Initiative Review Group III Final Report June 30, 2001

Identify expertise needed; evaluate, define, implement, and effectively shift existing staff resources to support current, enhanced, or new programs.

Members:

Jan Dixon, Karen Myers, Amanda Hunt, Barbara Dean, Ellen Williams, Liz Justice

IRG #3 has met weekly, to study and discuss the realign resources initiative. Our task has been to "brainstorm" to understand the scope and implications of this initiative, to determine the planning framework. We have shared the task of writing sections of this report, as a means to combine and organize our individual and group ideas.

Section 1: Briefly describe the background, present setting/structure which applies to the initiative.

In the early stages of the University Libraries Strategic Planning efforts, the formation and assignments of the initiative review groups are preparing the library faculty and staff for changes which are anticipated as the library moves toward higher levels of services for the academic community. Changes in the way programs/services will be offered necessitate shifting of personnel and duties in order to implement the new/changed programs. The restructuring will affect some departments more than others, but it is assumed that all will undergo some degree of change. The charge of initiative review group #3 has been to study and discuss how personnel resources can be realigned to best meet the needs of all the staff and the departments, as the recommendations of other initiative review groups are implemented.

The present setting of the personnel resources is best represented by the University Libraries' organizational chart. The attached chart indicates, by department, the number of positions filled and the classification of each position. [See University Libraries' Organizational Chart (example of April 17, 2001), as a separate attachment]. The chart shows the structure of the Libraries' organization and relationships between departments. The chart also indicates, by department, the number of positions and the classification of each position of the Libraries' personnel (the individuals in some positions may change over time).

The present structure has evolved as University Libraries' departments have attempted to provide required programs and services to the university community. The present organizational hierarchy is controlled, to a certain extent, by such external factors as guidelines of the University of Arkansas Human Resources and as state requirements and procedures of the Arkansas Office of Personnel Management.

In the present setting, it has been possible to "downsize" in some areas/departments by not filling positions as they have become vacant. However, it has been much more difficult to add or upgrade positions. As a consequence in the present structure, retention has been a chronic problem in some positions. Presently, there is no clear criteria for the realignment of staff resources in the University Libraries.

The Systems Department serves an example of a department in the University Libraries that can anticipate change, a reorganization through the Strategic Planning efforts. This department could be re-evaluated for the purpose of ensuring that it can continue to respond effectively to rapidly changing technology and ever-increasing technological demands of the Library staff and patrons. The re-evaluation process would consist of the creation of a representative committee of staff/faculty and Systems staff to: a) review the departmental mission and goals within the context of current and future needs and programs of the Libraries; b) review and make recommendations for the revisions of the structure of the department and of the existing job standards and descriptions to meet the new mission and goals, and for the definition of its role in the process of adding new programs it must support; c) review existing staff expertise and make recommendations for filling the redefined positions; d) make a recommendation for new positions to be filled or replacement of existing staff. Adjustments in the number or level of positions may be proposed and would supported by job descriptions and duties. Throughout the re-evaluation, efforts must be made to offer competitive market salaries to increase chances of staff retention. Once hired, a new employee should immediately be engaged in a comprehensive library/campus orientation and with opportunities for individual training in unique Library software applications.

The Binding Unit serves an example of an existing department that may be incorporated, through Strategic Planning, into a potential new Preservation Department. The emphasis would shift from binding as the primary method of conservation to binding as a part of an overall preservation program. An approved mission statement would be the first step in determining the direction of the newly formed entity. Once the purpose and goals of the new Preservation Department have been identified, the next step would be to determine the levels of support staff needed. For establishing the newly created positions, the necessary personnel documents would be written. In the restructuring, the skills and preferences of existing staff should be considered. Communication is critical to the successful transition to the new organizational scheme.

The Library Science literature offers experience and perspective on the primary concerns for the structure of the academic library organization and the people within it, in the effective management of change. [See Appendix 1 for suggested readings.] For example, both Farley and Shaughnessy discuss how the library's organizational structure must respond to the complexities and accelerated pace of today's changes. Martin offers change as an opportunity that is energizing for both the library organization and its members, and also emphasizes the commitment to maintain a viable place for each individual in the library, through reassignment, training and development. Morgan highlights the importance of the university library staff/ faculty in change; don't forget the people!

