Re: Response to Posed Statements
Mario Zinga (zinga@pps.pgh.pa.us)
Tue, 1 Apr 1997 22:51:24 -0500 (EST)
On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, Kam Matray wrote:
> *Time* is one factor that we are finding is crucial for the maintenance
> issue. If you have just long enough to make it a "can't live without it"
> service program or project for people who are vital users w/in the system,
> it's easier (a little easier) to find harder dollars to sustain the effort
> for the long term. Unfortunately the political factor plays a role in
> this as well.
We've certainly have tried to use this approach. The Internet is now
throughout the district. The "can't live without it" has been a great
motivator for building a large user base. The hope is that this will
translate to institutional support. The political variable is chaotic at
best.
> to move into place with support staff throughout the organization. These
> folks are the human infrastructue of our system. When they "just can't
> live without it," it's really helps. In this example we have gotten
I believe that the human infrastructure is our only hope for
institutionalization. If there is a large enough base, as changes come
about hopefully the number of people interested wont decline.
The question is more how do we institutionalize the efforts that are
needed to keep an innovation dynamic? As long as the school district can
take over when a system is stable, then I believe we've achieved a form of
institutionalization. I worry more about institutionalizing the process
that introduces the new.
-Mario Zinga