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ACS News

ACS staff, Information Age

24/02/2004 13:38:14

Over the coming years the ACS faces enormous challenges as a professional society: relevance, organisation and membership change, public perception, employer indifference or enmity and a growing list of legislated obligations.

In fact, the challenges for the ACS have many similarities to the challenges I took on when I became President of the Australian Medical Association in 2000. It is a voluntary membership organisation, membership had been steady but not increasing. Within the membership there were a lot of competing interests, a general lack of direction, infighting between specialties, between states and between the states and federal bodies.

Public perception of the organisation was that of a group of elitist self-interested doctors concerned with their incomes. That perception needed to change to better reflect the attitudes of the medical profession, which was a commitment to patient care and an efficient health system. Governments were flexing their muscles in trying to gain increasing control over the profession, threatening the profession's independence and self-determination.

The medical profession had important issues to bring to the public's attention, but in any professional organisation there is no point having a message or a view about how things should be, without taking public opinion with you. To do that, your communication strategy must be carefully planned, laser-focused and surgically executed.

Over the years of my presidency the AMA was repositioned, achieved largely as a result of a deliberate change of culture within the AMA and a carefully crafted media strategy.

It is timely for the ACS to position itself as the peak body for the ICT industry.

The first priority must be to define what the ACS stands for, from the ground up. Crucial to effective leadership is the ability to get your message across in an environment where getting space in newspapers, radio and television news and features is fiercely competitive, and the journalists you are dealing with are often experienced, cynical and politically savvy.

The necessary ingredients will be: • A clear and relevant agenda • Belief in your goals • Priorities set according to urgency, preparedness and relevance • Evidence for the policies you will be taking forward • An energetic and motivated team • Consultation (provided it is constructive) including meetings, faxpolls and surveys • Strict discipline around media activities

In putting this new strategy in place, what results will the ACS be looking for?

• Increased membership • IM/IT becoming a major domestic policy issue for government • Get people talking • Improved morale of professionals in the ICT industry • IM/IT profession's view considered in legislative process

IT environment The ACS is well-placed to raise issues of importance to the Australian public with the rapid growth of public access to technology, changes in television technology, popularity of mobile phones and the penetration of Internet and computer access in schools and homes. ICT affects all aspects of work and family life.

Stated aims of the ACS: "…to promote the development of Australian information and communications technology resources” by

• advancing professional excellence • furthering the study, science and application of information and communications technology • promoting, developing and monitoring IT competence by people and organisations • maintaining standards of knowledge • promoting formulation of effective policies on IT • extending the knowledge and understanding of IT in the community • maintaining and promoting observance of a code of ethics for members of the society.

All these tasks require effective communication: • Promoting knowledge • Promoting competence • Extending understanding of ICT in the community • Influencing public policy

Who needs to know about you? • Public • Profession • Politicians • Media

Media profile: •You set the agenda •Nominating a recognisable spokesperson with good media and public speaking skills essential •ACS has specialised expertise to offer •Increases credibility of profession •Improves profession’s morale •Increases business opportunities There is no doubting that you have an important message to sell to the public; information and communication technology affects every aspect of our daily lives:

• Industries can be ground to a halt by computer viruses. • Cyberterrorism is now an ever-present threat. • Almost every home and business in the Western world now depends on information and communication technology.

Your profession is well-placed to be able to foresee the opportunities and the threats this environment brings.

Your stated aims have two parallel branches: what the profession wants to hear from their organisation, and what the public will find helpful in their day-to-day lives.

As an individual you are limited in what you can achieve politically. It is a different matter for your elected representatives. They can speak on your behalf...and if the Government and indeed the public know that the ACS is representing its members Australia-wide. That gives the issue more weight.

That being said, politicians and the general public need to have greater awareness of what IT professionals actually do and how you might influence the public debate on issues within your fields of expertise, eg Digital TV, the new privacy laws.

IT in health is a huge growth area with enormous potential. The public debate needs input from IT experts who can foresee the pitfalls, eg privacy concerns in sharing health information. I can understand a degree of caution, but if you want an organisation or a profession to have clout, you have to be media smart.

