1. Subcultures and Values in Academic Libraries – What Does ClimateQUAL® Research Tell Us?
9th Northumbria International Conference on
Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services
Charles B. Lowry, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Association of Research Libraries

2. ARL Tools for Library Assessment
ARL Statistics™
Since
LibQUAL+®
Since 2000
MINES for Libraries®
Since 2003
DigiQUAL®
Since 2003
ClimateQUAL®
Since 2007 2

3. Assessment of Staff Perception
Survey of Staff Attitudes/Perceptions
Library’s commitment to the principles of diversity
Library’s organizational practices policies and procedures
Shape Culture of the Organization
Healthy Organization 3 3

4. Goals of the Research Healthy Organizations are More Effective
Establish Scales to Measure Health
Develop Strategies for Improvement 4

5. Organizational Climate Scales
Climate for Justice
Climate for Leadership
Climate for Deep Diversity
Climate for Demographic Diversity
Climate for Innovation
Climate for Continual Learning
Climate for Teamwork
Climate for Customer Service
Climate for Psychological Safety 5

6. Organizational Attitudes Scales
Job Satisfaction
Organizational Commitment
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors
Organizational Withdrawal
Task Engagement
Team Psychological Empowerment
Work Unit Conflict 6 6

7. Early Research
Healthy organization is better able to fulfill its service mission.
Conflict within an organization can have a direct negative impact on customers.
Climate for diversity improves the way an organization operates.
Survey results can be turned into strategies for change that will improve the organization’s climate and ultimately the experience of the customer. 7

8. Flexibility/Discretion
CVF Framework
Stability/Control
Market
Orientation
Clan
Orientation
Internal Focus External Focus
Other
Orientation
Adhocracy
Orientation
Flexibility/Discretion 8

9. Standard Divisional Units
Administrative Services
Public Service and Instruction
Technical Services
Collection Development
Special Collections/Archives
Technology
Research 9

10. Working Hypotheses
The smaller the library staff size, the less likely that there will be differences among the standardized units in % agreement on the climate scales.
There will be significant differences among the standardized units in % agreement on the climate scales;
The standardized units will demonstrate the same rank order position in % agreement on different climate scales. 10

11. Staff Size – A Determinant?
Total library sample 39 libraries
Small size library—staff n<100
Medium size library—staff 100 <n <200
Large size library—n>200 11

12. Divisional Differences Percentage Agreement
Total Sample
Small Staff n<100
Medium Staff
100 <n<200
Large Staff n>200
Climate for
Deep Diversity
Standardization of Procedures
0.25
0.00
0.13
0.20
Valuing Diversity
0.01
0.58
Climate for Justice
Distributive
0.03
0.02
0.07
Procedural
0.11
0.34
0.29
Interpersonal
0.06
0.32
Informational
0.72
0.12
Climate for Innovation
0.15
0.05
0.63
0.42
Climate for Continual Learning
0.10
0.81
0.36
Climate for Psychological Safety
N/A
0.41
Oberlin – 200 staff total with, comprised of 145 student workers and 55 staff – all staff responded to the survey.
University of Hawaii, Manoa – 156 faculty and staff and 245 student workers. Over half of their staff responded to the survey. 12

13. Divisional Differences Percentage Agreement
Total Sample
Small Staff n<100
Medium Staff
100 <n<200
Large Staff n>200
Climate for
Team-work
Benefit of Teams
0.34
0.09
0.13
0.47
Structural Facilitation of Teams
0.00
0.01
0.05
Climate for Demo-graphic
Diversity
Racial
0.04
0.10
0.36
Gender
0.60
0.17
Rank
0.40
Sexual Orientation
0.25
0.27
0.12
0.67
Climate for Leader-ship
Leader-Member Relationship Quality
0.58
0.85
Authentic Leadership
0.02
0.22
0.07
Oberlin – 200 staff total with, comprised of 145 student workers and 55 staff – all staff responded to the survey.
University of Hawaii, Manoa – 156 faculty and staff and 245 student workers. Over half of their staff responded to the survey. 13

14. Divisional Differences Percentage Agreement
Total Sample
Small Staff n<100
Medium Staff
100 <n<200
Large Staff n>200
Climate for Customer Service
0.39
0.00
0.59
0.56
Job Satisfaction
0.01
0.05
0.03
0.43
Task Engagement
0.09
0.79
0.04
0.86
Organizational Commitment
0.32
0.46
Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Organizational Withdrawal
0.13
0.51
Team Psychological Empowerment
0.07
Work Unit Conflict
Task Conflict
0.71
0.08
Interpersonal Conflict
0.22
0.73
TOTAL scales with significant differences
N = 11
N = 16
N = 8
N = 7
Oberlin – 200 staff total with, comprised of 145 student workers and 55 staff – all staff responded to the survey.
University of Hawaii, Manoa – 156 faculty and staff and 245 student workers. Over half of their staff responded to the survey. 14

15. Dimension 1 Climate for Organizational Engagement/Citizenship Scales
Percent Agreement: Organizational Commitment
Percent Agreement: Climate for Customer Service
Percent Agreement: Climate for Teamwork, Structural Facilitation of Teamwork
Percent Agreement: Climate for Continual Learning
Percent Agreement: Job Satisfaction
Percent Agreement: Climate for Psychological Safety
Divisional Unit Rank Order
Collection Development
-.56
Low Score
Technical Services
-.14
Public Services and Instruction
.03
Special Collections/Archives
.04
Administrative Services
.17
Technology
.20
Research
.21
High Score
Oberlin – 200 staff total with, comprised of 145 student workers and 55 staff – all staff responded to the survey.
University of Hawaii, Manoa – 156 faculty and staff and 245 student workers. Over half of their staff responded to the survey. 15

16. Dimension 2 Climate for Demographic Diversity Scales
Percent Agreement: Climate for Gender Diversity
Percent Agreement: Climate for Racial Diversity
Percent Agreement: Climate for Sexual Orientation Diversity
Percent Agreement: Climate for Diversity of Ranks
Divisional Unit Rank Order
Special Collections/Archives
-.07
Low Score
Public Services and Instruction
-.01
Collection Development
.01
Technical Services
.08
Administrative Services
.11
Research
.23
Technology
High Score
Oberlin – 200 staff total with, comprised of 145 student workers and 55 staff – all staff responded to the survey.
University of Hawaii, Manoa – 156 faculty and staff and 245 student workers. Over half of their staff responded to the survey. 16

17. Justice Scales Distributive Justice Procedural Justice
Interpersonal Justice
Informational Justice 17

18. Low Means Percent Agreement on Justice Scales Total Sample
Justice Scale/Division
Technical Services
Collection Development
Special Collections
Distributive Justice
Significantly lower
Procedural Justice
Interpersonal Justice
Informational Justice
Oberlin – 200 staff total with, comprised of 145 student workers and 55 staff – all staff responded to the survey.
University of Hawaii, Manoa – 156 faculty and staff and 245 student workers. Over half of their staff responded to the survey. 18

19. Conclusions