ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Going from “Good to Great” in Turbulent Times: Changing Library Organizational Structures DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Introduction Reorganizing, re-structuring, re-engineering, …making do with less Staying ahead of constant and rapid change Overcoming a climate of negativity Developing a climate that rewards process improvements Implementing new services, being creative and innovative Combating the “deserted library” syndrome – perceived or real Transitioning to digital library while preserving print

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Outline for today Background on Macalester Brief overview of process of organizational change Development of cross-functional working groups Development of Performance Measures Ongoing change and future developments Model as it applies to other academic libraries

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Background on Macalester Small-medium sized liberal arts undergraduate college  1800 students, 150 faculty, 350 staff  “emphasize academic excellence in the context of internationalism, diversity, and commitment to service”  Library staff currently is FTE (20)  11 staff members with an MLS, 9 without an MLS No faculty status  Member of CLIC consortium – 8 institutions Shared integrated online system – CLICnet Staff participation on working groups and committees within CLIC

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Organizational Change at DeWitt Wallace Library, Macalester College Why did we start back in 1996… Tasks that had migrated from traditional department structure Outdated job descriptions New tasks, new responsibilities, increased workload – no new staff New systems, new services Need to improve communication - more interconnections, decisions that impacted others Need to improve decision-making Need to eliminate some tasks – prioritize Morale

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Guiding principles A commitment to collaboration in which ideas and skills of others are recognized and valued – all voices are equal –  My philosophy - all staff are “professionals”  Process was always all-staff inclusive  Desired outcome – less hierarchy, flatter organization Maintain traditional services – preservation of print and non-print materials Strive to be innovative and introduce new information technologies Continuous, ongoing training – learning organization Defined the ideal organization…

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College The ideal organization – as defined in 1997 Everyone knows what is going on Team leaders are a cohesive group Everyone is involved/committed Team members and team leaders are empowered to make decisions Everyone on campus views the library as accessible and responsive We have flexible staffing to respond to changing needs

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Ideal, cont’d Everyone is stretching, growing, or enhancing his/her capacity to create and learn Visions of the direction of the enterprise emerge from all levels Responsibility of top management is to manage the process whereby new emerging visions become shared visions (+more; formed by staff, agreed upon on May 29, 1997)

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Changes in organization Teams Formed  Collection Management  Public Services  Technology and Administration Job classification  Library Associate  Senior Library Associate  Library Specialist  Team Leader

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Vision, Mission, Goals User-centered library Personalized and customized service Emphasis on outreach and marketing Ongoing feedback and evaluation

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Technology & Administration Team Public Services Team Management Team Collection Management Team Three Teams + Management Team

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College What do we currently have in 2003? Shared vision  Shared values Strategic Plan based on “Strategic Directions” – 3 years – developed in January 2002 Teams – 3+ Management Team Cross-Functional Working Groups – members from each team Performance Measures/Personal Portfolios – Strategic Frameworks for teams, working groups, and individuals based on strategic plan

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Cross Functional Working Groups Proposed in 1999 Improve collaboration – less work centered in just one team To effectively accomplish library goals Improve/increase communication Increase participation in decision-making Encourage all library staff to participate in areas according to interests, skills, and expertise Two areas left untouched Performance Measures Outreach and Marketing

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Started with a few groups… Staff Training and Development Committee – model that was used to develop cross- functional teams Collection Development – involved public services and technical services Web Development – all teams contribute to library web site information  Staff Intranet

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Reporting Structure Team members continue to report to team leaders Evaluations conducted by team leaders Working groups included team leaders Decision-making  No budgetary implications – decision within groups  Budgetary or procedural changes – to Management Team

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Groups defined Statement of Purpose Identified membership – reps from each team Decision-making authority (who did group report to) Meetings – frequency Communication – minutes taken and shared with staff Recently added Library Digest Newsletter

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Existing Working Groups – includes at least one member from each team Collection Development  Special Collections  Ejournals  Preservation Outreach Preservation Reference  Instruction Staff Training & Development Student Employment Web

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Two more items Performance Measures Staff Training and Development

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Performance Measures/Personal Portfolios Developed in 2000, implemented in June 2001 Full year implementation 2002 Features  Each team has a strategic framework tied to library strategic plan  Each team member has personal goals tied to team strategic framework  Personal goals may be part of working group or team strategic plan  Measurable goals – milestones, outcomes, deadlines  Peer reviews twice a year  Total staff “buy-in”

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Staff Training and Development In order to be a learning organization  Every staff member participate in a professional development opportunity Workshop Professional conference Symposium Course (Science Museum)  January – In House Training Opportunities  Professional development included in performance measures

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Rewards and Recognition Performance measures and merit increases Milestone Celebrations – annual lunch Fun – personal recognition, staff meetings

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College What’s working… Improved communication Staff training – every single staff member participated in a continuing education, conference, or workshop experience in ,  Budget for increased funds Outreach group finally formed Collaboration greatly improved Performance reviews occur annually, much better participation by staff

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Ongoing Change and Future Developments Job classification and ladder of advancement Liaison program Ongoing review – January is our month for planning and development of goals  January 2003 – reviewed organization and agreed “it’s working”

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Model as it applies to Academic Libraries Flattened hierarchy Automation and interconnectivity of all areas a major influence in our development Faculty status may be an issue Macalester culture a factor Collaboration within library - improved Collaboration with faculty – developing  Center for Scholarship and Teaching

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Strategic Directions New initiatives – campus portal (LESTER) development made possible by this organizational structure Ongoing change – new technologies, new software, new processes  SFX implementation  Tested Virtual Reference  Wireless in the library  1 st library in CLIC to implement eReserves in 1997 Information Fluency – pilot project for 1 st year seminars More outreach, more programs, more instruction

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Conclusion Are we better off today than six years ago? How much is structure and how much is staff? Would this work somewhere else? Depends on the culture of the organization. Has the staff become more flexible and adaptive?  Catalog librarians working at the reference Leadership - participatory, walk around regularly, more delegation – always with an eye on inclusion

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Challenges and Opportunities Greatest challenge is to have everyone engaged and in agreement on the direction the library should be heading and which priorities should receive the most attention and effort.

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Leaders don’t drive change “You drive a car. It is a machine that you control, with the aim of getting where you want to go. The car takes you there. You do not ‘drive’ a plant to grow…Nor, we would argue do leaders ‘drive’ their organization. The organization is a human community. It is a living system, like the plant…There is no one driving it. But there are many tending the garden.” [Peter Senge, The Dance of Change, p.21]

ARLD - April 25, 2003 Organizational Change: DeWitt Wallace Library Macalester College Your comments or questions?

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