ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ February 2004 / 81 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s news A five-year old spreads its wings by Ed Garten I hope that with the knowledge I gained at the insti­ tute, I will become proficient at taming annoying loops o f communication that foil change to fidfilling circles that foster satitfaction and create results and movement on to more change. I plan to look at my organizational challenges with new eyes and new insight. The participants, themselves, helped me understand “the vision thing ” as I was always self-conscious about trying to make a vision something grand; but sometimes doing a simple thing well is the grandest vision. T h e s e w e re a fe w o f m an y c o m m en ts solic­ ite d fro m in stitu te p a rtic ip a n ts six w e e k s after th e fifth A C R L /H arvard L e a d e rs h ip In stitu te . R ead ers w h o h a v e b e e n a ro u n d m o st five-year o ld s w ill s u re ly k n o w th a t tim e o f life as p la y ­ fu l, d e lig h tfu l, a n d a tim e o f in o r d in a te c u ri­ osity. T h e 2003 in stitu te w a s d efin ite ly a five- y e a r - o ld in w h ic h to ta k e delight! H av in g financially su p p o rte d e a c h m e m b e r o f m y library leadership team ’s engagem ent w ith e a rlie r in stitu te s, I recall e a c h o f th e m r e tu r n ­ in g to w o r k w ith n o th in g b u t p r a is e fo r th is in te n s iv e le a rn in g o p p o rtu n ity a n d m o re th a n r e a d y to p u t in to p ra c tic e m a n y n e w insig h ts. B ut, th e n , s e v e ra l s u g g e s te d to m e in a n o n e to o s u b tle w ay , “H ey , n o w it’s y o u r tu r n .” Al­ r e a d y s e e in g th e lig h t a t th e e n d o f m y o w n adm inistrative career, I h a d m istakenly assu m e d th a t o ld d o g s c o u ld n ’t le a rn n e w tricks. W as I surprised; n o w m y entire le ad ersh ip team h as a c o m m o n fra m e o f re f e r e n c e a s w e a p p r o a c h bo th service delivery a n d h u m a n resource p ro b ­ lems. T h e fifth in s titu te w a s in te n s iv e , y e t s h e e r fu n . As o n e p a r tic ip a n t p u t it: “I le a r n e d th a t if H arvard p rofessors c a n p re se n t c o m p le x c o n ­ c e p ts in w a y s th a t a re s o h u m o r o u s I a m still la u g h in g (six w e e k s later), I c a n cultivate a d d ­ ing joy to th e library e x p e rie n c e for th e p e o p le [w ho] w o r k h e r e a n d f o r th o s e w h o u s e o u r reso u rces a n d services. I h o p e to m a k e a lasting co n trib u tio n to w a rd m y library’s cultural tra n s­ fo rm a tio n to a jo y o u s o rg a n iz a tio n .” As in prio r years, th e institute follow ed a n o w well-established curriculum w ith participants hav­ ing th e o p p o rtu n ity to fo c u s o n a p re -in stitu te reading o f Bolman and Deal’s Reframing Organiza­ tions: Artistry, Choice a n d Leadership? U nder the d ire c tio n o f J o a n G allos, w e e x p lo re d th e fo u r conceptual frames useful for analyzing leadership strategies: structural, h u m a n reso u rce, political, a n d symbolic. Using th e b o o k that h e coauthored with Lisa Lahey, H o w the W ay We Talk C an Change the W ay We Work,3 B o b K egan le d sessions that challenged us to explore h o w th e transform ation o f th e w o rk p la c e la n g u a g e w e e m p lo y c a n b e ­ com e an efficacious vehicle for stimulating change w ith in o u r o rg an izatio n s. About the author Ed Garten is dean o f libraries an d in fo rm a tio n services a t the University o f Dayton, e-mail: edward.garten@notes. udayton.edu © 2004 Ed Garten The ACRIÆarvard Leadership Institute udayton.edu 82 / C&RL News ■ February 2004 T h e prim aiy m ean s o f p resenting often com ­ plex higher education issues w as through the clas­ sic H arv ard case m e th o d . Participants read, re ­ flect u p o n , a n d address a set o f challenging q ues­ tions, w ith in th e con tex t o f a real life case (w ith th e n a m e s c h a n g e d to p ro te c t th e in n o cen t, or guilty!). M ost o f th e a ssig n e d cases w e re n o t li­ brary situations, rather th ey w ere larger organiza­ tion o r system w ide issues. As o n e participant p u t it, “Given th e level o f m anagem ent expertise re p ­ resented by the participants themselves, a d d e d to th e fact that m o st o f th ese individuals hav e long b e e n im m ersed in th e literature o n organizational change in general an d library m anagem ent in par­ ticular, it d id n o t ta k e lo n g for m e to reco g n ize th at m y exp ectatio n s w e re m o re th an m e t b y all o f th e in stru cto rs, a n d th a t e a c h o f th e m w e re draw ing o n his o r h e r o w n rich b o d y of research.” N o w , n o t all hands up a t once! Some o f those w h o have reported o n