Pushing A Boulder Uphill Leading Organizational Change in an - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Pushing A Boulder Uphill

Library Leadership & Management Association (LLAMA) Webinar August 9, 2017

Leading Organizational Change in an Entrenched Environment

Presenters

Phill Johnson

Library Dean

Auburn University Montgomery

• BS in Biology from Missouri Southern State

University, MSLIS from the University of Illinois, and a JD from Washburn University School of Law

• Fifteen years of library experience; thirteen of

those years involved library management

Jessica Hayes

Head of Public Services

Auburn University Montgomery

• BA in History from Samford University and

M.L.I.S. from University of Alabama

• Seven years of management experience; five

years within library administration experience

• 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;
• nce 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,

• r 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
• f 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?

• Devotion to unused/outdated materials and

inefficient use of physical library space.

• Hesitant or outright refusal to consider new

approaches to traditional services

• Little practical application of professional

development

• Poor planning and implementation of projects

causing ideas to fizzle and fail.

What does it lead to?

• Unappealing collections, old-fashioned physical

space, non-intuitive material arrangement usage of materials

• Reduction in library use and an increase in

irrelevancy

• Inefficiently using financial resources can lead to

financial difficulties and lead to resentment in individuals who don't receive travel/professional development funds.

• 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

• rganizational 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, to get the people that I

• need. " - Hamilton
• Cannot change organizational culture alone –

requires a "powerful guiding coalition" (Kotter, 2007).

• First thing first, assess current relationships

with all stakeholder groups.

• Build strategic partnerships with non-library

departments – they can serve as supporters, cheerleaders, and allies as you move forward.

• Build or re-establish good and cooperative

relationships with administration – they can make or break any attempts for organizational change.

Faculty Patrons/Users Government Officials Alumni Local Business Owners Administrators Local school teachers Support Staff Donors

"I cannot be everywhere at

• nce, 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

Our Recommended Skills/Traits

• Honest, frank, and open
• Empathetic and patient
• Flexible and adaptable

Thousands of skills useful for leading organizational change

• Vision-Oriented
• Collaborative
• Team Player
• Cooperative
• Others-Focused
• Planning/project management
• MANY more!

Techniques, Activities and/or Practices to Facilitate Organizational Change

• Buy yourself time – observe,

assess, discuss, and reflect

• Implement an open door policy

and abide by it

• Hold regular town-hall type

meetings for direct reports and

• ther library personnel
• Create Buy-In – present
• rganizational changes as

solutions to impending or existing problems

• Participate on the frontlines –

cover reference shifts, work a weekend in circulation, work along side personnel to learn a 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