I3M Symposium focuses on keeping companies agile

Join top strategists from companies like Boeing, JPMorgan Chase and IBM and learn how to turn changes to organizational structure, processes, and strategies into solutions like those behind some of the greatest success stories in the field of information management. Hear hard-won lessons learned by industry leaders in the trenches.

What: Agility in Times of Transition - the Fall Symposium of the UW Institute for Innovation in Information Management
Where: University of Washington main campus, Kane Hall, Walker Ames Room
Date: November 11, 2009
Time: 8:30 am - 6 pm

The major research presentation examines key success factors for globally distributed technology teams (GDTTs). GDTTs have become a critical vehicle for organizations to leverage resources -- with job cuts announced by U.S. employers jumping 31 percent in July 2009 to over 97,000, manpower resources continue to be held at a premium. Assistant Professors Kevin C. Desouza and Hazel Taylor and Ph.D. student Jill Woelfer, all of the UW Information School, will present their research on GDTTs, research that builds on I3M's strength in the areas of innovation, collaboration and human capital management.

James Knight, Executive Vice President and Global CIO at Chubb & Son, will present the keynote, "Driving Agility through Leadership Development." In addition, Madeline Weiss and June E. Drewry from the Advanced Practices Council (APC) of the Society for Information Management (SIM) will present on "The CIO's Role in Enabling Organizational Agility." SIM is a global association of senior IT executives, prominent academicians, selected consultants, and other IT thought leaders. APC is SIM's research-based program for CIOs.

"Being agile is not a luxury, it is a must for operating in today's environments," said Desouza, director of I3M. "Organizations need to be able to make changes in a time-sensitive and cost-effective manner. The key to organizational agility is sound information management. An organization that can't leverage its information assets in an agile manner will likely underperform and eventually fail."

Richard T. Watson, the J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy at the University of Georgia and research director of the APC, will explain how the emerging area of Energy Informatics is re-defining information management in leading organizations. Energy Informatics represents a huge potential cost-savings to businesses -- in one estimate, inefficient energy practices like the lack of server consolidation costs U.S. businesses more than $140 billion, with an equally negative effect on CO2 emissions.

The Institute for Innovation in Information Management (I3M) at the UW Information School helps organizations harness the power of information management as a competitive tool. I3M partners with regional and international industry leaders to develop systems and practices that move partners forward: partners set the research agenda, and I3M staff develop highly-customized recommendations and solutions to challenges raised, usually in three to four months.

Registration for the I3M Fall Symposium is open to the public and potential partners of the Institute. To register, visit the I3M Symposium registration site.