Section 2: Develop an inclusive list of issues that must be addressed/considered for that initiative, consulting non-group personnel as appropriate.

[Also see Appendix 2. The issues are presented in two variations of the MODEL - RESTRUCTURING OF LIBRARY STAFF: one for a reorganized department (e.g. Systems) and one for a new department (e.g. Preservation (Binding)).]

Priority 1

Communicate purpose and process for changes: Information sessions, written updates, process for submitting suggestions, consultation with other groups. Promote realignment as a positive process.

(See ideas to coordinate with IRG #16 in Appendix 3 and refer to IRG #16 report.)

Priority 2

Prepare to address human impacts: identify transition advisors (to assist employees with career planning, choices, referrals, retirement considerations, address anxieties); address stress management and conflict resolution; define a retention program; create recognitions programs (honors, incentives, and rewards).

Priority 3

Assess existing Library personnel resources: develop questionnaires to survey employee skills, knowledge/expertise, interests and goals; assess retention methods.

(For example, see Missouri WORKS! - The Ultimate Job Search: Transferable Skills Inventory: http://www.works.state.mo.us/ultimate/section1/skills.htm )

Priority 4

Gather models of library organizations: study peer libraries, ARL libraries, others with recent restructuring.

(For example, go to Iowa State University - Library Information: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/libinfo/liborg.html )

Priority 5

Define current organizational structure of the University Libraries: Departments and personnel, services and programs, policies and procedures.

(See University Libraries Organizational Chart (separate attachment) and refer to reports from IRG #1 and IRG #2)

(For University personnel policies, see the University of Arkansas Human Resources: http://hr.uark.edu/)

(For State personnel policies, see Arkansas Office of Personnel Management: http://www.accessarkansas.org/directory/detail2.cgi?ID=184)

Priority 6

Define current position descriptions and assigned classes.

(For example of classified staff descriptions, see the University of Arkansas Human Resources - Class Specification Database:

https://www2.uark.edu/servlet/edu.uark.hmrs.titles.Titles )

 

Priority 7

Make recommendations for change: define group who will guide the process, create new mission statements for all departments, define priority for addressing reorganization.

Priority 8

Redefine department structure: identify department positions needed to support programs and services; identify new skills needed; reallocate existing employee positions; reclassify as needed; recommend new positions.

Priority 9

Shift personnel: match position needs to existing staff whenever possible; provide choices to employees, include training/re-training; conduct follow-up evaluations; and build in a process for making adjustments.

Priority 10

Document modified organization structure.

 

Section 3: Briefly describe how the initiative fits into the long-term goals and/or fulfills the mission of the University Libraries.

To reach the goals of the Libraries' mission statement, existing staff will need to be shifted- relocated in a new organizational structure, and also reclassified - utilized more efficiently and effectively. With growth in new and more complex information sources provided by the University of Arkansas Libraries, the shifting of the staff will require retraining, particularly in rapidly changing library technology, and reclassification of some existing staff. Such changes in the staff also respond to the greater demands on the University Libraries with the University's future increasing enrollment and increasing research activities across the curriculum.

Section 4: Indicate other of the initiatives that should be considered in connection to, coordinated with, or that may overlap the initiative.

The on-going work of this initiative will be affected by many of the other IRGs because of the directive to shift existing staff resources to support current, enhanced, or new programs. The groups that will primarily provide direction are: #1 which will develop services and infrastructure to address current user needs; #2 which will assess and recommend changes to existing programs; #4, 5, 8 and 9 which will make recommendations about new programs. There is a more complicated relationship with IRG #10; because they are charged with fiscal support for staffing, the recommendations from this initiative must be considered within the overall identification of the financial needs of the Library, and will require continuing adjustment as the changes are implemented. It is hoped that the new group, #19, will identify computer equipment and training needs that will, in turn, redefine the expertise needed for many staff positions.

Recommendations from this initiative, in turn, will affect the work of other groups. These groups are primarily: #5 because the recommendations may change the size and workflow of departments and affect their physical office requirements; #15 because the focus of departments may change and require reconfiguration of any existing department web pages; and #16 because the shifting of existing staff resources must include an awareness of the human impact of reorganization and provide adequate training. The recommendations of this group will require coordination with group #19 to ensure that, as staff are shifted, computer equipment is available and is appropriate for the needs of the programs they support.

