ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 900 / C&RL News ■ October 2001 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s newsTaking time for the organization How IUPUI University Library is building teams by Mary J. Stanley O n March 8, 1996, the Indiana Univer- sity -P u rd u e U niversity In d ia n a p o lis (IUPUI) university librarian a n n o u n c e d that the library was going to becom e a team -based organization. This shift w as a to p -d o w n m ovem ent w ith th e team s form ed by the se­ nior m anagem ent including assignm ent of team leaders and team m em bers. The “storm ­ ing” stage of team ing began. Individuals w ho had served in supervisory roles suddenly found them selves as m ere team m em bers, and others w h o had b e e n in supportive roles w ere suddenly thrust into roles as team lead­ ers. The entire organization w as in “culture shock. ” Four individuals (three team leaders and one senior m anager) w ere sent to Tucson to attend a conference o n the m ovem ent to a team -based organization by the library at the University of Arizona. U pon their return to the IUPUI Library, th e con feren ce attendees p resen ted a sum m arized version of the tran ­ sition to the team leaders a n d senior m an­ agem ent. This w as just the beginning of us­ ing various tools, techniques, a n d confer­ ences for staff developm ent. The concept of the organizational week As the organization m oved forw ard in the team process, it w as d ec id e d to set aside one w eek in August for staff developm ent. This w eek w as d u b b e d Organizational Week, a n d a n o u tsid e c onsultant w as invited to p r e s e n t a w o r k s h o p o n “T e a m -b u ild in g th ro u g h Effective G roup Process Skills.” The consultant w o rk e d w ith the entire organiza­ tion through sm aller random groups using various exercises a n d brainstorm ing te c h ­ niques. The consultant also w o rk e d se p a ­ rately w ith th e team leaders on basic facili­ t a t i n g s k il l s , g r o u p - c o n t r a c t i n g , a n d decision-m aking. The w e e k e n d e d w ith a luncheon, games, and prizes to celebrate the w e e k ’s success. Results from this w e e k of activities w ere im m ediately noticeable in the team m eetings that follow ed. Most team m eetings w ere lim­ ited to o n e hour, extending over that period if there w ere significant issues to discuss. Individuals seem ed m uch m ore at ease in the facilitation process (plus/delta com m ents w ere rec o rd e d at the e n d o f each m eeting to see the value or changes needed). P lus/delta is an effort to record w h at has b e e n good during the m eeting a n d w h at changes are necessary to im prove it. Senior m anagem ent felt positive about the effectiveness and d e ­ cided to m ake the ex p erien ce an ongoing com m itm ent at the e n d of each semester. A review o f the literature o n organiza­ tional retreats illustrates that m ost organiza­ tions co n d u ct them only o n an annual basis, usually for planning purposes. Many retreats About the author Mary J. Stanley is associate dean o f the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) University Library, e-mail: mstanley@iupui.edu mailto:mstanley@iupui.edu C&RL News ■ October 2001 / 901 involve only u p p e r adm inistration to stim u­ late strategic planning at the highest level of the organization—th e b o a rd .1 This is not a b ad concept, but it m ay miss m any voices and perspectives w ithin the organization. IUPUI University Library seem s u nique in that its first “retreat” w as focused o n indi­ vidual developm ent and not primarily on the planning stage for future library activities. Each m em ber of the staff, w h e th e r librarian, clerical, or technical support, was seen as a valued c o m p o n en t of an effective, efficient o p e ra tio n . A lthough p la n n in g ev en tu ally becam e part of the organizational w eek, the first efforts w ere d ev o ted entirely to the in­ dividual staff m em bers as part o f th e “team ­ ing p ro cess.” Two very different consultants w ere in­ vited to the second organizational week. O ne consultant continued the team -building con­ cept and introduced the 90/90 evaluation pro­ cess. In this process, an individual is reviewed through a reciprocal 90-minute session. This consultant also led the groups into basic steps for developing a foundational m atrix of or­ ganizational skills. The library staff w orked on creating lists of the required and preferred skills that should com prise the basic inven­ tory skills of the m em bers. This inventory w as th en aligned w ith th e o rg an izatio n ’s goals to assist in m apping a path to achieve them. The focus still cen tered on the individual but introduced the organization’s goals into the matrix. Individual staff m em bers w ere required to step “outside th e b o x ” in their thinking as they brainstorm ed with their col­ leagues o n challenging issues. As stated by Geoffrey Jam es, author of Business Wisdom o f the Electronic Elite, “Em­ ployees are people, not cogs. . . . Give people the basic respect of seeing them as they truly are, a n d y o u ’ll unleash a flood of enthusi­ asm and energy.”2 Such responses w ere defi­ nitely reflected in the participation of indi­ viduals during the brainstorm ing sessions. No ideas w ere quashed, and individuals were en couraged to unleash any possible barriers to their highest dream s. However, not all of the ideas g enerated at the sessions w ere received w ith great