publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/355985
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JULY 2014 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 27 However, the capacity for law firms and lawyers to respond to and adapt to change might present particular organizational problems. Lawyers differ from the general population on several personality traits, exhibiting a heightened sense of urgency, higher levels of scepticism and lower resilience, as reported by Dr. Larry Richard in the 2002 article, "Herding Cats: The Lawyer Personality Revealed." These population-level trends have an impact on collective behavior, and these traits influence the desire and capacity to innovate, as well as the response to industry disruption and change. Although many embrace the opportunities for transformation and reinvention the current environment offers, there is also a quiet but steady hum of panic in the background. With increased pressure on financial models, the cognitive bandwidth of lawyers to process and respond to change is becoming more limited. It becomes harder to take the time to discern fad from genuine evolution and must-embrace developments from time-wasting sideshows. One solution is to displace the burden of responding to change onto operational teams that, through good design and quality implementation, insulate users from much of the effort. However, with financial pressures come leaner, meaner operational teams with the increasing result that no one is available to take on the burden of adaptation. Apart from those issues identified as having an impact now, the Legal Technology Future Horizons report identifies exciting mid- and long-term trends that could radically influence the practice of law and the future of legal organizations. However, for many firms habituated to thinking on a two- to-three year calendar, the "current issues" list is more than adequate for present consideration. The deeper implications of longer-term change — change that KM must lay the foundations for in the present, along with other operational functions — are simply too much for most to absorb. Organizations retreat into the comfort of short- term cycles of client work. The need for deeper change and innovation is buried in noise, the bandwidth becomes congested, and the adaptation signal is lost. THE IMPACT OF NOISE ON KM EFFECTIVENESS Noisy environments can be lively and energizing ... for a short period of time. In time, they can be paralyzing. Today's most effective knowledge managers, especially KM leaders, must be able to engage and influence across multiple layers of their organizations. Knowledge managers must be able to cope with complexity and chaotic change, displaying quick decision-making skills, fast response times and, when needed, the flexibility to switch attention from project to project. Sometimes, however, the ability to draw on these abilities has a dark side, diverting valuable energy from focused activities to continuously shifting gears. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. We're all familiar with the slightly nauseating sense of velocity that comes with processing too much, too fast. In a recent Harvard Business Review article "Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform," Edward Hallowell discussed the neurological impact of the fast-paced, unproductive "busy-ness" that characterizes many modern organizations. Research is also emerging about the impacts of technology-driven multitasking and the tendency, over time, for deterioration in the ability to concentrate and analyze effectively. Both research and anecdotal evidence suggest there is a sweet spot where the ability to multitask or continuously juggle priorities actually does improve efficiency and effectiveness. Beyond that point, the opposite effect takes hold and quickly turns into paralysis and poor decision-making. Are the federal, high-urgency, "cut-to-the-chase" cultures of law firms prone to amplifying these effects on an organizational level? If so, how can we ensure we tune out the noise and get to the heart of what really matters for the firm? FINDING AND BOOSTING THE SIGNAL If you can't turn down the volume on the noise, how do you pick out and tune in to the sounds you really need to listen to? What should you tune in to? SIGNAL TO NOISE: LOCATE AND FOCUS ON VALUE AMID COMPLEXITY