What are the first words that come to your mind when you think of 'strategic planning'? https://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/uP4b629Aea9LAGO

You can do this! Designing collaborative strategic planning to engage your community and transform your library WPWVC/ACRL Spring 2016 Eve Wider, ewider@pitt.edu Robin Kear, rlk25@pitt.edu

Why are you in our session? I am expected to lead or do strategic planning. I want to work on collaboration in my organization. Our planning is terrible, last-minute, and/or top- down. I want to improve our strategic planning. None of the above https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/WUYfoGQ56H8TLkW

What most of our organizations are like vs. what we need to be like Agile model Flexibility, responsiveness, tolerance for uncertainty Shared authority; inclusive planning Continual striving to learn, align, and optimize value to community Project-based approach is common; strong use of cross- functional teams Line staff identify with mission, share vision and sense of direction Hierarchical model Clarity and stability Leadership from the top Some use of teams but most work still happens in traditional departments Line staff tend to identify with their particular job roles, not the mission Eve: Slide created by Karen Calhoun Pitt AUL Organizational Development and Strategic Initiatives Loosely based on Alex Bennet (2003), Organizational survival in the new world: the intelligent complex adaptive system, p. 19.

One Voice on Collaboration “Over the last four years…I have witnessed the dramatic change in how yearly goals are formulated and executed within the ULS. It has been a great experience to be a part of this transformation and play a small role in creating what we now call ‘strategic options.’ By serving on the PBC, I have been provided with a broad perspective of activities within the ULS as well as the individuals who work so hard to make them happen.” - Planning and Budget Committee Member 2011-15 Eve

Our Story University Library System (185 employees) at the University of Pittsburgh In 2011, under the guidance of Karen Calhoun, we started a new planning story Eve: Story of disconnection, improve morale, why it started in 2011, tell story of new planning process, background context Previous: Top-down process Not known throughout the organization Planning and Budget Committee largely a “rubber stamp” Newer: Illuminated Cathedral of Learning 2008, University of Pittsburgh, Innovation Institute

Values Changing organizational culture is hard but essential to remaining relevant and valued Agile organizations are not commanded they are nurtured The agile organization decentralizes and distributes authority Raising the visibility, transparency, inclusiveness, and ownership of the planning process Eve

One Voice on Collaboration “I love to learn new things, and the PBC provides not only a great educational opportunity but a chance to make positive contributions to improve our organization. It was a good experience to participate in such a highly collaborative group and to work with and learn from so many colleagues.” - Planning and Budget Committee Member 2014-16 Eve

Pieces for You to Adapt Robin

A Planning Committee: Depends on Your Size Elected Librarians Elected Staff Appointments Team Leader Sponsor Secretary Past Team Leader Consultants Robin: This could be 3-5 people depending on your library. What kind of committees do you have? Consider someone outside the library too?

Environmental Scanning Ideas and Presentations by PBC Members Ideas from the All-Staff Event Reports from Key Teams Outside Speaker Carry-Overs Open Scan Sessions Robin: Librarians do this all the time! Variety of inputs Ideas from PBC members Reports from key teams (heads of tracks, Liaison Librarians, Assessment, Communications) Carry-overs Ideas from everyone at the all-staff event An outside speaker Open scan sessions Environmental Scanning

Discussion Forums Robin: Variations of the discussion forums: Birds of a Feather (An informal discussion group) Future Search (Digital Library and the User Services) (Past, the Present, the Future, Common Ground, and Action Planning. The techniques used — time lines, a mind map, creative future scenarios, common ground dialogue — are all managed to support the principles. People need no special training, orientation, vocabulary, or background to participate. They work in small groups, make reports to the whole, and join in whole group dialogues on what they are learning.) Targeted Questions for Discussion with Poster Session display (Long Range Plan goals, other topics) Discussion Forums

Poster Session All Staff Planning Event Robin: Groups present their work back to everyone. Why do we have this event? To gather ideas!!! Big or small, it doesn’t matter, there is a place in this process for all of them. The event will be called the Fall Forum, a new name with a slightly different format. There will be questions to consider. There will be lunch! We encourage everyone to attend this event and be heard. Poster Session All Staff Planning Event

Robin: Outside speakers, webinars Fresh Perspective

Transparent Communication Robin http://www.library.pitt.edu/planning-documents Transparent Communication

Engagement (Internal) Robin: Themes: football, star wars, Greek creatures, seasons, penguins Engagement (Internal)

Engagement (External) Robin: During the process: outside university presenters at meetings, dean of student affairs; consultation on research for writing strategic options with outside groups (CIDDE; CSSD) Ultimately reaching our students and staff in a broad way. Engagement (External)

One Voice for Collaboration “The PBC has been a great tool not only for bringing ideas to the table and having a real impact on library planning, but for fostering relationships across the organization that otherwise would have been a real challenge. PBC alumni take away friendships with people from across the ULS, and those friendships help us all build bridges for collaboration moving forward.” - Planning and Budget Committee Member 2011-15 Robin

What is the level of staff participation in your planning process? Everyone is or has the opportunity to be involved. Only our administration thinks about strategic planning. A few key individuals but not everyone. Upper and middle management are involved. I don’t know. https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/MA3pE34wNolD5Z0

Challenges to Planning Ideas don’t always rise Some asks are simply not done Size of staff Participation (perceived or actual) Time commitment External planning process pressures Eve

Challenges to Planning Expectations of participants Strategic ideas vs. operational ideas Exposes organizational fault lines / tension between staff and administration Challenge to communicate all the ideas, activities, outcomes Maintenance: transformative at first, but ongoing is difficult Eve

Surprise Internal Benefits Acculturation into the library community Empowerment to make internal connections, pick up the phone, and email across the organization Empowerment to speak up and feel heard Middle managers feel empowered to go ahead and do projects anyway Productive outlet for venting, affirmative dialogue Improved current awareness from outside speakers and open environmental scans Eve: Benefits from life-cycle model, forward momentum

Positive Outcomes Informal internal communication improved Concrete Examples: Internal partnership between Special Collections and Liaisons New external connections with Student Affairs and the Office of International Services EZ-Proxy improvement implemented amid obstacles in Information Technology 24/5 hours at main library, asked for by students, given priority and implemented Eve

Positive Upper-Admin Outcomes Feedback ‘Best plan that they had seen’ from Provost to Director Education of library value to external university community Adds to library credibility Ahead of our university’s planning curve, easy to take advantage of our new university-wide participatory planning process Evidence of decision-making process in the library’s strategic goals Eve

One Voice for Collaboration “My year serving on the PBC has helped me to gain a better understanding of the ULS as a whole and the planning process. Participating in meetings, events, and subcommittees within the PBC has increased my understanding of our system as well as my confidence and ability to articulate ideas within my own work area. One of the most valuable aspects has been collaborating with colleagues from many areas of the ULS to learn more about their work and departments through our weekly meetings and environmental scans. I've also appreciated being able to see results of my participation by watching my own small ideas evolve and grow into an environmental scan and eventually become part of an approved option for next year.” - Planning and Budget Committee Member 2014-16 Robin

Based on what you have heard today, is participatory planning worth trying in your organization? How can you start? https://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/tYIayNb9WU9gBI0

Questions? Thank you! Robin Kear Liaison Librarian, Pitt rlk25@pitt.edu @rkear Eve Wider Director, Owen Library, Pitt-Johnstown ewider@pitt.edu @evewider