e n ­ thusiasm. Some participants eagerly accepted the co n cep t of the 90/90 team s, b u t m any team s and team leaders felt it w as just add- No id e as w e re q u a sh e d , a n d in d iv id u a ls w e re e n c o u ra g e d to u n le a sh a n y p o s s ib le b a rrie rs to th e ir h ig h e s t dre a m s. ing an o th er task to an already overloaded w o rk sch ed u le. T he cu rren t practice has m odified the 90/90 to m ake it a quarterly review. It also w as determ ined that every team should conduct this review w ith each team m em ber. This process provides an o p ­ portunity for individuals to kn o w h o w they are doing a n d to identify areas that n e e d im provem ent or m ore specific focus. More­ over, th e 90/90, or quarterly review, should elim inate any surprises during an annual ev aluation/review. The oth er consultant at the second re ­ tre a t in tro d u c e d th e library team to the Birkman Method. This questionnaire-based m otivational assessm ent tool generates a re­ port that provides em ployees w ith positive insights into their m ost productive behavior as w ell as their sources of m otivation. The Birkman M ethod is used within organizations for hiring and selection, environm ental team ­ b u ild in g , sales tra in in g , c a re e r p a th in g , m idcareer guidance, m en to r relatio n sh ip ­ building, identification of leadership skills and styles, a n d training needs assessm ent. At this organizational w eek, the consult­ ant w o rk ed only with the senior m anagers. Each senior m anager first received an intense tw o-hour consultation, and th en one full day w as sp en t w ith the m anagers as a group. The individuals shared their reports with one an other and discussed ho w their individual strengths contributed to the g ro u p ’s efforts. This process also served the purpose of trust­ building because it is very revealing a n d in­ dividuals m ust feel secure sharing their p er­ sonal profiles. In later organizational weeks, the m ethod w as p resen ted to the team leaders and even­ tu a lly th e re s t o f th e o rg a n iz a tio n w as “Birkm anized.” Currently, as new em ploy­ ees begin w ith the library, they are offered the oppo rtu n ity to com plete the Birkman M ethod questionnaire. As a result of the m eth o d ’s usefulness, tw o library m em bers w ere sent for certifica- 902 IC&RL News ■ October 2001 In re s e a rc h in g v a rio u s m o d e ls and c o n c e p ts o f o rg a n iz a tio n a l re tre a ts, th e lib ra ry c u rre n tly se e m s to be u n iq u e in its w illin g n e s s to d e v o te a s u b s ta n tia l a m o u n t o f tim e to th e o r g a n iz a t io n a n d d e v e lo p m e n t o f its s ta ff. tion training at Birkman International, Inc., in Houston, Texas. They n o w are certified c o n s u lta n ts in th e in te r p re ta tio n o f th e Birkman Report and have w orked with both individuals and specific teams for team -build­ ing, com m unication-building, and conflict resolution. The original Birkman consultant continues to w ork with the organization, as needed, in furthering the developm ent and en h ancem ent of the team process. As the library has evolved in the “retreat” process, m ore of the strategic planning takes place during the organizational weeks. H ow ­ ever, a portion of the w eek is still d evoted to staff development. If it is determined that over­ all training is n e e d e d by the entire staff, a consultant is invited to present, depending on the needs of the organization. O ne im portant concept in the organiza­ tional w eek is celebration. Celebrating the library’s accom plishm ents is key to the start of such an engaging activity. W hen it was determ ined that an entire w eek was too m uch strain on individuals, it w as shortened to three days. The three-day activity seem s to accom ­ plish w hat needs to b e done. The “w eek let” starts with a continental breakfast and brief time for diversion. It also ends with food at an all-staff luncheon. Food seem s to be an essential co m ponent of retreats regardless of their length.3 Staff seem m ore am enable to participating in the w e e k ’s activities know ing they are going to be rew arded w ith “free” food. Although the library is u se d as the loca­ tion for the “w eeklets,” m uch of the literature encourages outside settings to provide for a com plete, relaxed ch ange from th e usual w orkday surroundings.4 D ue to the nature of the library business, it is almost im possible to shut do w n daily operations for a three-day period, so the “w eek let” is co nducted on the library premises. The time selected is betw een sem esters so that traffic is minimal and m ore individuals can participate in the activities. A skeletal staff operates service points u n d e r a rotation schedule to ensure full participation. Planning for the next organizational w eek begins as so o n as the last one is com pleted. Surveys are distributed to all staff m em bers asking for suggestions for future w eeks and training needs. D ates are secured as far as a year in advance. Individuals are asked not to schedule vacation days during these periods, indicating the im portance of the w eek. Con­ sultants are identified and contacted to deter­ m ine their availability. Each weeklet, the entire staff is sorted into various random groups for activities and ex­ ercises of the event. Such arrangem ents take great effort to ensure that all ranks and levels of staff are included in each grouping. This technique has proved useful