earlier insti­ tutes in these pages have focused o n th e high qual­ ity o f facu lty le a d e rs h ip . As w ith m o s t o f th e p rio r Institutes, faculty in c lu d e d Ja m e s H o n an , Robert Kegan, M aureen Sullivan, Jo an Gallos, an d Jo e Zolner. Let m e n o t low er respect for that leadership— it w as sim ply exceptional; how ever, it is equally n o te w o rth y to s u g g e st th at, g iv e n th e lev el o f collective experience am o n g participants, in tan ­ d em with the various opportunities for small group interaction, peer-to-peer learning w as guaranteed to b e n o th in g less th a n infectious. In d e e d , th e institute planners facilitated future interaction by setting u p a p o st-e x p e rie n c e electronic list as a m eans to cany forward conversations that em erged during the program. G iven th e likely n u m b e r o f “T ype A” p e rso n ­ alities in th e room , there w ere few wallflowers in this b u n ch ; in d eed , at ev ery o p p o rtu n ity for re ­ sp o n s e to q u e stio n s p o s e d b y faculty, typically dozens o f hands w o u ld go up, figuratively crying out: “P ick m e, p ic k m e!” In stru cto rs h a d a n al­ m o st u n c a n n y w a y o f solidifying a se n se o f fair­ ness o f involvem ent am ong participants, draw ing forth a rich tapestry o f experience a n d insight, as well as som e measure of w hat could only b e called adm inistrative angst. T h e k n o w in g la u g h te r o f recognition o f experiences shared, as w ell as the re c o g n itio n o f th e o ften difficult h u m a n issues w ith w hich deans an d directors are faced, threaded its w a y th ro u g h e a c h o f th e interactive sessions. Those hands that readily rose to offer insight, per­ spective, a n d p o w erfu l e x a m p le c a m e from 32 states, tw o C a n a d ia n p ro v in c e s, P u e rto Rico, Trinidad, a n d Australia. T h e energy in th e ro o m w as palatab le a n d contagious. T hat en erg y w as enhanced by a horseshoe-shaped and tiered, high- tech learning environment, o n e that allow ed even 97 participants to enjoy a se n se o f intim acy a n d interaction. Nearly a h u n d re d m id-career a n d se­ nior administrators b ecam e a com m unity o f learn- ACRL invites you to attend the 2004 ACRL/ Harvard Leadership Institute: August 8-13 Registration for th e 2004 A CR I/H arvard Lead­ ership Institute is n o w open! T h e institute will b e held at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mas­ sachusetts, A ugust 8-13, 2004. • I n c r e a s e y o u r c a p a c i t y t o l e a d a n d m a n a g e d u r in g t h is fiv e - d a y in s t itu t e . Find o u t if y o u r organization is w ell-p o sitio n ed to m eet current and future challenges an d discover if y o u r o w n le a d e rs h ip is effective. H arv ard Institutes for H igher Education faculty will give special attention to issues such as: leadership, organizational strategy, transformational learn­ ing, an d planning. • L e a r n a m o n g t h e l e a d e r s a n d t r e n d s e t t e r s i n a c a d e m ic lib r a r y a d m i n ­ is t r a t io n . T h e institute is d e sig n e d for direc­ to rs o f libraries a n d in d iv id u als in p o sitio n s su ch as associate university librarian, assistant d e a n , vice p resid en t o f infon u atio n resources, u niversity librarian, a n d college librarian. At­ te n d a n c e w o u ld also b e useful for individuals regularly involved in decision-m aking th at af­ fects th e en tire library o p e ra tio n a n d th a t in ­ volves o th e r im p o rtan t relationships o n cam ­ pus. D o n ’t miss this exciting educational o p p o r­ tunity! Registration materials a n d com plete d e ­ tails ab o u t die institute are available o n th e Web atw w w .p p e.g se.h arv ard .ed u /h ig h ered /in d ex . h tm l (scroll d o w n to A CRL/H arvard L ead er­ sh ip Institute). R eg istratio n s p o ts w ill fill q u ickly. D o n ’t fo rg e t to re g iste r early to e n s u re y o u h a v e a s p a c e in this p re stig io u s institute. Q u e stio n s a b o u t th is in s titu te c a n b e d i r e c t e d to acrl@ ala.org; (800) 545-2433, ext. 2522. atwww.ppe.gse.harvard.edu/highered/index mailto:acrl@ala.org C&RL News ■ February 2004 / 83 ers a n d problem solvers early o n the first day. Even for a b u n c h o f g regarious library leaders, it w as simply amazing. Learn, re fle c t, an d a p p ly In the w ak e o f a w eek o f focused readings, guided discussions, a n d th e intentional interaction w ith p e e r colleagues, the institute e n d e d w ith an evalu­ atio n o f th e experience. H av in g sp o k e n w ith m an y participants w h o h a d a tte n d e d o n e o f th e fo u r earlier Institutes, it is c lear th a t in th e fifth year th e overall p ro g ram quality an d pedagogical dynamic not only had been su stained, earlier years, in fact, h a d built o n o n e a n o th e r, en rich in g th e latest iteration o f this re­ w ard in g professional opportunity. As w ith earfier in stitu te s, th e 2003 class s p o k e o f v a lu in g th e fluid n a tu re o f th e ex p erien ce; th e b a la n c e b e ­ tw e e n small a n d large group activities; th e o p p o r­ tu n ity to b e c e n te r stage w ith a g ro u p o f gifted instructors; a n d the often candid sharing a n d pal­ atable se n se o f collegiality evidenced am o n g the seven o r eight individuals w h o gathered early each m o rn in g in th e various small reflection groups. P e rh a p s th e on ly m inor criticism an y o n e h a d o f th e p ro g ra m w as th e m eag er tim e given o v e r to co ffee b re a k s. A sip o f coffee, p e rh a p s a q u ick p h o n e call o r e-mail check a n d w e w e re hustled b a c k into o u r high-tech fishbowl o f learning. As p la n n in g fo r th e n e x t in stitu te (A u g u st 8 - 1 3 , 2 0 0 4 ) c o m m e n c e s , it is a lre a d y c e rta in th a t f u tu re p a rtic ip a n ts w ill le a v e th a t e x p e r i­ e n c e , a s d id th e 2003 class, w ith a p r o f o u n d s e n s e o f th e im m e n s e c h a n g e s s h a p in g b o th o u r p ro fe s s io n a n d h ig h e r e d u catio n . As le a d ­ ers w e m u st m ak e increasingly com pelling cases ( “B u ild in g f a c u l t y ... ’’c o n tin u e d fr o m p a g e 8 0 ) c a m p u s com m unity’s teaching, learning, a n d re­ search agendas. They must share their information expertise w ith their cam pus community an d build p ro d u c tiv e p a rtn e rsh ip s w ith te a c h in g faculty. There aœ num erous examples in th e nation w here academ ic librarians have becom e leaders o n their cam puses. O n som e cam puses librarians have b e­ co m e cam pus information officers, o n other cam ­ puses they have becom e high-level administrators to foster information technology, assessment, an d faculty developm ent. O ther m odels can b e devel­ o p e d , a n d only th e lack o f im agination can stop academic librarians from becom ing leaders o n their campus. T h ere are n o limits for academ ic librarians in th e 21st century, there are, how ever, endless o p ­ fo r c h a n g e lo n g b e f o r e th e n e e d to d o so b e ­ com es desperately obvious. I call this strategic re­ silience. W ithin o u r in fo rm atio n o rganizations m u c h o f th e re s p o n s e to this n e e d fo r o rg an izatio n al resilience, sadly, has b e e n scripted: strands o f nos­ talgia fo r w h a t is ( a n d w h a t w a s), e le m e n ts o f denial regarding d e e p secular trends in o u r com ­ petitive environm ent, a n d a n arresting arrogance ro o te d in th e pow erfùl political constituencies o f legacy program s. Today, organizational renew al (in d eed transform ation) m ust b e a natural conse­ q u e n c e o f a n org an izatio n ’s in n ate resilience in the face o f ram p an t challenge. M any o f o u r cuiTent m o d els o f b o th c h an g e an d leadership focus o n working to g et better as op­ posed to w orking to g et different. I w ould argue that w e m u st b e a b o u t th e latter if w e are to h o p e to confront incipient trends a n d em brace em ergent o p p o rtu n ities for o u r stu d en ts a n d faculty. F u n ­ dam entally, th e ACRL/Harvard L eadership Insti­ tu te is a b o u t h e lp in g le a d e rs th in k a b o u t th eir organizations b y em ploying com pelling n e w lan­ g u ag e a n d m e ta p h o r as a m ean s o f fram ing a n d energizing organizational transformation an d gain­ ing facility in th e u s e o f te s te d te c h n iq u e s a n d strategies, ultimately to b e placed in o u r evolving m anagerial tool kits. Notes 1. Lee B. B o lm a n a n d T e rra n c e F. D eal, ReffamingOtganizatíons: Artistry, Choice, andLead- ership. 2 n d e d . (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997). 2. Robert K egan a n d Lisa Lahey, H o w the W ay We talk C an C hange the W ay We Work. (San Fran­ cisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001). ■ portunities. “T he future looks bright for librarians w h o em brace their em ergent roles as teachers and scholars. In m any ways, technology is a vehicle for exp an d in g the librarian’s sp h ere o f influence a n d collaboration w ith teaching a n d research faculty is c e rta in ly o n e o f th e k e y e le m e n ts to th e profession’s future.”5 Notes 1. ACRL’s “Inform ation Literacy C om petency Standards for Higher Education.” (Chicago: Ameri­ can Library Association, 2000). Visit w w w .acrl.oig/ infolit. 2. For m o re in fo rm atio n o n th e TLT G ro u p visit: w w w .tltgroup.org. ( c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 9 0 ) http://www.acrl.oig/ http://www.tltgroup.org