Changing culture The experience of TU Delft Library Ellen van der Sar/ Maria Heijne IATUL Annual Conference 2004, Krakow, Poland April 5, 2019 Library

Library Delft University of Technology April 5, 2019

Delft Library: Facts and figures Personnel 160 fte Locations Central Building + 13 faculty library locations Budget 2004 17 M Euro Collection 1M monographs 8000 journals / 4000 electronic April 5, 2019

Purpose of the change Information mediation: Front office activities in 14 locations staffed by 50-60 fte What? more collaboration between front offices a well-structured and accepted customer service more ‘team’ Why? Replacement pool Involvement and commitment To overcome mutual preconceptions April 5, 2019

Change: how not to ‘structure’ solutions Transfer central staff to decentral locations Central front office is staffed by all decental staff members on a rota basis One job desription and one job rating for all for ‘culture’ problems cause resistance directed at: Mutual images Strong connection with the ‘home’ location Working in shifts  April 5, 2019

Change: theory on ‘how to’ -1 Organisational Culture Schein : a pattern of basic assumptions about how the group copes with the outside world and about how members should act within the group These assumptions: define how members should perceive, think and feel about problems. have been invented, discovered or developed by the group out of their experience. "work" – so they are valid are important to teach to new members. April 5, 2019

Change: theory on ‘how to’ -2 Van Nistelrooij: ‘cultural core’ : difficult to influence and invisible – implicit assumptions, rules and values that people perceive. ‘cultural practice’: visible characteristics of culture – tradition and customs, the way people cooperate and communicate, leadership the system of reward and appreciation. April 5, 2019

Van Nistelrooij Cultural practice Cultural core cooperation leadership assumptions underlying values unwritten rules reward and appreciation tradition and customs communication

Change: from theory to (cultural) practice Leadership: Management change Assignment of coordinating tasks Strategic aims set by departments Personal development plans

Change: from theory to (cultural) practice Communication : higher contact frequency with all individual staff Cooperation: shared jobs in front office and customer service

Change: from theory to (cultural) practice Tradition and customs: Competencies (knowledge and behaviour) Customer expectations Procedures

Change: from theory to (cultural) practice Reward and appreciation: more staff job descriptions/ratings

Cultural practice OK, but cultural core? What about: values assumptions unwritten rules

Cultural practice OK, but cultural core? Cultural glue? Shared jobs Mutual interests

Conclusions Top down change >> resistance Solutions as a package not accepted, split up in smaller parts it seemed to work Introduction of new elements of cultural practice Shared jobs >> cooperation, knowledge sharing Personal and organisational interests consistent >> cultural glue? Be patient! April 5, 2019