ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


C& RL N e w s ■ D e c e m b e r  2001 /  1069

CONFERENCE CIRCUIT

The ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute

Highlights from the third annual institute

by Linda Marie Golian and Rebecca Donlan

“The instruction was excellent; it surpassed 
my expectations. The differences in approach 
and wealth o f  experience and candor o f  the 
instructors were wonderful.”

“ I  feel I  got what I  wanted in terms o f  learn­
ing more about leadership— what it means 
and how to be a better leader. ”

“I  appreciated learning about the chal­
lenges o f  institutions which are quite differ­
ent fro m  mine. ”

“I  will be recommending others fro m  my 
institution and hope that they have as posi­
tive experience as I  have had. I  will use the 
material I  am taking home. ”

These are just a few  o f the overwhelm­
ingly positive comments from librarians who 
participated in the 2001 ACRL/Harvard Lead­
ership Institute, as reported in the official in­
stitute evaluation summary. This year’s insti­
tute was held at Harvard University in Cam­
bridge, Massachusetts, from August 19-24, 
2 00 1.

Building upon a foundation of two suc­
cessful years of outstanding instructors, a solid 
curriculum, and sound educational practices,

the third annual institute once again garnered 
winning reviews and the highest praise from 
graduating participants.

Co-sponsored by ACRL and the Harvard 
Institutes for Higher Education, the institute 
is an intensive residential experience for li­
brarians who fill leadership roles in their in­
stitutions. The 63 members o f the Class of
2001 have many different positions, includ­
ing (but not limited to) library director, asso­
ciate or assistant library director, department 
head, and team leader.

Participants came from many different 
kinds o f academic institutions— those with 
large and small student populations equally 
represented. From community colleges to ARL 
members, from private and state funded in­
stitutions, the participants in the Class o f 2001 
represented all types of college and research 
libraries.

In the official evaluation summary of this 
year’s institute, faculty earned high praise from 
the participants for the quality o f their teach­
ing, their boundless energy, their obvious love 
o f teaching, and their interest in and respect 
for our work. Many o f us were surprised to 
learn about the intense schedules our instruc­
tors maintain over the summer months to pro­
vide similar training to professionals in other

A b o u t th e  a u th o rs  

Linda Marie Golian is the reference team leader and education librarian at Florida Gulf Coast University Library, e-mail: 
lgolian@fgcu.edu; Rebecca Donlan is the technical services and Web development team leader at Florida Gulf Coast University 
Library, e-mail: rdonlan@fgcu.edu

mailto:lgolian@fgcu.edu
mailto:rdonlan@fgcu.edu


1070 / C& RL N ew s ■ D e c e m b e r 2001

fields. The five instructors were always pre­
pared and willing to go the extra mile to make 
our learning experience outstanding and 
memorable.

Cliff Baden, educational chair o f the lead­
ership institute and director o f programs in 
professional education at the Harvard Gradu­
ate School o f Education, had the critical task 
o f setting the tone for the institute at the 
opening session late on Sunday afternoon. 
He gracefully set the stage by inviting par­
ticipants to reflect upon two issues during 
the course o f the institute: H ow well posi­
tioned is my organization to meet current 
and future challenges? H ow effective is my 
own leadership?

Joan V. Gallos, professor o f higher educa­
tion and former dean of the School o f Educa­
tion at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, 
led most o f the discussion concerning 
Reframing Organizations,1 which was used 
as the textbook for the institute. With this 
text, Gallos helped us understand how to 
make sense of organizational dynamics and 
lead organizational change by “reframing” our 
perceptions o f the organizations in which we 
work.

James P. Honan, lecturer on education at 
the Harvard Graduate School of Education 
and co-chair o f the Institute of Educational 
Management, used the case study method to 
explore the many ways that planning is used 
in colleges and universities to align institu­
tional vision and mission, priorities, and re­
sources.

Robert Kegan is a lifespan development 
psychologist and educational chair o f the In­
stitute for Management and Leadership in 
Education. Based upon the research published 
in his book How the Way We Talk Can Change 
the Way We Work2 (co-authored with Lisa 
Lahey), Kegan introduced the participants to 
the language o f transformation and its use as 
an agent for organizational growth and de­
v e lo p m e n t.

Maureen Sullivan, an organizational de­
velopment consultant and past-president of 
ACRL and LAMA, focused upon the practical 
library-related applications of the case stud­
ies examined in Honan’s sessions.

Each instructor brought unique knowledge 
and a spirit o f transformation to the institute. 
While their styles varied, the instructors’ dedi­
cation and effectiveness were equally strong.

They worked as a unified instructional team, 
building on each other’s sessions.

C u rricu lu m
Librarians seldom think about the challenges 
faced by leaders o f other types o f institutions. 
The institute is designed to help participants 
strengthen their roles as library leaders by 
learning from case studies that illustrate the 
challenges o f leadership in academic and 
business organizations.

