What I learned from apple about how to make records work

15 years ago, I worked for an organisation that had some involvement with Apple and their education work.

It was at the time in Australia where schools were working out what to do with laptops in the classroom.

The thing that stuck with me, was that everyone was trying to sell their stuff to the heads of the schools, and the heads of technology.

This was on the basis that if they could sell the devices to them, they would use their authority to make the teachers use what they’d bought.

Apple were different.

The conferences that I went to were full of teachers.

Apple were teaching them how to use the Apple products in the classroom to create better learning experiences.

How many of those teachers do you think were happy with some form of pc once they knew how to use an apple device and all it’s tools?

I’m sure they almost all went back and asked for Apple because Apple didn’t market their features and apply pressure, they taught them how to be better at their job.

What’s the takeaway for records?

There is a huge vacuum at the moment, and it's caused by the absence of anyone teaching people how to keep good records.

Keep good records in the sense of choose what information and knowledge to record, and what form to record it in.

We have an unhealthy obsession with buying a records system and then using our authority to try and get people to put their stuff in it without regard for what that does to their ability to keep, maintain and use records.

It actively works against us.

The thing I learned from Apple, is that the way to get people to do the thing you want them to do, is to teach them to be better at their job using the tools and techniques that only you can provide.

The thing we have to recognise, is that records management doesn't make people better at their job.

It doesn't change culture.

It just adds work.

Which is why we keep trying (and failing) to get people to do it using authority.

Record keeping though, is a skill for the ages.

What information and knowledge to record.

What form to record it in.

How to structure it.

It can all make people better at their jobs.

And when people are doing that work, they will understand the value of metadata, and control, and management - and they'll start asking for the systems we have.

Because they know it will make their work better.

And by then, better record keeping will be cultural.

It will be how people get their work done.

And we all know that the biggest determinant of success in any records program is culture.