Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Strategic Competence: to soar above Deakin University Library, Australia

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April The purpose Discuss the ‘real case for change’ –The key drivers for change –Strategic capabilities gap The change process adopted Provide an overview of the key structural changes Explore the strategic outcomes and organisational competences

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April ‘A real case for change’ Need to create a sense of urgency Tell stories Be creative Discuss the ‘undiscussable’

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April How human beings deal with threat 1.Bypass threat wherever possible 2.Act as if you are not bypassing the threat 3.Don’t discuss 1 or 2 while it is happening 4.Don’t discuss the undiscussability of the undiscussable From On Organizational Learning, Chris Argyris, 1999

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April ‘A real case for change’ Avoid the cardinal sins of misleading change efforts –Too much hype and not enough action –Over-advertising how ’massive’ the change will be –Creating a consensus for dramatic change, and then sitting in too many committee meetings –Make no change in senior leadership –Involve no customers, ignore the marketplace. From The Case for Real Change, (Khan, 2006)

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April The key drivers for change Strategic priority. –To improve the Library’s capacity to respond to the university’s teaching, learning and research imperatives and the changing higher education environment, and information and IT landscape. Financial –To achieve savings in the labour or staffing component of the budget to meet 2006/7 budget targets and achieve long term efficiencies.

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April The Library’s Strategic Capabilities Organisations must be able to manage continuous and discontinuous change. –Thomson and Cole (1997) Strategic Competency, the Learning Challenge Sustain the best match between the organisation’s strategic resources and a dynamic environment.

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Assessing the best match: questions to ask Do the organisation’s planning processes, environmental scanning and means of disseminating information lead to innovative and responsive strategies? Do your managers work as a team, sharing information and expertise? Do internal and external partnerships enrich your organisation? What are the key organisational functional competences required?

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds Library

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April The Process of Change at Deakin University Library Background –The decision to restore the Library as a separate entity signalled the beginning of the process –The budget planning cycle dictated the time frame (10 months), as well as The State of the Organisation –(Turner and Crawford, Change Power, 1998)

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Communication with key Stakeholders University Executive Faculties Human Resources Staff

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Step 1 Set the Stage As the new University Librarian, I spoke to staff early –Celebrated past achievements –Presented the vision and key strategies –First priority, an effective senior management team in place Create a sense of urgency. Help others to see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately. Pull together a guiding team. Adapted from ‘Our Iceberg is Melting (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2006) Four Steps

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Step 2 Decide what to do The model for the senior management team needed to address the following competences (Thomson & Cole, 1997) 1) Strategic awareness 2) Stakeholder satisfaction abilities 3) Strategic implementation4) Functional competences & change abilities 5) Failure & crisis avoidance 6) Ethics & social responsibility Undertake a situation analysis. Develop the new models. Identify what is different and what is the impact. Discuss with key stakeholders. Ensure support at executive level. Plan for adequate opportunity and time to consult with and engage staff. Develop time lines. Adapted from ‘Our Iceberg is Melting (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2006) Four Steps

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Step 3 Make it happen Managers worked with their teams to develop transition plans Staff acceptance of the change varied Managers key to driving and sustaining the change process Assistance available from HR, counselling communicated to all staff at every step. Communicate. Confirm the change and actions. Engage with staff, work with teams. Develop transition plans. Be aware of saboteurs. Press hard where required. Agree to concessions that make sense. Adapted from ‘Our Iceberg is Melting (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2006) Four Steps

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Step 4 Make it stick Creating new stories, a new culture –Team building –More investment in training and development –TRENDS (Thoughts, Reflections, New iDeaS) discussion forum –More staff involvement in planning and decision making Build effective teams. Develop effective induction and training programs for staff. Focus on innovation. Create a new culture. Hold onto the new ways of behaving and make sure they succeed, until they become strong enough to replace the old traditions. Adapted from ‘Our Iceberg is Melting (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2006) Four Steps

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Key Structural Outcomes: 1. New Senior Management Team

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Client Services: a case for discontinuous change Cross campus teams

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Information Management and Access: a case for continuous change

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Strategic Outcomes 1. Strategic implementation and change abilities 1.Establish appropriate objectives, plans and targets and achieve them 2.Create, share implement a winning vision 3.Empower people & motivate them toward continuous organisational improvement 4.Foster internal cross-functional synergies through cooperation and sharing Checklist of organisational competences 5.Cooperate in external strategic alliances

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Strategic Outcomes 2. Strategic awareness and competitive abilities Checklist of organisational competences 6. Think strategically, encapsulating issues past and present 7. Maintain awareness of environmental changes and their implications 8. Design a “fitting” organisation, structure and systems match the environment 9. Understand the competitive environment, choose where and how to compete

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Strategic Outcomes 3. Stakeholder satisfaction abilities/ Quality & customer care Checklist of organisational competences 10. Understand needs and expectations of stakeholders 11. Appreciate key success factors & match with organisational capabilities 12. Provide excellent quality as perceived by customers 13. Continuously improve productivity and cost reductions 14. Invoke a creative, innovative, self-organising climate

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April Strategic Outcomes 4. Functional competences Checklist of organisational competences 15. Acquire new, relevant technologies and utilise R & D 16. Develop and launch new products and services 17. Develop and introduce new processes for cost savings 18. Attract, develop and reward people with the necessary skills 19. Harness IT for fast, efficient and effective information sharing 20. Maintain strong financial controls

Academic Librarian: Dinosaur or Phoenix? April At What Point Are We in the Change Process. Does it ever stop? Step 4 Make it stick - Building effective teams - Creating a new culture - Focus on innovation - Holding on to new ways of behaving... making them strong enough to replace old traditions Strategic Competence - Strategic awareness - Stakeholder Satisfaction abilities - Strategic implementation & change abilities - Failure & crisis avoidance - Ethics and social responsibility

Keep the sizzle from turning into a fizzle ….. John J. Cotter, The 20% Solution