The nerve of Records Management

Dear all...


Our body system is interconnected with internal nervous system. It is the nerve that makes our body system works. It functions is greater to the whole body otherwise our body becomes numb and dysfunctional. The same goes to records management. According to Theodore R. Schellenberg the father and earliest theorist in records management, the function and relationship of records management is like a living organism. It is interconnected and inter related to each other.

What is the nerve of records management?

This is not totally subjective but classification and filing system is to me the nerve of records management. You can have everything on earth with regard to records management but if the filing and classification is malfunctioned, you have nothing at all! All system in records management are broken down. Records are there but in a mess, people are confused, daily operations are hampered with inefficiency of records keeping. It is there but it is nowhere. Works will be delayed, accountability and efficiency of organizational operation are jeopardized. Why?? Just because the classification and filing system is not in order.

Why it is not in order?

People take things for granted when it comes to filing and classification system. Naming conventions are not given proper and due attention. Subject classification is not properly in place. Function and subject of operations are not synchronized hence leaving huge gap in records keeping. The internal nervous system of records management is not properly operational therefore records management as a whole is not functioning. You have the records but the records could not be found, everywhere and anywhere. You know it is there but you could not find it. More time is taken to refer or to take a records or to keep a records, more manpower is needed to manage the existing records. Your records is everywhere and nowhere now. Just imagine if this thing happen in your organization. How are you going to work and make deliverable if the "nerve system" broke down.



When the nerve of the system fails to operate in utmost manner, the whole system collapse and breaks down!

Take care your filing and classification system, then the record keeping system will be fully operational efficiently and economically! 

Reference:

nerve: one of the groups of fibres in your body that carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body, communicating pain, pressure, feelings of heat and cold etc

Stumbling block for Records Management

Dear all,


Organizational culture and individual perceptions on records management are two main stumbling blocks for the spur of records management in Malaysia. If organization does not recognize records as key performance driver for the success of organizational operations and service delivery, an organization will always have problem in delivering utmost customer satisfaction while determining the root cause for such lackluster performance of their staffs are of constraint. No documentation are taken care off properly while slow response to attend to customer's complaints are among the main indicator. While customers expect their loyalty to the service offered by an organization is given due recognition, this is not prevail in today's most organization when their service records are no where in the organization due to failure of record keeping and filing system.


Individual perceptions add more injury to the acceptance of records management as a key driver for performance. This occur from top level management to low level management personnel. The accountability is mostly by the top management. Records management is considered secondary and this perception exists in most organization. Some data on this would be provided later!


Think about it!


It is a hope that records management graduates from the Faculty of Information Management would be able to promote proper record keeping in their organization they work for. In as much, the Faculty of Information Management of UiTM has produced many batches of graduates in records management, and many of them currently work for variety of organizations and government agencies in Malaysia. It is highly hope that, it is them who would be able to penetrate, giving awareness and explaining records management to others. They are the ambassador of records management in Malaysia!


Please respond to the call! O! Records management graduates!