Just as doctors are in the ideal position to comment "from the coalface" on health issues, IT professionals are in the perfect position to set the IT agenda. You see what goes on. You see day to day the implications of changes in government and industry policy and workplace standards. You are in a position to predict problems so that a preventive approach can be taken, and between you, you have the expertise to make really meaningful and practicable recommendations. That also puts you in the position of being a valuable media commentator.

Media: what you need • •Something to say • •Staying power • •A thick skin • •A strong knowledge base • •Excellent preparation • •Good sense of timing • •Training and practice Part of the process of setting the agenda is to capitalise on your niche area of specialised expertise, using the media for the constructive benefit of the community, and your profession. Benefits of raising a profession’s profile

Raising the profile of a profession in a positive way achieves many things.

It lets people know what you as a profession can do for them. At the same time it raises the morale of the profession, and it improves your chances of having a say in the way things are run.

Funding and structural reforms in every aspect of the IT sector and in industry will happen with or without you. If you are to have any say in the way those reforms affect your profession and your ability to practise your profession in the way your profession dictates is the appropriate standard with adequate remuneration, you need to have strong representation.

I look forward to working with your new President and the management team at the ACS to achieve results for your members and the ICT profession. Professor Kerryn Phelps M.B.B.S.(Syd), F.R.A.C.G.P., has been an active member and leader of the Australian medical profession for over 23 years. Currently a general practitioner in an independent group practice in Sydney’s Double Bay, she is also Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney.

A leading authority on health issues in Australia, Professor Phelps is the first woman to hold the position of President of the Australian Medical Association, leading it from May 2000 to June 2003. A longstanding member of the organisation, she was president of the State Branch of the AMA in NSW in 1999, and was appointed to the AMA Federal Council in June that year.

Inaugural AiCE event targets systems administration

More than 70 people attended, or participated via videoconferencing links, the first event held by the new ACS national committee on Computer Ethics and the Australian Institute of Computer Ethics (AiCE) at Swinburne’s School of IT last December to discuss ethical considerations in system administration..

A three-member panel comprising Geoff Halprin (President, System Administrators Guild in the US), Mike Pountney (systems administrator at Managesoft) and Andrew Breese (systems administrator at Immatrix) was joined by Mike Ciavarella (past national secretary of the Systems Administrators Guild of Australia) to discuss issues in professionalism and ethics in systems administration

Halprin described systems administration, and SAGE, the professional body for practising system administrators, and their code of ethics. (See sageweb.sage.org/resources.)

He described ethics as not standing in a vacuum, but in a social, legal and personal context. Considerations include the law, company policy, personal morals and professional ethics. As he pointed out, these do not always agree.

Pountney detailed the responsibilities of the system administrator and the types of situations in which ethical issues can arise. This involved considerations of company policies, the law and the management of relationships in the workplace.

Breese, leading into the panel of experts’ discussion, gave many examples of ethical situations he had experienced in his system administration roles, while working for different companies including such issues as:

• Should you fix a PC knowing the user is going to perform illegal/unethical activities? • Recovering illegal content from backup, eg pornography, mp3, warez software. • Who watches the watchmen? System administrators have rights on the entire network and can do almost anything. What is stopping them from exploiting the system? What can you do if another system administrator is unethical?

Follow-up online discussion is available at businessit.bf.rmit.edu.au/aice/Discussions/default.htm.

The next event is planned for April with the topic being on issues of professionalism. Venue details have yet to be decided, but live videoconferencing will be available with subsequent online discussion. Further details will be announced on the AiCE site, businessit.bf.rmit.edu.au/aice.

Butler Group reports deliver value for members

ACS members who are taking advantage of the free online Butler Group research reports say they are delighted with the quality and detail of the material and believe it significantly enhances their consulting capabilities.

One very satisfied user is Errol Martin, who runs a Canberra-based consultancy. He says the Butler Group is a world-class research organisation and is surprised that more ACS members aren’t taking advantage of this free offer.

“I’m incredibly impressed that as ACS members we now have free access to such excellent material and I know a number of people who have recently joined the Society primarily to take advantage of this offer.

“The Butler Group research is a fantastic resource for anyone in a consulting role or who has to evaluate different technologies for potential implementation. I recently used their 300-page report on the top 10 XML databases to help me objectively assess products for a project in which I’m involved.

