and Community sessions examining how essential information skills can align with the business and embed throughout departments to ensure a stronger, more capable workforce.

Webinars: