Jane is a Department Head in a Library of a College or University - Essay Example

ment of Facts From the information provided one must assume that Jane is a Department Head in a library of a college or This is based upon her full job title as well as the fact that many of her staff members are work study. It is not readily apparent whether or not this is Jane’s first supervisory position. There is no specific information about additional staff. The Bibliographic Department of a library is usually responsible for creating and maintaining catalogue records of both print and non-print monographic and serial materials. Additional responsibilities might include managing all activities to ensure that materials acquired by the library are accurately and consistently described and classified for effective and efficient retrieval and utilization, managing authority control for use in bibliographic records, develop and maintain policies and guidelines for all bibliographic, cataloguing, indexing and classification work, managing membership, subscription and keeping up to date with bibliographic utilities for purpose of acquisition of bibliographic records, and managing physical processing and binding of all library materials. (Nanyang, 2003) Issues It is evident from the information provided that when her staff is not at a full contingency problems arise, but from the concerns brought up at the meeting of department heads, it is also apparent that this is an ongoing problem, with some other issues involved. Two questions arise which much be answered. What are the specific problems, and what can be done to improve the situation? Another very serious issue must be resolved for the long term. Is the underlying problem Jane’s supervision? What can she do to change her management skills that will affect the performance of her entire staff? An additional issue brought up at the Department Head meeting is the backlog of cataloguing and how to resolve this problem. This is not of lesser importance than the other issues, but its resolution is dependent on the solutions Jane devises. Problems Primary concerns: Interviewees were misinformed of their appointment times. Not only does this make the entire organization look inept, it makes Jane feel pressured. Maintenance is waiting on a decision that could if properly implemented improve working conditions and facilitate tasks. Secondary concerns: Jennifer is a full time employee and her job assessment is long overdue. It is likely the preparation of the monthly bulletin will be late, due to illness. Irene is waiting to discuss her placement studies’ student’s request. Kristin needs an answer on how to fix the collating mechanism. Without it the bulletin could be delayed even more. Evaluation of problems Jane should feel frustrated by now. Not only have the problems in her department raised her stress level for the day, they have been noticed by the other Departments. Now it’s time to look at the real issues. Assuming that Jane has the maximum staffing possible with her budget (excluding the one position she is interviewing for) it is immediately evident that the following problems need to be addressed: Delegation of responsibility Chain of command Prioritising tasks Jane’s expectations of her staff/morale These problems are the results of an underlying and more serious issue. There was no reason for Jane to have to be involved in all of these decisions. Apparently the chain of command in the Department is not clearly set. There should be someone beneath Jane, either an office manager or administrative assistant to organize the day-to-day functions of the department and answer questions. If there is not, and the budget allows, she should hire someone to fill that role. All the staff then need to know who to go to when questions arise, and it should be included in their training. Jane is concerned about her staff’s performance, dedication and morale and she should be. But rather than saying, “I’m getting tired of all these crises. I just can’t seem to get these people to perform, to make their own decisions; they don’t work like a team. They don’t really have much responsibility; that always seems to fall on me. I’m getting more and more complaints from other departments that work from this department is not meeting deadlines, but the staff doesn’t seem to care. They are pretty well paid for what they do, so why aren’t they more motivated? And why are they always asking me to solve their problems? Why aren’t they communicating with me, and with each other, more regularly?” Jane needs to realise that the breakdown in communication is her fault. But she can fix it. And she has to, because a lack of communication is the real issue behind all of the problems in the library. Communication According to Shannon and Weavers model a message begins at an information source, which is relayed through a transmitter, and then sent via a signal towards the receiver. But before it reaches the receiver, the message must go through noise (sources of interference). Finally, the receiver must convey the message to its destination.” Suppose you have an idea in your head (information source) that you want to tell someone about. You must first move the idea from your brain to your mouth (transmitter). Since you cannot actually share your exact ideas, you must select words for your transmitter to use. Once you speak (or write), your voice (signal) is carried towards the listeners ear (receiver). Along the way, your signal is joined by a myriad of other sounds and distractions (noises). The receiver then takes everything it receives and tries to maximize the message and minimize the