Section 5: Note any initiatives or considerations that are lacking from those delineated thus far which may be essential to the planning and redefining process.

In our discussions, we have considered changes to the organizational structure of the Library. While we believe it could come within the scope of Initiative #3, it could also be addressed as a separate initiative, addressing needs identified by Initiative Review Groups #1 and #2. This aspect of reallocating resources should be defined by Administration and assigned to an appropriate planning group.

Although channels for communication within and among the Library departments exist, none of the initiatives seem to address evaluating and improving this aspect of the organization. Initiatives # 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 all incorporate elements of inter- and intra-Library communications, but no group appears to be specifically charged with this matter. In the next phase of planning, it is hoped that the combined group #16/18 will address this crucial factor for the success of the Libraries' strategic planning efforts.

 

Section 6: Recommend names of individuals who are essential (i.e., add to, delete from, or leave intact the list of the IRG) to the Initiative Planning Team that works on developing and implementing the initiative in the subsequent phase.

 

When this initiative planning group is active in subsequent phases of strategic planning, a mix of individuals, similar to the present group, should be included:

- representative of the Libraries' Personnel Management;

- Head of Department that is being redefined/reorganized (eg. Systems);

- Head of Department that is being incorporated into a new department (eg. Binding);

- representative of department with retention challenges (eg. Serials);

- Reference librarian with expertise regarding organizational change and human impacts (eg. Business or Sociology);

- representative of Initiative # 16/18 - staff and faculty development and training;

- consultation with the appropriate Division Heads.

Section 7: Recommend based on best educated guess, the amount of time that will be required to effectively develop the plan for implementing the initiative.

 

[See Appendix 4 for Timeframe chart of IRG #3.]

This initiative will be active throughout the strategic planning project. It must progress in accordance with and in anticipation of the implementation of other prioritized initiatives, to which it plays an integral role as identified in section 4.

The timeframe chart illustrates the suggested basic progression of IRG #3's issues, in priority order, and identifies the relationships with "priority initiatives" in the next phase of strategic planning. As shifting of personnel will be an on-going factor, when opportunities arise, the issues of communications and addressing human impacts are critical in the entire strategic planning undertaking. These issues should be immediately addressed by IRG #16/18, in the next phase of planning. Also, the issues of assessing current personnel resources and structure of the Libraries should be reviewed as a secondary concern of IRGs #1 and #2 in the next phase, and more importantly in the following phase. A review of peer libraries and the definition of employee positions would be concurrent. This information would aid in the planning and redefinition of departments and positions. Later, most personnel would be shifted with the restructuring of the departments and positions, and the modifications to the organization would be documented.

This initiative stretches over the entire time of strategic planning and is addressed by other initiatives, requiring 3 to 5 years, the timeframe of the University Libraries' Strategic Planning.

Section 8: Recommend the priority level to be assigned to this initiative in the three-to-five year planning phase.

Priority 1, mission critical. Successful completion of this initiative will be necessary for the progression and development of other initiatives, and the overall success of the Libraries' Strategic Planning efforts.

 

APPENDIX 1: Suggested Readings

Bridges, William. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1991.

Farley, Thea, Judith Broady-Preston, and Tim Hayward. "Academic Libraries, People and Change: a Case Study of the 1990s." OCLC Systems & Services 14 (1998): 151-164.

Galbraith, Jay R. Designing Organizations: An Executive Briefing on Strategy, Structure, and Process. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995.

Martin, Rebecca. "Managing Change." In Creating the Agile Library. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1998.

Miller, Lawrence. Change Management: Creating the Dynamic Organization Through Whole System Architecture. Atlanta: Miller-Howard, 1997.

Morgan, Steve. "Change in University Libraries: Don't Forget the People." Library Management 22 (2001): 58-60.

Schwartz, Charles A., ed. Reconstructing Academic Libraries: Organizational Development in the Wake of Technological Change. ACRL Publications in Librarianship no 49. Chicago: American Library Association, 1997.

Shaughnessy, Thomas W. "Lessons from Restructuring the Library." The Journal of Academic Librarianship [electronic journal] 22 (1996): 251-256, <Wilson Web available through dante.uark.edu>.

Simmons-Welburn, Janice, ed. Changing Roles of Library Professionals. SPEC Kit 256. Washington DC: Association of Research Libraries, May 2000.

