Doug, I have been the benificiary of some of the most highly
developed administrative support imaginable. My productivity was an
order of magnitude greater than before - or after - the provision of
this service. (It's retained a multiple of its former level by what
I learned from being supported this way.)
I agree with you on the importance of the roles. I also have
provided some development to others in the matter. The most
outstanding feature of people in these fields is that, while they
know something of the value of what they provide, they are
undervalued and tend to react to that and thereby do not fully
realise the value they provide. In every case, they undervalue
themselves and have difficulty responding to those who begin to
reveal the full possibility.
The particular thing that I begin with when working with people in
these roles is to have them see that their measure of performance is
the productivity of the person or group for which they are
administrators. I begin with the assumption - from personal
experience as a receiver of such services - that productivity is far
more a matter of support provided than of personal effort or
brilliance.
Providing an environment which increases productivity is as important
when learning or knowledge is sought as when production is goods and
services. I would even say, from being an educator and consultant,
that the environment provided is even more important - as John
Warfield indicated in a recent posting on group problem resolution
work.
-- Michael McMaster <Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk>