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| Peter Hernon |
Leadership: The More We Know, the More We Need to Know
In Library Connect’s new column, Research Watch, editors of Elsevier journals in LIS and related fields take a look at subjects sparking the interest of researchers. In this issue Peter Hernon, co-editor of Library & Information Science Research, suggests some unanswered questions for LIS researchers in the field of library leadership.
Peter Hernon, Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston, MA, USA
Although the terms leadership and management are often used interchangeably, they differ. Leadership, one component of management, is the process of influencing others in order to attain group, organizational, or societal goals. It involves factors such as motivating and inspiring people to create and carry out a shared vision to guide future actions of the organization. The scholarly literatures of many disciplines and professions address leadership; in particular, these writings, for example, focus on what leaders do; analyze leadership styles and traits, the extent to which practitioners have gained those traits, and the relationship between leaders and followers; review strategic directions that management sets, the diagnostic skills of leaders, and the ability of leaders to achieve a shared vision; and examine how to nurture the next generation of leaders.
With so many libraries now organized into teams or small groups; with new staff members expected to work together to plan, implement, administer and evaluate services; and with librarians having to forge partnerships at the national and other levels, scholars in library and information science are pursuing issues identified in the broader literature, especially leadership principles, styles, traits, roles and training. A thorough understanding of leadership has value to everyone working in a service organization, from staff who are empowered to solve problems that library customers encounter as they seek information, to members of teams and small groups trying to improve the delivery of service to the communities libraries serve, to middle and senior managers pursuing organizational effectiveness, intent on changing organizational cultures, and engaging in succession planning.
More and more job advertisements for academic and public library directorships mention leadership as one of the requirements for a successful candidate. If libraries are learning organizations, they need leaders who can help staff develop and accept new educational roles, and take advantage of new opportunities.
Furthermore, professional associations and societies need leaders who help them to achieve their stated missions. Leaders, regardless of the situations in which they find themselves, build relationships and encourage participation from everyone in and outside the organization whom the library seeks to influence. LIS schools are introducing courses and other educational opportunities related to leadership. What do the courses cover? What impact, if any, do they have on shaping the leaders of tomorrow? How are course experiences reinforced throughout the program of study, and do the courses provide exposure to dynamic leadership in different organizations? To what extent do LIS schools have a student learning outcome on leadership for the master’s program? How is that outcome assessed and the leadership education improved?
Leadership is definitely a key topic with multiple facets worthy of exploration. It would seem that editors of peer-reviewed journals and publishers of reference works, scholarly books, and conference proceedings want writings that have wide appeal and impact. There is a need to relate the general literature to service organizations such as libraries. How well do the different facets of leadership transfer to the library setting? Are some leadership styles more prevalent than others? What situations call for which styles, and which traits correspond to those situations? How effective are leaders in switching from one style to another? How well is the profession identifying and nurturing a pool of potential directors, who represent cultural and gender diversity and who are able to function effectively in stressful, political environments? How important are traits such as good listening and communication skills, and the ability to see the big picture and to engage in change management? How effective are leadership institutes and mentoring programs?
One perspective on leadership — emotional intelligence (EI) — is currently gathering more attention. EI, which is linked to effective performance, involves managing the mood of the organization. More specifically it involves self-management (self-awareness, self-regulation and motivation) and managing relationships with others (empathy and social skills). This gives rise to research questions such as, “How much EI do library leaders have?,” “Are some components more important for them to possess than others?,” “Which aspects can be enhanced through training?,” and “Which aspects are formed by life experiences?”
Over time, an extensive body of research and other writings relevant to different library and institutional environments around the globe will emerge. These writings will combine theory and practice, and will perhaps make a profound impact, because there should be no non leaders in either libraries or the LIS profession. Leadership is not a fad; rather it is integral to achieving organizational effectiveness and to managing change successfully. As well, libraries do not function in an isolated or apolitical environment. Library leadership therefore transends the organization. Clearly, leadership is an issue we all need to know more about.
Explore More
Books
Hackman, R. J. (2002). Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performance. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Goleman, G. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
Hernon, P. Powell, R. R. & Young, A. P. (2003). The next library leadership. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Mech, T. F., & McCabe, G. B., ed. (1998). Leadership and academic libraries. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Regencstein, C. E. & Dewy, B. I., ed. (2003). Leadership, higher education, and the information age: A new era for information technology and libraries. New York, NY: Neal Schumann Publishers.
Articles
Mason, F. M. & Wetherbee, L. V. (2004, Summer). Learning to lead: An analysis of current training programs for library leadership. Library Trends, 53 (1), 187-217. Williams, J. F. &
Winston, M.D. (2003). Leadership competencies and the importance of research methods and statistical analysis in decision making and research and publication: A study of citation patterns. Library & Information Science Research, 25 (X), 387-402.
Weiner, S. G. (2003, Winter). Leadership of Academic Libraries: A literature review [Bibliographical essay]. Education Libraries, 26 (2), 5-18.
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