Who we are Rana Salzmann , M.A., M.L.S. Director of Library and IT, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Who we are Rana Salzmann , M.A., M.L.S. Director of Library and IT, Meadville Lombard Theological School – Ten years of management experience in public, special, and academic libraries, always at the intersection of technology and patron service Magda Pecsenye RISWS Management Method http://www.risws.com/

How to do RISWS Every Friday at noon Top 3 challenges to getting your job done Top 3 achievements of the week Sent to you any way you prefer (email, Sharepoint, collaboration tool) Should take 5 minutes per employee Thank them for sending it in Start studying and assessing responses 2

Over to you Thank them for sending it in Start studying and assessing responses Address emergencies Fist bump accomplishments Pick off low-hanging fruit 3

What’s the point? How else are you going to know what’s stopping people from doing their jobs? Build trust Paper trail for internal and external use Set better goals and metrics Accurate, scaled performance evals 4

CARLI Research Subsidy Practical Management for Librarians: The RISWS Approach for Effective Library Team Management • Meadville Lombard • Daley College, City Colleges of Chicago • Chicago State University

Our metaphors • “Accidental” Managers • Fixing the bike while we’re riding it • Doing more with less • <Insert your favorite management aphorism here>

Goal: No more “accidental”management

How we’re doing this • Pre ‐ test surveys from manager’s manager and direct reports • Initial training via webinar • Monthly team calls • Implementing RISWS and reporting back via Basecamp • = Learning cohort!

Deliverables • 3 RISWS ‐ trained managers in diverse library settings • The blog! – http://www.risws.com/blog/ Forthcoming…. • Conference proposal • Article

Lightbulb Moments What have we learned so far?

Common Struggles • Resistance to the process – From above and below, from external forces – RISWS reveals who is working and who isn’t • Responsibility/authority confusion – Who is empowered to fix problems? – How does the org chart work? Is there one? – Lack of empowerment • Overlap of responsibilities

…Now what? • Work the process • Watch the reports come in • Triage problems • Look for solutions Understand what’s happening with our teams – So we can remove obstacles (triage problems) – And increase efficiency, productivity, happiness

What do you do with the info? Find misunderstandings and clarify them Unblock blocks Assign responsibility Fix it Empower people Alleviate tensions 13

Mid-term effects Lower baseline stress level Easier to put out actual fires Eliminate waste Increased institutional knowledge and teamwork Increased engagement and productivity Feedback loop and leadership development Advocate for your team Time to do the strategy there’s no time for Shake out dead wood 14

What you need Agency to manage and require reporting Good faith Authority to protect your team Hiring/firing responsibility Desire to learn 15

Contact Us Rana Salzmann rsalzmann@meadville.edu Magda Pecsenye magda@tilmorgroup.com