Library Leadership & Management Association (LLAMA) Webinar August 9, 2017 Pushing A Boulder Uphill Leading Organizational Change in an Entrenched Environment
Presenters Phill Johnson Jessica Hayes Library Dean Head of Public Services Auburn University Montgomery Auburn University Montgomery • BS in Biology from Missouri Southern State • BA in History from Samford University and University, MSLIS from the University of Illinois, M.L.I.S. from University of Alabama and a JD from Washburn University School of Law • Seven years of management experience; five years within library administration experience • Fifteen years of library experience; thirteen of those years involved library management • No formal education in administration; all on the job training and development
Or Organiza ganization tional al Chang Change e Lead Leader ers s – Mythica Mythical l Sisyphu Sisyphus? s? • Sentenced to push a boulder uphill; once at the top the boulder would roll back down the hill and again, he would start the impossible task. • Leaders feel like they are making progress, only to have the boulder roll back down the hill...again. • Without proper tools and skills, continuous "boulder rolling" can lead to discouragement or burnout in the library leader.
Webinar Goals binar Goals • Identify the importance of organizational change in libraries • Identify and describe an entrenched library environment • Identify the type of leader necessary for organizational change • Identify the types of "boulders" that hinder organizational change • Identify and describe three skills leaders should prioritize when undergoing organizational change. • Identify and describe three techniques/activities to help bring about organizational change in an entrenched organization
Why is organizational change important in libraries? • Libraries have been "dying" for a long time; evolve or dissolve • Ripe for organizational change; "library is a growing organism" (Ranganathan, 1931). • Biggest threat to this type of change? Librarians. "That's how we've ALWAYS done it!"
Entr Entrenc enchme hment nt in in Or Organiza ganization tions • Temporary place for protection and strategizing in face of chaos, changes, or confusion • Not always a negative; used for stability and safety • Becoming entrenched results in normalization of trench life and makes it hard to see or think past the trench
Aubur uburn n Univ Univer ersity sity Montgome Montgomery y Libr Librar ary • Established in 1967 as a commuter university, Auburn University Montgomery (AUM); currently offers over 90 programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. • The AUM Library - "you can't miss us...we are the tallest building on campus!" • 8 professional librarians, 10 full-time staff members; majority of personnel have worked at AUM an average of 10-15 years. • In the past 20 years, the AUM Library stagnated and lost relevancy in the university's community.
Entr Entrenc enched hed Libr Librar ary Cultur y Culture What does it look like? What does it lead to? • Devotion to unused/outdated materials and • Unappealing collections, old-fashioned physical inefficient use of physical library space. space, non-intuitive material arrangement usage of materials • Hesitant or outright refusal to consider new • Reduction in library use and an increase in approaches to traditional services irrelevancy • Little practical application of professional • Inefficiently using financial resources can lead to development financial difficulties and lead to resentment in individuals who don't receive travel/professional development funds. • Poor planning and implementation of projects causing ideas to fizzle and fail. • Leads to discouragement and a reluctance to "try" on future projects.
Low Morale
Or Organiza ganization tional al Chang Change e Leade Leadersh ship ip • Library administrator does not equate being a leader and often, they have caused the problem of entrenchment and stagnation. • A leader is required to manage organizational change and this usually means top-level personnel changes... • ... But not always! Many tools, resources, and trainings exist to help develop necessary talents for organizational change. What does this leadership look like?
"...Only one man, who can give us a command" - Hamilton • Successful organizational change requires teamwork, collaboration, cooperation, and participatory leadership. • Ultimately, only one leader can make the hard decisions required in this process • At the AUM Library, that leader is Dean Phill Johnson.
"I am doing the best I can, Administrators to get the people that I Local school teachers need. " - Hamilton Support Staff • Cannot change organizational culture alone – requires a "powerful guiding coalition" Donors (Kotter, 2007). • First thing first, assess current relationships with all stakeholder groups. • Build strategic partnerships with non-library Faculty departments – they can serve as supporters, cheerleaders, and allies as you move forward. Patrons/Users • Build or re-establish good and cooperative Government Officials relationships with administration – they can make or break any attempts for organizational Alumni change. Local Business Owners
"I cannot be everywhere at once , people. I’m in dire need of assistance…" - Hamilton • Internal library support is essential but not limited to library administrators • Identify passionate personnel and engage them according to their strengths. • Hired Samantha McNeilly in Fall 2015 as new Teaching & Outreach Librarian. • Library instruction increased dramatically under her guidance (Fall 2014 to Fall 2015 = 75%; Spring 2015 to Spring 16 = 178%)
"I need someone like you to lighten the load" - Hamilton • Head of Public Services leads all user-facing departments: reference, access services, instruction, outreach, government documents, and special collections/archives. • Prior to Phill's arrival, the position had been vacant for almost 6 years. This critical vacancy left key areas with little guidance and minimal supervision. • Identified that most of the issues facing the AUM Library stemmed from the lack of leadership within the Public Services department. • Couldn't fix those problems and the overall library issues without another library administrator who shared Library Dean's vision and continually promoted it to their direct reports.
Leadership Skills & Traits for Organizational Change Thousands of skills useful for Our Recommended Skills/Traits leading organizational change • Honest, frank, and open • Vision-Oriented • Collaborative • Empathetic and patient • Team Player • Cooperative • Flexible and adaptable • Others-Focused • Planning/project management • MANY more!
Techniques, Activities and/or Practices to Facilitate Organizational Change • Buy yourself time – observe, • Create Buy-In – present assess, discuss, and reflect organizational changes as solutions to impending or existing problems • Implement an open door policy and abide by it • Participate on the frontlines – cover reference shifts, work a • Hold regular town-hall type weekend in circulation, work meetings for direct reports and along side personnel to learn a other library personnel task or product
Boulders Organizational Change Leaders Have to Push • Fear and/or resistance to change • Fear of failure based on past experiences • Lack of knowledge of current trends or best practices • Low/poor morale and constant negativity or fighting • Unspoken workplace rules and expectations • Resentment over an "outsider" telling them what to do – the outsider could be an external hire or someone previously at a lower rank and promoted internally
Questions?
Contact Information Phill Johnson – pjohns23@aum.edu 334.244.3200 Jessica Hayes – jhayes11@aum.edu 334.244.3814
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