“This research would normally cost an individual or company thousands of dollars and, as a small business, I certainly couldn’t afford it, but I get it completely free because I’m an ACS member and that makes good business sense to me,” he said.

As Director of the ACS Information Systems Board, Errol is acutely aware of the wide array of technologies available in the market and says the research is also helping the Board to gain a clearer idea of where it should be focusing its energies.

Australian Standard for ICT Corporate Governance.

Following market research more than two years ago, followed by extensive consultation to position this standard, a guide to the evaluation, direction and monitoring of the use of ICT has emerged. The draft is expected to be released in February for two months of public comment. Information about obtaining a copy is available at acs.org.au/governance

This standard will complement other Corporate Governance standards covering principles, Codes of Conduct, Fraud and Corruption, Social Responsibility and Whistleblower protection.

The ACS is running seminars in each state to discuss the standard and seek comments on the draft. Details of these seminars can be found at the same site.

ACS anoints Life Members, new Fellows

The Society has elevated two of its most active members to the rank of Honorary Life Member while awarding Fellowships to five others.

ACS Community Affairs Board Director Judy Hammond and former ACS President and current ACS Foundation board chair John Ridge were both granted the HLM designation at the Society’s recent Council meeting.

At the same time, five members were elected to the grade of Fellow: Prof David Arnott; Brenda Aynsley; Gary Druitt; Dr Clarence Tan and Prof Peter Thorne.

Honorary Life Memberships are awarded in recognition of an individual’s outstanding contribution to the ACS over many years while Fellowships recognise a person’s impact on the ICT sector.

Honorary Life Members: Judy Hammond (NSW) has been an active member since 1983, serving nationally as Director of the ACS Community Affairs Board, internationally as an ACS representative to the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) and helping to establish and drive the Women in Technology (WIT) group. She continues to serve in its ethical and social responsibilities.

John Ridge (NSW) has served in many Society roles over the past 13 years, culminating as President in 2000-2001, a period that saw strong growth in membership, as in the preceding two years when he served as NSW Branch Chair.

He also conceived and launched the ACS Foundation and continues as chair of its board, also serving as Director of the ACS Marketing Board.

Fellows: Professor David Arnott (Victoria) has made distinguished contributions to the field of ICT, both in Australia and overseas in his role as a well known and respected senior academic and researcher. He has helped to raise the status of the discipline of information systems in both academia and industry. He was Foundation President, Australian Council of Professors and Heads of Information Systems, and has had senior positions in it since, and has served on various influential committees in ICT in Australia and overseas.

Brenda Aynsley (SA) has helped to drive the promotion and adoption of Internet technologies within the community and by non-IT professionals. An active member of the Electronic Frontiers Association, the South Australian Internet Association and the IT Council for South Australia, she has an enduring passion for the Internet and its utility as a technology to empower users and enrich society. She has played a major role in helping to define and shape the legislative frameworks regulating the Internet and its use around the country through her participation in governmental representations and a departmental task force.

Garry Druitt (Victoria) continues to make a distinguished contribution to ICT through his pioneering work in using computer networking and Internet technologies to link up to 40 rural and regional health organisations. As CIO of the South West Alliance of Rural Hospitals he has received national acclaim for his implementation of IP-based communications between the member hospitals. Garry is a member of important Victorian committees and working groups and is a valued contributor to the application of ICT to the health sector both within Victoria and nationally. He is widely consulted on such matters by other state governments.

Dr Clarence Tan (Queensland) founded Bond Wireless, an innovative wireless application service company that has developed award winning wireless messaging products for enterprises, winning awards for its technology. He is also Associate Dean (Community Relations) and Assistant Professor in Computational Finance and Mobile Computing Applications at Bond University, has represented Australia as an expert judge in a range of international awards, and was Founding Chair of the Advanced Investment Technology Conference (AIT99).

