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I have always been interested in semantics and nuances in the meaning of words, and how they may affect our ability to communicate or understand concepts. It is no surprise then that when I have a problem to tackle I often consult a dictionary to look for meanings beyond those that I normally associate with a particular word or idea.
When I began thinking about this article I knew I wanted to explore the question "What is the role of the records manager?" There are two terms in it to pin down: records manager, and role. For the purposes of my argument I am assuming I know what a records manager is. Keeping it very simple, an individual who manages records. Therefore the key concept to define is that of "role".
From different sources I found four principal notions relating to "role"[1] :
a part played;
a function;
a place or position; and
an expected behaviour.
Relating these notions to my understanding of "records manager" I asked myself two further questions: "What is the purpose of the records manager (or of managing records)?" and "What is the scope of the records manager's role (or what does 'manage' mean)?". A seemingly simple question is rapidly becoming much more complex.
Whilst all these questions are very definitely the basis of an interesting article in their own right, the process of trying to find a route to answer it has led me to what I believe is an even more interesting diversion, one which focuses on the final notion of role - "expected behaviours".
I find it difficult to speak of roles by themselves. Inevitably I end up pairing them with responsibilities, and assume I know what I mean. The Oxford Dictionary of English ([7] Soanes and Stevenson, 2003) has three senses for the term "responsibility":
having a duty to deal with something or having control over someone;
being accountable or to blame for something; and
opportunity or ability to act independently and take decisions without authorisation.
The first and last of these senses, for me, are about discharging the tasks one is assigned. The middle sense pairs nicely with the fourth notion of "role" - expected behaviours. What interests me is the implication of moral or...