The Information Steward Team as a Strategic Initiatives Team
As a librarian and knowledge manager, the "Information Steward" moniker grew out of information organization practices in academic libraries and international development nonprofit work. Examining who I am, what I believe, and my habits in vocational environments, I now recognize a broader scope of my work.
Narration by author:
Stewarding information (read more about my vocational philosophy) in this broader sense is connecting people, information, and habits to an organizational strategy. From this view, the guiding element is a set of shared desired outcomes and an associated strategy. While knowledge mobilization and information organization are integral to the process, the cohesive framework is that of a Strategic Initiatives Team.
The range of skills and the diversity of personnel on the Strategic Initiatives Team falls directly inline with an ethos of viewing the larger environment in which an organization sits. The team asks questions, explores, researches, and iterates as a standing group. The team's longevity reinforces the collective wisdom and pursuit of objectives.
In a medium- or large-sized nonprofit, a college, a university, or a for-profit corporation, a Strategic Initiatives Team reports to the Executive Director, President, or CEO (read more about the makeup of the ideal team in the vocational philosophy page).
The Strategic Initiatives Team concept is also appropriate within a subordinate unit of the organization. In this scenario the team is charged with a narrower focus. Examples include a strategic partnerships team, external funding team, or new product development team. The charter may be different; the purpose and practices of the team correspond to those outlined elsewhere.
Each organization chooses the purpose and the name of the Information Steward Team depending on context, sector, charter, and desired outcomes. I came to the general concept via an Information Steward lens; I now frame a broader horizon under a Strategic Initiatives Team concept.
Related Pages
Knowledge Mobilization
If you add “robust knowledge sharing by default” to your organizational goals, pay attention to micro habits. Those habits by teammates if left unexamined and unmodified will sabotage a polished knowledge sharing workflow plan or policy. The knowledge sharing culture eats the strategy for breakfast (h/t Peter Drucker, supposedly).
When the staff at local, international offices of a global nonprofit expressed concern over clear expectations, workload, and uncertainty regarding success, the lead of the investigating team invite me (from a sister team) to join five multi-day, in-person listening sessions. During each of the five in-country visits, the three- or four-person team interviewed 40-60 staff in groups of 3-12 related roles at a time. I facilitated these semi-structured interviews, summarized themes, and crafted initial strategy considerations. Over three months in 2025, I and the teams spoke with informants in Asia, East Africa, West Africa, South America, and Central America.
The knowledge of the elders is sometimes written.
As an institutional member of a consortia of international relief and development organizations, I catalyzed the creation of a new knowledge management community of practice (CoP). While serving on the steering committee of an existing CoP, I recognized the opportunity for a new km-specific peer learning group. With support from the consortia staff, I and others invited members into the new KM CoP group in 2025. I began as the single chair of the steering committee after recruiting five committee members. I then asked one of these five to work with me as co-chair.
Knowledge sharing values lived out as habits. How individuals and teams practice knowledge sharing emerges from the values and culture embraced by those individuals. Rules, processes, and expectations succeed or fail based on the energy embodied in the culture. What is the knowledge sharing culture of your team or organization? The following activities may help illuminate the root of your knowledge sharing culture.
Stewarding information across work departments and teams necessitates links, relationships, visibility, and lines of communication at the highest level of the organization. Consequently, Information Steward co-leads will report directly to the organization's leader (CEO, President, Executive Director).
Knowledge Mobilization
What could a Knowledge Stewardship team look like? Consider the foundational elements below from which a scenario is then briefly sketched. The new model may only be achieved over the course of a few years through multiple step-wise iterations.
As Knowledge Manager at a large international development nonprofit, I developed a knowledge mobilization strategy. As part of the first knowledge management-specific team within the organization, I developed a baseline strategy for people-first knowledge sharing habits. Leading with a set of key values and principles, the strategy included critical cultural aspects alongside the tactical, technical processes for success.
As a pro bono vocational coach, I sit, listen, and ask generative questions of my interlocutor. The colleagues who approach me for these types of purposeful conversations, seek a discussion partner who helps them unpack their core motivations and assists in unblocking barriers to their professional progress. We may discuss questions centered on their “why” or on strategic tactics over the course of multiple conversations.
Emphasizing the "Partnerships" in my job title at the Idaho Commission for Libraries, I asked library directors across the state about their local community workforce needs and opportunities. Seeking to understand the demand side of workforce needs, I spoke with recruiters at big businesses as well as leaders in the workforce development groups in the state (e.g., SBDC and workforce committees in state agencies). In one community, I connected the local library director with the HR recruiter of a regional business seeking a new model for training potential new employees: as an institution promoting learning and knowledge access, the library held a unique position towards skill development.
Key questions that impact how I think and what I pursue in the false dichotomy of work-life (when, in reality, all is connected).