ALA 2007: Leading Technology-driven Change: Theory and Practice

Leading Technology-driven Change: Theory and Practice (LAMA LOMS)

Beverly Lynch (moderator), Professor, Grad School of Education and Information Studies, UCLA

Joyce Ogburn, Director, Mariott Library, University of Utah Marriott Library: She reviews leadership materials frequently in order to keep focused on her leadership style.

• She recommends several (Battin—past strengths become liabilities; Bennis—harsh view of management cf. leadership; Crosby—shows gap between profit and non-profit; Goleman—emotional intelligence: self awareness, motivation, empathy, social skill, self regulation; Hawkins—move beyond your institution; Kotter—8 steps of change; On Change: ~ 60 pages from Am. Council on Ed. That applies to higher ed; Rost—defines leadership as influence, vs. management as authority.)
• Advice: be patient with your leaders, cut them some slack and offer to help. It’s hard work. Also “swim with a buddy”

Felton Thomas Jr., Las Vegas-Clark County Library District: Change = growth.

• Great quote attributed to a friend @ Dartmouth: “We’re moving this profession one funeral at a time”
• Technological change in the library world is an uphill battle, “like going hunting and carrying the dog”
• Believes in scenario planning (Giesecke) so that you can identify opinion leaders and get them in early.
• Power of full engagement, individual growth. How do you make changes last? Define your purpose, face the truth, take action.

Kathryn Deiss, Content Strategist, ACRL: Major paradigm shifts due to technology are: 1) advent of classification system, 2) the internet, and now 3) social software.

• Concept from urban studies is relevant here: where people are wearing a path in the grass, put the path there.
• Need to install a beta mindset in staff, things don’t have to be either/or.
• How do you get people to really stop doing things (even though the decision to stop has already been made)? String too short to be saved (true story-- label on box in office being cleaned out). People need to change mental models – we have models to save time in doing routine things (e.g., when you see a red light, you should stop without needing to think too much about it), but when the model changes we need to bring things into focus so that we can pay attention again (see deBrabandere.) Once LL Bean was 24/7, could buy a canoe at 3AM and that was unusual and strange, now people are used to 24/7 and don’t want it any other way.
• Today we have a choice overload, in which case most people will choose nothing. We need to focus people on key issues, but choices are exploding.
• Betty Sue Flowers: you can’t predict the future, but you can control your narrative. Who are you in the story that is being told: the victim?; the hero?

Reading list at: ALA 2007