Who is responsible for Records Management: Part 3- Sustaining a Culture of Shared Responsibility

Establishing that everyone plays a role in records management is only the beginning—sustaining it requires intention.

A well-structured, trusted system provides the foundation. By ensuring that records remain authentic, reliable, and accessible throughout their entire lifecycle, the system supports both legal compliance and public transparency. However, technology alone doesn’t create accountability—people do.

The challenge is making this shared responsibility last beyond the initial rollout. This is where the change management approach outlined by Chip and Dan Heath in "Switch" becomes invaluable:

Direct the Rider (logic): Give employees a clear map—define their role in records management in plain terms. Utilize retention schedules, filing rules, and workflows that indicate the correct choice every time.

Motivate the Elephant (emotion): Connect records management to what employees care about—serving the public, protecting their work, and avoiding costly mistakes. Recognize individuals and departments who model best practices.

Shape the Path (environment): Make the desired behavior the easiest behavior. Integrate records filing, retention, and disposition into existing workflows so they happen automatically within the systems employees already use.

In practical terms, this means:

• Role-based clarity so each department understands its responsibilities.

• Ongoing training that brings new hires into the culture and refreshes veterans. Visible leadership support—leaders model compliance and use the system correctly.

• Workflow integration so compliance is seamless, not manual.

When logic, emotion, and environment all reinforce each other, records management becomes second nature—part of delivering excellent public service, not an extra chore. And when everyone participates, your organization is ready for audits, public records requests, and the future of digital governance.