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Strategies for Improving the Place of Tech Comm in the Organization
Subject:Strategies for Improving the Place of Tech Comm in the Organization From:Jennifer Geaslen <jennifeg -at- ALLENSYSGROUP -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 19 Jun 1997 15:58:48 -0400
This post resulted out of many related posts (elimination of service desks,
certification, value-added by technical communicators, an so forth). When
whirlers relate a particularly bad situation they have experienced,
responses to the messages often advise the posters to pack up their desks
and find new jobs. Now we all know this rarely an option.
But I often find myself wanting to do this rather than face the
frustrations of working for an organization that a) doesn't understand the
technical communication process, and b) doesn't really value it technical
communication staff because they lack that understanding. The technical
communications department can be doing wonderful things, but what does that
mean if upper management can't truly value or put a dollar figure on what
they accomplish for the organization? What's worse is that it seems
important changes in the dynamic (e.g., writers write instead of engineers
writing and then writers edit) never go through because there is that lack
of understanding.
I'm relatively new to the field (only three years under this belt). Do I
need to more patient? Does this process of change take several years? Or do
I really need to pack up and ship on out because change will never take
place? I get small victories, but they usually change the department not to
organization.
I need some success stories to reaffirm my faith in this profession. What
strategies work the best? Do you rant and rave or do quietly affect change?
How do you do either/or best?
Experienced, seasoned technical writers please speak up. How can I affect
change in my organization to not only improve my own situation, but to also
make one more company shift their view of the technical communication
field? And how can I do this in such a way that the organization values my
contributions rather than seeing them as a threat?
I'll summarize if people want to respond privately
(jennifeg -at- allensysgroup -dot- com).
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