The curriculum for the institute was a se­
ries o f interactive learning activities, includ­
ing lectures, case studies, discussion groups, 
and social activities. The curriculum centered 
on topics of reframing leadership, diagnos­
ing organizations, leading and planning or­
ganizations in a changing context, learning 
the language o f transformation, and consid­
ering the implications o f the lessons learned 
for our own leadership practice. Participants 
felt that “the program had a great balance of 
theory and practice.”

The term “lecture” may be a bit mislead­
ing. The faculty o f the 2001 institute did not 
stand in front of the room and recite canned 
speeches filled with facts and figures. In fact, 
the lecture style o f all the instructors was quite 
interactive and engaging, leading to effective 
large group discussion and interaction.

Gallos introduced the four frames o f ref­
erence (structural, human resources, politi­
cal, and symbolic) drawn from Reframing 
Organizations. Participants learned how to 
view leadership through four distinctly dif­
ferent perspectives and were asked to evalu­
ate their individual strengths and weaknesses 
in each o f the four frames.

Building upon the four frames, Honan 
used the case study method to help the par­
ticipants practice using the new four-frame- 
work tool. In three quick-paced sessions, 
Honan led an analysis o f three real-life case 
studies that are still evolving today. Interest­
ingly, none o f these cases dealt with library 
management. In one o f these sessions, 
Sullivan expanded on the SUNY-Farmingdale 
case and linked it to library implications and 
strategies.

The institute also provided opportunities 
for small-group discussion. Mornings began 
with an hour-long discussion group. Groups 
discussed daily reading assignments, shared 
personal mission statements, and discussed



C&RL News ■ December 2001 /  1071

specific management situations. In our groups, 
w e shared and discussed real situations from 
our organizations. T h ese small discussion 
groups allow ed participants to share experi­
en ces in a m ore intimate setting, w ith people 
w ho  w ere genuinely interested, respectful, 
and helpful. Ninety percent o f the participants 
reported that their small discussion group was 
a highlight o f their institute exp erience; many 
plan to stay in contact with each other through 
ph on e calls or e-mail.

Although classes entailed nightly e x ten ­
sive readings, there was am ple time for so­
cial and informal interaction. Almost all par­
ticipants said they found the daily schedule 
and the general p ace o f the institute appro­
priate. Participants com m ented that they ap­
preciated the time built into the schedule for 
talking with other participants. O ne partici­
pant stated, “I liked having a few  days with 
nothing planned after 3 :3 0  as it gave me a 
ch an ce to refuel and reflect.”

T h e planned social activities included an 
op ening recep tion at the Radcliffe Sunken 
Gardens, a tour o f the Harvard Campus, a 
recep tion at the Harvard Faculty Club, a New 
England Clam bake with fresh lobster, and a 
closing cham pagne and strawberry toast. Ar­
rangements w ere m ade for interested partici­
pants to visit the W idener Library, the Gutman 
Library, and the Harvard Museum o f Natural 
History.

We learned a lot and w e w orked hard, 
but w e also had fun and fostered new  rela­
tionships.

Pilot project
Robert Kegan provided a unique opportunity 
by inviting participants to join a special pilot 
project. During class sessions, e a ch  o f  us 
w orked with a partner to discuss various as­
pects o f transformative language, as outlined 
in How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way 
We Work. For the pilot project, Kegan and 
co-author Lisa Lahey will select four or five 
sets o f partners, w ho will apply face-to -face 
com m unication techniques to other (prima­
rily electron ic) m odes o f comm unication.

A p p ly in g  w h a t w e  learned
How w ell the participants o f the 2001 insti­
tute apply what they have learned has yet to 
be discovered. Many participants comm ented 
that they had exp erienced  a shift o f perspec-

N ine ty percent of the participants 

reported th a t th e ir small 

discussion g ro u p  was a h igh lig ht 

of th e ir institute e x p e rie n c e .. . .

tive on their problem s and their d ecision­
m aking processes. For exam ple, m any par­
ticipants com m ented that in the future, they 
w ould view organizational opportunities and 
situations through all four fram eworks for 
m ore effective decision-m aking. Others said 
they w ould se e k  m ultiple persp ectives in 
building consensus through “the language o f 
public agreem ent.”

T he institute also provided an op portu­
nity for critical reflection. We learned that 
changing o n e ’s leadership style is possible, 
but it is hard work, requiring persistence and 
diligence. We learned, too, that leading an 
acad em ic library entails m ore than under­
standing our staff or patron perspectives.