noise. Finally, the receiver conveys its message to the other persons mind (destination). Shannon and Weavers model demonstrates why even the simplest communications can be misunderstood. Transmitting a signal across additional media only adds to the complexity of the communication and increases the chance for distortion. (Fournier 2005) Using this method to explain the situation might help Jane understand the situation better. Jane has a lot of thoughts (her information source) about what is wrong, But she first has to transmit those ideas to her staff, and in the process at the present time that signal is being disrupted by a great deal of noise; other individual issues and distractions in the department. So her message is getting jumbled as it moves to her intended receiver (listener) and looses its clarity before it reaches their brains (destination), and they can consider what she is actually saying. Using this method to determine a process for improving the situation, Jane needs to get rid of the noise. In this particular instance, because there are so many individual complaints, this means Jane needs to focus on one issue at a time and not allow the noise to affect the processing of information. Shannon-Weaver does not allow for feedback, which is an integral part of communication within a library, but the theory is the same in a reverse format, with “noise” being the greatest threat to clear communication. Solutions Once a week, dependent on other regularly scheduled meetings Jane needs to sit down with her supervisors and discuss issues and solutions. This is when issues such as Ivan’s need to be presented and resolved one at a time. Her supervisors need to know their responsibilities and limitations, and the staff under them needs to be made aware that day-to-problems must first be presented to their supervisors, and should only be presented to Jane when reasonable satisfaction is not forthcoming. Forms of Communication There’s no mention of anyone in the department communicating by memo or other written forms of communication. Not only do these serve as written reminders of a task to be completed, but they are not as disruptive to a schedule as face-to-face meeting can be. As Module 3 states, “Nonverbal forms of communication serve to reinforce the verbal or information content of communication.” (Sanders, M3, 5) Memos do not allow for additional modes of communication, body language and voice tones, and can be misread if they are used to explain a situation. But for simply giving directives they can be effective. Verbal communication offers “Organisational communication is the exchange of messages along predefined paths directs by the organisational hierarchy…They aim to encourage unity and coordination so that the organisation operates as a unit instead of as a series of unconnected parts. One of the main functions of the supervisor or manager is to be certain that their network of communication is effective.” (Sanders, Eyre, 81) At the present time, with the state of near chaos that has developed Jane needs to be careful to not make her communication with her staff appear defensive, or put them in a position to begin defensive listening, so clarity is of the utmost importance. No justification for the problems needs to be made, just resolution. Jane needs to state the issues, inform her staff of her evaluation, and ask them for their opinion (if she really wants one), and explain her point of view, and try to persuade her staff to see her point of view. Once she has information and input she will be prepared to coordinate, resolve problems, and be a leader for her staff. Morale and Motivation Jane needs to take a look at what motivates her to do a good job, and apply those concepts to her staff to build their morale. It could be a number of things; money, opportunity for advancement, a chance to learn; and it is different for everyone. When looking at this from her position she needs to realize that many of her staff are work-study, and will not have the same outlook she does. But everyone prefers to work as part of an organized, “well-oiled” machine. When the functions of a business move smoothly there is less stress for all involved. There are ten primary actions Jane can take to build morale and motivate her staff. They are: provide feedback, provide praise and recognition, provide proper progressive discipline, give instructions, interview and hire employees, delegate tasks and projects, listen, write records, letters, file notations, and performance evaluations, make presentations, manage time, plan and execute projects, problem solve and follow up for continuous improvement, make decisions, manage meetings, and build teams in a teamwork environment. (Heathfield 2004) Theories Vroom’s theory (expectancy) maintains that most people ask “What’s in it for me?” (Sanders, M3, 10) That’s a simplified version, but people do not usually work without a motive. If an individual is likely to achieve his/her goal they are more likely to be motivated. McGregor is more cynical, stating that some people will avoid work (X theory), and others want satisfying work. (Sanders, M3, 12) He combines this however with his Y theory, stating “People will apply self-control and self-direction in the pursuit of organisational objectives.” (Chapman, 2005) Ouchi’s theory (Z) maintains that shared decision making leads to greater cooperation, and that employees are motivated by a commitment to be part of something worthwhile (self-actualization). (Sanders, M3, 12) Jane needs to apply portions of Ouchi’s theory by allowing the entire staff to have input into decisions, not already determined by library policy and procedures; and also by applying portions of Vroom’s theory and realizing that people expect a certain reward for job performance. For some people self-actualization will be enough. For others like Jennifer, who is obviously hoping for advancement, other incentives will be necessary. As a supervisor it is imperative that Jane be flexible in dealing with the individuals in her staff. While she must maintain distance from the trivial functions of operation, she must have an awareness of what is going on at all levels, and be aware of what is being said on the “grapevine”. According to the text the grapevine has definite advantages, “It’s fast…It’s accurate…It’s efficient.” (Sanders, 2004, 82) As explained in the reading written by Lubans, “With the firm imposition of measurable goals, a deadline, and assignment of decision making to sub teams, the teams begin to excel.” (Lubans, 34) Further into the text Luben lists the elements of successful teams as: “purpose/mission, team member roles, real work, the how, deadlines, support, accountability, and interdependence.” (Lubans, 35) It’s apparent that Jane needs to utilise a team management approach, as it will allow “the staff to become part of the change process, thus reducing negativity (and) work towards collective organisational goals.” (Sanders, Eyre, 10) At the present time the library is functioning with work “groups”. They consider themselves individual contributors even though they work in the same area. (Cole, 343) They need to become a team in order to reap the benefits [of] increased cohesiveness, morale and productivity. (Cole, 344) Jane needs to clarify the roles of all personnel in her department; including her own. As she does that it will become apparent to the staff which individual is responsible for which duties. Because some functions must continue in spite of absences such as illness or vacation, some members of the staff need to be cross-trained to cover those contingencies. If all staff members know their expected goals, and the deadlines for them conflicts will ease considerably, and less supervision will be required. All staff members should expect to work, including work-study students such as Michelle who appears to think she should have a lighter load as her job is nearing an end. If everyone can expect that from their peers there is less likelihood of any issues of unfairness or jealousy. It is imperative that Jane follow library guidelines in completing employee evaluations in a timely fashion. Jennifer’s complaint was legitimate, and if possible she should be awarded a pay raise retroactive to the date Jane should have completed her evaluation. A supervisor cannot risk losing competent staff by neglect, and Jennifer’s sense of self-actualization will be increase, and it will also be incentive to the rest of the staff to do a good job. Summary The Library is its staff. Two objectives of management relate to staffing in particular; Provide a flexible organisational structure which is responsive to changing environments, and selecting and developing library staff with skills, knowledge and abilities to deliver high quality library and information services. (McKinlay 1996) As McKinlay states so succinctly, the library, its function and reputation is created by its staff. And management; in this case Jane, is responsible for the development of her staff. If Jane sets expectations for her staff, sets deadlines for meeting the tasks, makes sure the lines of communication are open and CLEAR, and that her staff feels a sense of accomplishment she should see considerable improvement in all areas. In doing so she will have reduced the “noise” the entire department is hearing, and created a path for clear communication, and built a team capable of functioning as a cohesive and effective unit. Since the entire library relies on her department’s cataloguing to know what is available, increasing its competence will improve the function of the entire library, and resolve complaints from other departments. Bibliography Chapman, Alan, 2005, douglas macgregor - theory x y, business balls.com, http://www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm, 7th July, 2005 Cole,K, 2004, Facilitating work teams in Business administration and supervision, Pearson Education Australia, Sydney, pp. 342-361. Fournier, Stephen, 2005, Shannon and Weaver’s Model of Communication, http://stevefournier01.tripod.com/hist/hist-6.html, 7th July, 2005 Heathfield, Susan M., 2003, TEN TIPS FOR THE LEADER ABOUT BUILDING EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND MORALE AT WORK, Stack Masula, http://www.stackmasula.com.au/ten_tips.htm, [Accessed 7th July, 2005] Lubans, John Jr., Teams in Libraries, on managing, Volume 17, no.3, Summer 2003, [Accessed 11th June, 2005] McKinlay, John, Tredrea, Carolyn, and Clark, Judith, 1996, Library Futures Forum: towards the 21st Century, Human Resources: A Library Futures Discussion Paper, http://www.library.jcu.edu.au/General_Info/humres.html, [Accessed 7th July, 2005] Nanyang Technological University, 2003-05, Library, Bibliographic Services Division, Aim, http://www.ntu.edu.sg/Library/About/BSD/, [Accessed 11th June, 2005] Sanders, R., 2004, Australian Library Supervision and Management, 2nd Edition, Centre for Information Studies, CSU, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 11th June, 2005 Sanders, Roy and Eyre, Gayner, (revised 2004), An Introduction to Library Supervision and Management, Library Supervision and Management, INF 200, Module 1, 11th June, 2005 Sanders, R., (revised 2004), Supervisory Skills, Library Supervision and Management, INF 200, Module 3, 11th June, 2005 Read More