Professor Peter Thorne (Victoria) is one of Australia’s leading ICT researchers as well as being an excellent teacher and respected supervisor. He was awarded the first PhD in computer science-engineering in Australia, pioneered the consideration of broader professional issues in computing and shaped the area of computer acquisitions, both at the University of Melbourne and as a member of the National Procurement Board. He jointly authored the widely acclaimed book – The Last of the First: Australia’s First Computer and gained international attention for his work on the CSIRAC project, which led to the reassembly of CSIRAC, one of the first four stored-program computers in the world, now on display at the Victorian Museum.

Contributing to the sustainability of our profession

Professionals Australia, the national peak body for professional associations in Australia of which the ACS is a member, hosted a young professions roundtable (YPAR) late last year in Canberra. The objective was to engage young members of Australia’s leading professional bodies, and to stimulate debate and discussion on how various professionals can ensure a sustainable future.

The ACS was represented by Ana Govan, Chair of the Young IT Committee within the Community Affairs Board. According to Ana, a key issued raised by many peers was the importance of integrating young professionals into the structure of the association.

“It’s more than simply forming special interest groups – true integration is required, so that younger members are represented at management level.”

“I believe it is vital that more mature professionals have an appreciation of the aspirations, pressures and issues faced by younger members – and vice versa,” she said.

The ACS has been progressive in its approach, and most branches have a young IT representative on its Branch Executive Committee. In addition, a young IT professional represents younger members by attending Council meetings and commenting on proposals for Management Committee.

There was also a strong push for an education program promoting the various professions. The YPAR group believed this needs to begin at the primary school level, and continue right through to tertiary.

“At the tertiary level, the focus would change from education about the profession to considering how new graduates can contribute to the sustainability of the profession,” explained Ana. The issue of sustainability of professionals was also investigated at a more holistic level, particularly given that many issues are common to a range of professions. Sustainability, according to the roundtable, requires a collaborative approach to the way professions conduct their business.

“No longer can professions work in isolation within their specific disciplines,” said Ana. “There are fundamental issues we all face – joint lobbying for greater impact on government, ethics and acceptable standards of professional conduct, through to workplace relations issues – and there is the opportunity for us to leverage and learn from our professional peers, regardless of industry.”

The roundtable participants called on Professionals Australia to approach their members when common issues arose, and involve them in the public policy process.

The ACS National YIT Committee encourages all young members to become involved in local activities, provide feedback on the types of services and benefits you would like to see provided by your professional association, and voice your ideas on how we can continue to incorporate young members in the governance of the Society. Remember, the Society is run by members, for members, and this is an opportunity for you to help shape the future of the ACS.

Ana Govan highlighted the work of the Young IT Committee, which encourages and facilitates communication, debate and action by younger members of the profession on issues related to both their personal development and that of their profession.

“We are the next generation of the ACS, and our involvement will shape a sustainable and active professional membership into the future,” concluded Ana.

Branch rep to join Management Committee

The ACS Council has resolved to include a Branch representative (National Councillor) as an Office Bearer, a voting member of Management Committee, which requires a change to the ACS Rules. Also, Council has decided to create two new member categories: that of Senior Member and Companion, and to relax the requirement for all SIG committee members to be ACS members, and the National Regulations need to be amended to introduce these changes.

Details of the Special Resolution concerning the Rule change, including details of the General Meeting at which the Special Resolution is to be dealt with, and details of changes to the National Regulations, are included as a loose insert in this edition of Information Age.

Calling the CoPS

Six students enrolled in the Knowledge Management 2 (KM2) CMACS course have completed a collaborative assignment to test the potential for online Communities of Practice (CoPS) within the Society.

Their assignment called for establishing guidelines for CoPS, setting one up and evaluating its effectiveness.

To do it, they explored existing ACS online discussion groups, particularly SIGS and their propensity to use online P2P, and the potential for these groups to adopt or extend their P2P facilities. The results of their work can be found at acs.org.au/certification. Follow the KM link.

Your magazine honoured again

For the third year in succession, Information Age has been accredited to Emerald Management Reviews’ journal coverage list of 400 titles.

Your magazine joins others like the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, US Journal of Marketing and similar titles in a range of management disciplines to be a source of abstracts to academics, librarians others subscribing to Emerald’s service.

IA was last year given an Emerald Golden Page Award for excellence in “management applicability in information technology”. (emeraldinsight.com)