Emory University Libraries Step Back to Look Forward

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Emory University Libraries Step Back to Look
Forward

• Friday April 7, 2006

Presented by Linda Nodine, Human Resource
Associate Eric Bymaster, Director, Budget
Finance Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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Discussion Outline

• Who we are
• Background and context
• Timeline of library reorganization
• New University strategic plan
• Library assessment process
• Task force analysis
• Organizational findings and next steps
• Case study communication
• Where are we now
• Conclusion and questions

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Who We Are

• Emory University, General Libraries
• 172 (head count) staff
• 23 million budget
• 12,000 students
• 3,107,525 ARL volume count
• Primary users Undergraduates, Graduate School
  of Arts and Sciences, and Business School

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Timeline of Reorganization

• May 1998 - Design Proposal
• May 2000 New Structure
• Jan 2001- Staffing of Teams/Team Start Up
• 2001-2003 - Goals Based Evaluations, Values Based
  Awards
• 2003 University Strategic Plan begins
• 2004 Library and Academic Units Strategic Plan
  begins
• 2005 Organizational Assessment Task Force
  convenes
• 2005-2006 Library begins implementing
  recommendations from OATF

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Strategic Planning

• When youre dying of thirst, its too late to
  think about digging a well.
• -Japanese Proverb

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New University strategic plan

Emory Strategic Plan Introduction
Strategic Plan 2005-15
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Library Strategic Plan Numbers

• 5 Years
• 9 Goals
• 17 Initiatives
• 43 Tactics
• 100s of targets
• 1,000s of staff hours

Lots to Do !
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Strategic plan participationImpact

• Inter-team collaboration
• Broaden perspectives and understanding
• Reduce barriers to getting work done
• Strengthen sense of community
• In position to best accomplish strategic goals

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Task Force Assignment

• The assignment will determine if
• goals are right for todays environment
• we making continued progress
• if not, what changes need to be made and,
• if the library is positioned to achieve its
  goals.
• The process must
• involve all members of organization
• use effective communication and information
  gathering techniques
• include report and recommendations based on
  assessment outcomes
• be completed in less than 6 months.

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Library assessment process

• Team composition
• Process
• Review of reorganization documents
• Review of library strategic plan
• Review of campus climate survey results
• Discussions
• what is our purpose?
• what we want to know?
• what will be helpful to the organization?
• Planning
• Three staff surveys
• Four focus group discussions

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Task Force Forming

• Ground Rules
• Challenges
• Group Dynamics

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Task Force Focus Areas

• Culture
• Challenges in achieving strategic plan
• Goals of reorganization
• Communication and decision making
• Structure

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Survey Methodology

• Consultant assistance
• Structure and composition
• 3 surveys over 4 weeks
• Topic areas
• Change management
• Vision
• Coordination/collaboration
• Communication

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Survey Key Findings

• Complex coordination across functions difficult
• Making decisions and changing directions do not
  happen quickly
• High autonomy and decentralized organization
  needs balance

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Focus Groups Methodology

• Consultant assistance
• Structure and composition
• 4 groups (8-11 people each)
• 90 minutes to discuss 6 topics
• Topic areas
• Organization (division of tasks and
  responsibilities)
• Communication
• Inter-team collaboration
• Library values
• Meeting culture
• Unwritten rules

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Focus Group Key Findings

• Unevenness
• Uniqueness
• Openness
• Information overload
• Willingness to serve

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Task Force Analysis

• WIKI

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Task Force Analysis

• WIKI
• Debriefed with consultants
• Task force discussions
• Three groups
• Communication, Decision Making and Structure
• Culture
• Goals of the Reorg

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Task Force Reporting

• Drafted report
• Discussions
• Standard outline
• Key findings
• Questions to consider
• Final report and presentation
• Feedback opportunity

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Organizational Findings

• Strengths
• Quick decisions
• Personal networks
• Good meetings
• Sense of community
• Empowered staff

• Areas for Improvement
• Vertical communication
• Organizational values
• Complex coordination
• Information overload
• Decentralized structure

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Next Steps - Fixes

• Complex challenges
• Vertical communication
• Decision making
• Complex coordination
• Encourage a risk-taking culture

• Quick fixes
• Regular leader meetings
• Team Talks
• Intranet working group
• Best practices-meetings

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Where are we now?

