{"id":2456,"date":"2018-09-19T15:25:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-19T15:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.oclc.org\/next\/?p=2456"},"modified":"2021-04-27T18:30:16","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T18:30:16","slug":"think-like-a-game-changer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.oclc.org\/next\/think-like-a-game-changer\/","title":{"rendered":"Think like a \u201cgame changer\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"change-the-game\"<\/p>\n

I often remember Skip Prichard quoting Jack Welch at our Edinburgh, Scotland, EMEA Regional Council meeting: \u201cIf the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.\u201d As a true librarian and forward thinker, I fully recognize we are in the middle of this, but I prefer to complete the quote this way: \u201cIf the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change in your library \u2026 change the game!\u201d<\/p>\n

In the late 1940s, The Lego Group began producing the building bricks, which we all know so well. For decades, they made popular kits that were described by many, all around the world, as one of the best toys in history. However, as children\u2019s play preferences changed, Lego\u2019s economic fortunes declined.<\/p>\n

How do you improve a product that has been a global icon for generations? Many small, incremental improvements may help. But at some point, you may need to make a major adjustment and start thinking like a game changer.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Changing what we do, not why we do it<\/h2>\n

For Lego, one of the biggest game changers was the decision to incorporate licensed material (initially Star Wars and Winnie the Pooh) into their models. The original sets were designed, specifically, to be more free-form and open to encourage creativity. The leap to including very specific, recognizable characters, vehicles, and sets required rethinking the needs of customers, the strengths of the company, and the marketplace as a whole. This led, eventually, to cobranded films and games, which have been some of the brand\u2019s strongest performers.<\/p>\n

The Lego experience for kids (and, to be honest, many adults) differs wildly today from what it was in the 1940s. But it is still compatible with the company\u2019s original vision.<\/p>\nThinking like \u201cgame changers\u201d at our OCLC Regional Conferences. #OCLCnext <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

Doing that is a challenge. But I believe that by thinking like game changers, librarians, too, can dramatically change and improve the services we offer while remaining true to our core values.<\/p>\n

Four ways to change the game<\/h2>\n

At our three OCLC Regional Council Conferences<\/a> this year, we\u2019ll be asking the question, \u201cHow can libraries change the game?\u201d To do this, we\u2019ll focus on four aspects and discuss what we do, how we do it, and how it impacts the communities we serve.<\/p>\n