APPENDIX 2:

MODEL - RESTRUCTURING OF LIBRARY STAFF:

Reorganized Department

EXISTING DEPARTMENT
CURRENT STAFF	C O M M U N I C A T I O N S	Realign positions to fit new needs	REVISED MISSION STATEMENT
- Inventory employee skills, knowledge and expertise			- Review position needs
			- Describe new skill and knowledge requirements
		Match department needs with staff resources	- Reclassify positions to fit new requirements
			- Rewrite standards
- Offer Questionnaire to describe dream job			- Propose additional or eliminate positions
- Provide choices to employees			- Revise personnel documents
- Assist employees (transition advisors)		Make selection of employees	- Interview candidates
		Provide information	- Conduct training
REORGANIZED DEPARTMENT
* New mission statement
* New skills and knowledge
* Reclassified/new positions
* Orientation/training/ communications

MODEL - RESTRUCTURING OF LIBRARY STAFF:

Newly Formed Department

NEW DEPARTMENT
APPROVED MISSION STATEMENT	C O M M U N I C A T I O N S	Align positions to fit new needs	STAFF RESOURCES
- Identify position needs			- Inventory existing employee skills, knowledge and expertise
- Describe skill and knowledge requirements		Match department needs with staff resources
- Classify positions to fit requirements			- Offer Questionnaire to describe dream job
- Reallocate or obtain needed positions
- Produce personnel documents
- Interview candidates: present employees and/or outside applicants		Make selection of employees	- Provide choices to employees
			- Advertise position outside library
- Conduct orientation / training		Provide information	- Assist current / new employees (mentoring)
DEPARTMENT
* Mission statement
* Skills and knowledge required
* Positions created and filled
* Orientation/training/ communications

APPENDIX 3:

Communications/Training: COORDINATION WITH IRG #16

Since restructuring impacts greatly on human resources, it is important that the initial work IRG 3 be carried forward by the newly combined IRGs 16 and 18 in the next phase of planning. The following list of communications/training ideas and issues are ones that mirror the first phase work of IRG 16. The development of communications/training issues and ideas is an on-going process that may include the input of several review groups and rely on the expertise of additional outside resources.

* Information Sessions/Workshops

- Create a list of Information and In-Service Sessions (Workshops) generated from IRG 16/18 training/development programs

- Provide an academic calendar that includes sessions on various training and information topics for each employee via e-mail

- Provide a mentor/advisee system for employees

* Written Updates

- Advertise information sessions/training sessions in advance via e-mail and colorful

flyers distributed throughout department

- Provide web-based information access points via the home page (being developed)

- Provide employee check-lists to track information/training sessions attendance /interest

- Provide an employee survey on feedback re: information sessions

* Suggestions

- Provide a library-wide employee involved suggestion web site and encourage

employees to use this

- Provide a paper suggestion form to be included in an employee's library packet

- Provide positive promotion of employee's suggestions (no intimidation or retaliation for signed suggestions on the part of supervisors, department/division heads, administration)

- Reward employees in some way for making cost-saving and/or significant library suggestions/ideas

* Consultation with other IRG Groups

- Consult with IRG 16/18 (Training/Development/Scholarship); IRG #15 or groups that deal with web management for dissemination of information

* Promote the realignment process

- Advertise the positive impact of the realignment process

. Colorful/meaning banners/flyers

. E-Mail cheers and congratulations

- Provide a flow chart of who, what, when, where, how.

- Provide a follow-up checklist: have you done the following

- Survey the realignment process at specific intervals

- Award departments and employees for their cooperative efforts and completing

checklists, surveys, and process initiation

APPENDIX 4:

 

TIMEFRAME for IRG #3
ISSUES: priorities	YEAR 1	YEAR 2	YEAR 3	YEAR 4	YEAR 5	legend
#1 Communications	IRG #16/18
#2 Address Human impacts	IRG #16/18					primary action
#3 Inventory Personnel Resources	IRG #16/18
#4 Study Organization Models	IRG # 1 & #2
#5 Review Library Structure	IRG # 1 & #2					secondary action
#6 Define Current Employee Positions	IRG # 1 & #2
#7 Plan Organizational Change
#8 Redefine Department Structures
#9 Shift Personnel	W/ opportunities
#10 Document Modified Organization