Leading Changein Your Organization

Steve ButtryFebruary 3, 2016

SPJ

• Tradition = producing newspaper or newscast• Mission = covering news, serving

as watchdog

Tradition vs. mission

Tradition vs. mission• Tradition often dictates priorities• Tradition often dictates workflow• Tradition commands time, resources• Tradition is tied to platform, mission isn’t• Tradition discourages experimentation• Mission requires experimentation

• Mission = What we should be doing• Tradition = How we’ve always

done it

Tradition vs. mission

Roles in leading changeTop editor, news director:

Proclaim mission, set priorities, pull staff toward goals that support missionMid-level managers:

Emphasize mission in daily staff workFront-line journalists:

Experiment, take risks, push colleagues (and bosses)

Action drives change• Organization may need to change• But org chart won’t change culture• Newsroom culture’s defaults override

structural changes• Change what you do, how you work• Let org chart changes support change

Change what you do• News coverage (live)• Storytelling (interactive)• Processes: digital workflow, then feed

legacy product(s)• Engage community• Use products on mobile, produce content

for mobile community

Planning meetings

Print: Focus primarily on the next day’s

newspaper, Sunday paper and upcoming

print centerpiece stories

Broadcast: Focus on evening newscast(s),

sweeps

Digital: Morning meeting focuses on day’s coverage plans, mobile, social, early

traffic & engagement. Enterprise meetings plan

interactive elements, video, data and other

content that will require significant planning.

Encourage risk• What have you experimented on lately?• If experiment was a success, did you

share lessons & experiment again?• If experiment was a failure, did you share

lessons, reward risk & try again?• Are people in your newsroom willing to

experiment?

Breaking news• Breaking news coverage completely

independent of print & broadcast products & deadlines

• Publish as soon as you verify• Update frequently• Liveblog big, breaking stories• Tweet, Tout & update from scene

Event coverageLivetweet & liveblog everything:• Sports events• Meetings• Trials• Festivals• Press conferences• Need a compelling reason not to

Deadlines, processes

Legacy: Reporters & photographers

produce stories & photos for print &

broadcast deadlines.

Digital: Even non-breaking routine news is published as the stories

unfold, often with multiple updates during the day. Editors assign deadlines as early as possible for the first

takes of stories.

Routine daily news• Setting early deadlines (8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2

p.m.)• Starting work earlier• Write routine stories as they unfold, as

we do w/ breaking stories (initial post followed by updates)

Enterprise

Print: Enterprise stories are usually

Sunday stories, planned & reported

close to the vest.Broadcast: Enterprise

stories during sweeps.

Digital: Enterprise stories are

crowdsourced, planning includes

interactive features, video, social

promotion. Published during the week

when ready.

The Five Satins• Story published online Monday• Text story twice as long online (60” in

print)• Loaded with links• Videos• Audio clips• Use Sunday story for more engagement

• Quizzes• Timelines• Maps• Interactive

databases• Data visualization

• Multimedia storytelling tools• Before & after

photos• Animation• Curation

Interactive enterprise

Measuring success• What’s important? How can you measure

it?• Not just page views & uniques• Social sharing & engagement, time spent

w/ stories• Number of live & interactive stories, their

engagement

Addressing obstacles• Technology: Clunky CMS (invest or use

open-source solution?)• View website & social media as

promotion, not journalism platforms (training, recognition & rewards)

• Morale (praise journalistic & digital excellence)

If you’re in charge …• Use mobile app/site & ask mobile-

focused questions• Visibly learn new tools (& show humility)• Form committee to study pressing

innovation needs (mobile, social …)• Conversation should reflect mission• Chat up newsroom innovation leaders

Praise must reflect mission• Are you praising risk-takers? Innovation

leaders?• What you praise reflects your priorities• Praise should be specific & tied to

specifics of mission• Yes, you should praise people for “just

doing their jobs”

“But I’m not in charge”• What can you do in your job (consistent

w/ policy, moving mission ahead)?• Can you offer to train or mentor

colleagues (formal workshops, informal coaching)?

• Can you pitch ideas, experiments to a sympathetic boss?

Links and slides• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.org/stevebuttryContact info:stephenbuttry@gmail.com@stevebuttry