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PLANNING FOR CHANGE: ENSURING STAFF COMMITMENT

Jason Kuhl

Anyone working in libraries knows that this is a time of great change in our profession. Information technology has opened new doors; innovative libraries are redefining the role they play in their communities. Sooner or later, every manager finds himself or herself in a situation that requires change; how well staff support the change goes a long way toward determining its success.

Four components critical for ensuring staff commitment are laying the proper groundwork, involving staff in planning and implementation, communicating effectively, and analyzing results and making the necessary adjustments. Our experiences at Arlington Heights (Illinois) Memorial Library can flesh out these strategies.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR CHANGE

The first step in implementing any change is to build a solid foundation for it. Staff are unlikely to buy in to a change they think is unnecessary or does not support the library’s philosophies and values. To lay an effective groundwork you must define your organizational goals and values, analyze existing processes and services in light of those values, and present results to highlight needs.

Start broad when defining your organizational values. Your library should have a set of core principles; these may be written and formally defined or a more informal part of your organization’s culture. Everyone should know them and understand how your services relate to them. If you are a manager of a smaller unit within a library, you may not have been involved in defining the overall philosophy, but you should define a vision for your department to fit in with it.

Spend some time discussing these values with your staff. Understand that the best reinforcement is to make sure your own actions are guided by your organization’s philosophies. Success depends on everyone understanding how their work relates to the library’s goals; do not shortchange this step.

One of the focuses at the Arlington Heights Library in 2009 was defining the future of our reference department. To begin laying out our foundation, we created a humorous presentation called “Get R.E.A.L.! A Vision for the Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s Reference Collection,” which outlined a model for a “Relevant, Efficient, Accessible, and Lean” collection. It was presented and discussed twice, once to the reference librarians and once to the library’s management team.

Look at how your procedures and processes contribute to your vision and goals. Sometimes it is easy to see where change is needed; other times you need to look over a longer period. Be sure to gather data and present it to staff and key personnel. Remember, you are laying groundwork at this stage, not proposing solutions. At Arlington Heights, we knew that the two most significant areas of the reference department were its service model and its collections. We collected data to analyze those areas:

• annual reference statistics dating back ten years
• twelve months of reference question statistics broken down by type of contact (telephone or in-person), day of the week, and hour of the day
• internal-use statistics for reference books dating back several years
• statistics of reference book use by librarians

INVOLVING YOUR STAFF

Staff should play a role in every aspect of your project, from generating the idea to planning and implementation. Change comes most easily to those who have a role in orchestrating it. Challenge staff to help define your unit’s needs in light of your organization’s vision, then let them help you find ways to meet those needs. Think of different ways to give staff ownership of the change; perhaps a staff workgroup can be in charge of one aspect of a project.

Staff was involved in all aspects of the Arlington Heights project:

• Data was discussed at department meetings.
• A workgroup focused on the details of constructing and staffing a department call center.
• We used online surveys to seek input about specific items in the collection.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

Communication is critical to ensuring a smooth change. It needs to be frequent, consistent in message, and mutual. Consider multiple methods of communicating, including individual discussions with staff members, group discussions with all staff, written communication, and technological solutions.

Issue regular updates and encourage staff to ask questions. Consider setting up a project blog—a great way to issue updates, seek input, and encourage discussion. Make the process as transparent as possible; staff are less likely to back a project if they feel information is being withheld. Consistently reinforce how the project fits in with the library’s stated vision. Share the implementation time line in advance; staff can point out potential problems you may have overlooked. If the project could generate questions from the public, provide a list of basic talking points and give staff clear direction on how to handle additional inquiries. And do not hide problems; staff appreciate candor and can help find solutions.

In the Arlington Heights project, we focused on several methods of communication:

• A weekly e-mail kept members of the department updated and provided a way to solicit feedback.
• Supervisors in the department spoke one-on-one with their direct reports.
• A portion of every department meeting was dedicated to questions about the project.
• Updates were issued on a library-wide blog.

EVALUATION AND ADJUSTMENT

Good management of change does not end when a project is implemented. You should always build in a means to determine the success of your change. This may include statistics, patron or staff comments, or observations. Continue communicating; share the positive results and the negative ones. There will be problems you did not anticipate; seek staff input and make the appropriate changes. If staff know the project is an evolving process instead of a fait accompli, they are more likely to support and commit to improving it.

The Arlington Heights project resulted in substantial changes to our staffing model and to the breadth and organization of our collection. Results have been overwhelmingly positive; usage statistics have increased an average of 27 percent since implementation. Staff receive monthly updates highlighting these positive results. We keep a log of problems at all service points and discuss issues recorded on the logs at monthly department meetings. Several adjustments have come out of these discussions and further improved service.

KEYS TO REMEMBER

Change is not easy; keep these points in mind:

• Define organizational goals and values; they are the foundation for change.
• Be consistent in your message; all decisions should stem from your stated vision.
• Spend time collecting data to establish your needs; not all are easily identified.
• Have evidence to back up your findings; you need to be able to demonstrate the need for change.
• Include all levels of staff every step of the way; staff most readily accept a change they help orchestrate.
• Communicate often; keep staff in the loop.
• Encourage discussion; staff need to know that their concerns are being heard.
• Be transparent; do not hide the process or negative results.
• Know how to assess your project; you need to be able to define a successful result.
• Fix the problems; no plan is perfect.
• Continue to communicate and seek input; the project does not end at implementation.

As a manager, you will one day be required to oversee change in your library. Getting staff to buy in will go a long way toward determining the success of the project. Change is rarely easy, but adhering to basic principles as you manage change will help ensure that staff support your change and leave your library better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.