and provides an opportunity for staff to w ork with individuals from other teams. Facilitators are selected by the groups and, again, cross all levels and ranks w ithin the organization. A s s e s s m e n t a n d th e fu tu r e How does one determine the success of orga­ nizational w eek activities? That probably would d epend on the goal for any particular w eek ’s event. Have IUPUI’s University Libraries’ orga­ nizational w eeks all been successful? For the most part, the answ er is yes. Each w eek has triggered a response to a need of the library and som e resolution has occurred. However, some of the library’s organizational w eeks have been m ore successful than others. Does the entire staff buy in to the im por­ tance of the weeks? Probably not. Some staff still see the w e e k as a disruption of their nor­ mal job activities but participate nonetheless because it is expected of them. O thers look forw ard to this engaging process and value the opportunity to participate. There are some trade-offs. Daily operations slow do w n dur­ ing the w eek. However, the possibility o f a m ore m otivated staff follow ing th e w e e k m akes this short slow dow n w orthw hile. Is the IUPUI’s University Libraries’ organi­ zational w eek a role model? Perhaps. In re­ searching various m odels and concepts of (c o n tin u e d on p a g e 908) 908 / C&RL News ■ October 2001 newsletter a n d displays. The B ow doin Col­ lege description came a little closer and ad­ dressed m ore of the tasks involved: Design a n d write exhibition m aterial a n d place ex ­ hibits in cases a n d other display areas. We believe a m ore robust, cut-and-paste position description is likely to receive ad­ ministrative support and might read som e­ thing like this: Title: Exhibits Curator D e s c r ip t io n o f D u tie s a n d R e s p o n s i­ b ilitie s : Create and m aintain appropri­ ate exhibits in library display cases. Schedule and plan all library exhibits or touring exhibits. Change displays or ex­ hibits in a timely manner. Prepare sup­ porting materials, i.e., signs, press re­ leases, and Web pages for exhibits or displays. With the job more carefully defined, a good set of resources at hand, and another person to share and trade ideas, w e think the role of display case person has the potential to move out of the “dreaded task” category. And if y o u ’re alone a n d out there struggling with displays at your library, w hy not contact one of us as a start? We look fotw ard to hearing from you because w e know from experience that w e ’ve gotten some of our best ideas from other display coordinators or exhibit curators. N otes 1. Jane Kemp and Laura Witschi, Displays a n d Exhibits in College Libraries, ACRL Clip Note #25 (Chicago, ACRL, 1997). 2. Ibid., 23. 3. See h ttp ://w w vclib.uw aterloo.ca/tour/ boar/BoarContents. htm l. 4. Visit http://w w w .lib.m ankato.m sus.edu/ lib/govdoc/proj/tutorials/finalfront2. htm. 5. Two exam ples of library display Web sites are http://www.salisbury.edu/library/Dis- plays/display_cases.htm from the Blackwell Library at Salisbury State U niversity a n d h ttp ://w w w .lib ra ry .u c la .e d u /lib ra rie s /u rl/ urlexhibits/calendar.htm from the Charles E. Young Research Library at UCLA. 6. Visit h ttp://w w w .ala.org. 7. Kemp and Witschi, Displays a n d Ex­ hibits in College Libraries. ■ ( “Taking tim e . . . c o n tin u ed fr o m p a g e 902) organizational retreats, the library currently seem s to b e u nique in its willingness to d e ­ vote a substantial am ount o f time to the or­ ganization and developm ent of its staff. It is not a perfect m odel, but it seem s to be w ork­ ing and, for now , will continue to be fol­ lowed. The organizational w e e k b egan as a re­ sponse to the change in organizational struc­ ture. The organizational w eeks are contin­ u e d as tw eaks are m ade in that structure for im provem ent and future developm ent. The library environm ent will be constantly chang­ ing, a n d this tool is effective in m eeting the dem ands of the changing environm ent. As in any journey, there will be bum ps, curves, and detours; but the ro ad will still take us to new adventures and exciting challenges as w e m ove forw ard in the 21st century. N o te s 1. Randall R. Richards, “Crafting a dynamic board retreat: H ow to set the stage for stra­ tegic thinking,” Association M a n a g em e n t 50 Gan. 1998): 93. 2. Geoffrey Jam es, Business W isdom o f the Electronic Elite (New York: Times Busi­ ness, 1996), 57. 3. Janice Kirkland and Linda S. Dobb, “The retreat as a resp o n se to c h a n g e ,” Library Trends 37 (spring 1989): 496. 4. N orbert Lewandosski, “Retreat to com ­ p e te ,” Ohio CPA Journal 56 (July-Septem ­ b e r 1997): 44. A d d it io n a l re s o u rc e s Cuff, E. Dale, and Gisela Webb, “Staff re­ treats in ACRL libraries,” College & Research Libraries News 49 (Sept. 1988): 517-21. Dobb, Linda S., “Four retreats and a fo­ rum: A m editation on retreats as a response to change,” Library Trends 47 (spring 1999): 699-713. Nanus, Bert, “Leading the vision team ,” F uturist 30 (M ay/June 1996): 20-24. Stern-Dunyak, Alison, and Jane Sanders, “Moving forw ard with a retreat,” Æ soc/ririon M anagem ent 52 (Dec. 2000): 49-51. ■ http://wwvclib.uwaterloo.ca/tour/ http://www.lib.mankato.msus.edu/ http://www.salisbury.edu/library/Dis-plays/display_cases.htm http://www.salisbury.edu/library/Dis-plays/display_cases.htm http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/url/ http://www.ala.org