According to a fellow  attendee, since at­
tending the institute, “I do feel that I have 
b e e n  m ore reflective in my w ork and m ore 
mindful o f the big picture things that w e dis­
cu ssed .” Knowing the “big picture” o f our 
educational organizations is a critical aspect 
o f academ ic library leadership, allowing us 
to w ork “smarter, not harder” to attain our 
vision. It will b e  interesting to note, over the 
next few  years, how  many participants move 
into different leadership roles in their current 
or new  academ ic institutions.

Recom m endations to  the Class of 
2002
The outstanding reviews and praise from past 
participants are strong support for ACRL’s 
continued support o f the Harvard Leadership 
Institute. Currentl y, there are very few  pro­
fessional developm ent opportunities for mid- 
and upper-level academ ic librarians. W e sin­
cerely h o p e that ACRL will continue to pro­
vide this educational service to the academ ic 
library com m unity by making a long-term  
com m itm ent to sponsoring annual classes 
b eyon d  2002.

In anticipation o f this w elcom e opportu­
nity, librarians participating in future institutes 
should consider the follow ing sage advice 
from  those in the three previous classes:



1072 / C&RL N ew s ■ D e ce m b e r 2001

1) Talk with past participants about 
their experiences. Although everyone’s ex­
perience is different, talking with previous par­
ticipants can better prepare future attendees 
for this intense experience. Hearing how the 
curriculum, schedule, case studies, and social 
events work together for a holistic learning ex­
perience that is manageable and fun is reas­
suring and comforting for the busy professional 
who has not participated in a formal educa­
tional experience for several years.

2) Visit the Web site and meet your group 
ahead of time. Prior to the institute, you are given 
a Web site for your specific class, which includes 
information about the instructors, curriculum, case 
studies, participants, discussion groups, and in­
formation about Harvard and the Harvard area. 
Besides providing a wealth of local information 
(bookstores, restaurants, library hours, etc.), the 
Web site also introduces you to the discussion 
group to which you have been assigned. Con­
sider e-mailing your group members prior to the 
institute. They are an incredibly rich source of 
information. For example, in one discussion group, 
one member was considering checking out 
laptops for a wireless LAN and it turned out that 
three other discussion group members were con­
ducting pilot projects for this very same service.

3) Read Reframing Organizations by 
Bolman and Deal in its entirety. By the end 
of the week you will have been responsible 
for reading the entire book anyway. If you read 
it before attending the institute, you will have 
a better concept of how all the frameworks 
complement each other. Then, as readings are 
assigned each night, you can spend time re­
viewing the required chapters, and you will 
be able to spend more time reading and dis­
cussing the case studies.

4) If Robert Kegan is scheduled to be a
2002 institute instructor, consider pur­
chasing H o w  the Way We Talk Can 
Change the Way We Work. Although Kegan 
leads participants through a sample exercise 
drawn from the text during the Institute, hav­
ing the book as a reference while the exer­
cise is progressing and after the Institute is 
extremely beneficial.

5) One o f the assignments this year 
was to write our “Leadership Autobiog­
raphy.” How did we get where we are to­
day? We urge you to consider writing this 
before you attend, because it will help clarify 
your goals and concerns.

6) Clear the decks at home and at work.
The participants who get the most out of the 
institute have taken steps to devote uninter­
rupted time to the very serious work of profes­
sional development and critical reflection. This 
is your special time to focus upon your leader­
ship skills. As one of our classmates put it, 
“Part of the genius of the institute is that it 
provides a context for thought and reflection 
that we often don’t enjoy in our daily work 
environment.” Don’t rob yourself of this op­
portunity by bringing along work.

7) Consider starting a learning journal. 
Change requires outward action and inward 
reflection, so taking the opportunity to cap­
ture your thoughts about the process in writ­
ing can be very fruitful.

8) Spend time on your personal case 
study. In past classes, participants were asked 
to prepare and submit a real-life case study 
before attending the institute. During the small 
discussion group periods, everyone has an 
opportunity to discuss their case study. Par­
ticipants who spent considerable time devel­
oping their cases were rewarded with help­
ful insights, perspectives, and possible solu­
tions.

9) Plan on working hard, but also plan 
on having fun and making new profes­
sional contacts that will last a lifetime. Ac­
cording to one participant, “Since we spent a 
week together, I feel that I could contact many 
of these people to serve as a sounding board 
for future issues.”

The institute is a once-in-a-lifetime oppor­
tunity for mid- and upper-level management 
academic librarians. The third annual ACRL/ 
Harvard Leadership Institute continued the 
pattern of providing an exceptional professional 
development experience, described by one par­
ticipant as “something unique, but yet not in 
dreamland." We urge you to attend.

The authors would like to thank Clem 
Guthro, team leader for collection management 
at Macalester College, and Barbara Simpson 
Darden, director of library services at Kean 
University for their input.

Notes
1. Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal, 

Reframing Organizations (Jossey-Bass, 1997).
2. Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey, 

How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way 
We Work (Jossey-Bass, 2001). ■