2006_10_01_archive

To praise or not to praise?

An interesting management issue arose this week. Part of our strategic

planning involves getting input from our users, so I am spending a lot

of time attending various faculty (and I hope soon, student) meetings.

I want to make sure everyone in the library hears what our users are

saying so I send the notes to the whole library. I am also thinking

about ways to keep these available, may be a website. Obviously some

of what we hear is positive and some is negative, but the point is to

get outside our box and listen.

I think this is new for the Olin Library, and it is a little

challenging for some. It is made more challenging by a very different

style on my part. As you may have noticed if you read this blog, I

believe in open communication and sharing lots of information and

multiple perspectives. I think you generally end up with stronger

decisions even if it can be a bit messy getting there. Traditionally

the Olin Library seems to be a low-conflict, high-consensus

organization. To avoid conflict and achieve at least the appearance of

consensus information and communication has been carefully managed by

everyone in the library. Kinda the Thumper's mother school of

communication -- if you can't say nice, don't say anything at all.

I disturbed this culture by giving everyone the unedited notes from

the meeting I attended, but -- and this was worse -- by specifically

singling out certain individuals who had been mentioned positively by

those at the meeting and thanking them for their contribution.

Naturally, those who were mentioned are those that the faculty

interact with. There are many people working in the library who do

excellent work without which the library would not function, but that

work is not seen by our users. This is a persistent problem in

libraries. Public services get thanks, technical services do not,

reference librarians generally get to help users find stuff and so

users think they are great, while circulation folks have to fine users

for overdue books etc. and are often seen as the bad guys. As a

director I have to find ways to overcome this and make sure that

everyone's contribution is recognized.

However, the way to do that is not to praise no one. If individuals do

good work that is noticed, I intend to let them know and let everyone

else in the library know as well. But I also need to find ways to

reward excellent work that is hidden from our users but makes a real

contribution to our operations.

I also need to get people used to the idea that "a full and frank