• Outgrowths of assessment report
• Leader meetings
• Communications training
• Upward evaluations
• Best practices
• Review of organizational values
• Orientation

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Case Study Communication

• What we wanted to know
• Survey and focus group questions
• Results and feedback
• Analysis
• Next steps (Action Plan)

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Case Study Communication

• Nothing is so simple that it cannot be
  misunderstood.
• -Jr. Teague, North Carolina State
  Legislator

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Case Study CommunicationWhat we wanted to know

• Does communication happen in a timely way?
• Do decisions get communicated?
• Do meetings achieve what we want them to?
• What are meetings good at accomplishing?
• Are people heard?

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Case Study Communicationfocus group question

• From what sources (team leader, peer, another
  team) and through what channels (email, phone,
  meeting, newsletter, chat) do you get the
  information necessary to do your job?

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Case Study Communicationsurvey questions

• Survey (Likert Scale)
• My supervisor clearly explains policy changes.
• My supervisor lets me know what work needs done.
• My supervisor lets me know which areas of my
  performance are weak.
• My supervisor takes time to listen to what I have
  to say.

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Case Study CommunicationResults and Feedback

• Focus Groups
• Horizontal vs Vertical Communication
• Personal Networks

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Case Study CommunicationResults and Feedback

• Surveys
• Response average 2.0
• (scale 1strongly agree, 5strongly disagree)
• My supervisor clearly explains policy changes
  2.21
• My supervisor lets me know what work needs done
  2.00
• My supervisor lets me know which areas of my
  performance are weak 2.45
• My supervisor takes time to listen to what I have
  to say 1.72

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Case Study CommunicationAnalysis

• Excerpt from WIKI Notes August 22, 2005
• Communication
• Horizontal Communication (Fp1, 2)
• Valve of team/working group meetings (Fp4)
• Personal network needed to gain info (Fp2)
• Info Overload (Fp1)
• All info through team leaderif they dont get it
  team doesnt (Fp3 1d4)
• Confusion over method of general communication
  method (Fp9)

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Case Study CommunicationAnalysis

• Strong personal networks
• Vertical communication
• Information overload
• Clarify decision-making
• Inter-team collaboration
• Effective meetings

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Case Study CommunicationNext Steps

• Team Talks
• Meeting best practices (checklist)
• Upward evaluations
• Intranet working group
• Communication styles training

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Why was this Successful?
Planning
Teamwork
Supportive Leadership
Timing
Open communication
Willing participants
Thinking outside the box
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Questions and Further discussion about

Process?
Issues?
Follow-up?
Staff Response?
Ongoing assessment?
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Thank you

• Contact information
• Linda libln_at_emory.edu
• Eric eric.bymaster_at_emory.edu
• Emory homepage www.emory.edu
• Wiki
• https//staffweb.library.emory.edu/wiki/index.php/
  CategoryOrganizational_Assessment_Task_Force

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Organizational Design Principles

• Questions to Consider
• How could the library develop a common
  understanding of how to deliver quality customer
  service?
• Are there ways to encourage broader understanding
  of teams' roles and responsibilities throughout
  the library?
• How do we remove any boundaries that may exist
  (or may be perceived to exist) between teams to
  allow the necessary inter-team collaboration?
• How do we best facilitate complex coordination
  and process improvement throughout the
  organization?

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Library Organizational Strengths

• Quick decisions (if they are simple)
• Strong personal networks
• Good meetings
• Strong sense of community
• Autonomous, empowered staff

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Key Organizational Concerns

• Vertical communication
• Confusion about the MLRR
• Complex coordination across functions
• Challenges in a decentralized org structure
• Information overload

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Summary - Places to Start

• Quick fixes
• Broaden understanding of the MLRR and their role
  in the organization
• Communicate to everyone what the different teams
  do and the preferred channel of communication for
  each team
• Improve information management
• Widely implement characteristics of valuable
  meetings
• Complex challenges
• Improve vertical communication
• Clarify how decisions are made (beyond the team
  level) and increase the timeliness of complex
  decision-making

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Next Steps

• Communication Plan
• Discussion with ESG last week
• QA
• Share feedback from this discussion with ESG
• Provide feedback here, email, or notes to Linda
  Nodine
• Future ESG discussion with Task Force
• Action Plans

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Questions

• Is there general agreement with the issues?
• What major issues are not addressed?
• In what ways were you surprised?
• Anything else that could be acted upon quickly?
• Priorities?