Change Management Strategies and Motivation in Library and Information Centers in Coastal Karnataka

Transcription

1 Change Management Strategies and Motivation in Library and Information Centers in Coastal Karnataka Purushothama Gowda. M, Mangalore University, India. Abstract Libraries are in transition from manual management to automated management systems. Databases are replacing card catalogues, printed indexes and abstracts, full text articles and textbooks as well. Information produced and stored in new forms. The integration of computers and printing is leading to a new method of information management and dissemination. Libraries and information centers of Coastal Karnataka are no longer selfsufficient but linked through electronic networks of various types and means. In view of the changing environment and growing competition in the world, and the impact of ICT on libraries are gearing up for change management in their organizations, shifting from manual management of library activities to automated management of library activities. The aim of this study is to investigate change management strategies and motivation in libraries. In the present study researcher has chosen the 285 respondents from the 145 libraries. Respondents with very high percentage mean of agreed that while selecting the best change strategy, result oriented strategy is chosen for the change management, The respondents also agreed that proper importance has been given to the resources available for change management and their responses shows a mean score of with percentage mean of Out of the ten important motivating factors working conditions scored highest with percentage mean and transformational leadership scored lowest with percentage mean The total mean value of all factors on motivation is the total mean score of general libraries is with percentage mean for medical /allied libraries the mean score is with percentage mean For the engineering /technology libraries the mean score is 4.15 with percentage mean of The medical/allied library staffs are highly motivated and their percentage of mean is Key words: Change management, Management strategies, Motivatio, Library and information centers 1

2 1. Introduction Organizations/libraries are required to maintain harmony with their ever-changing environment. They have to maintain compatibility with the environmental changes for their survival, growth and prosperity. Otherwise, the organizations/libraries may fall back in the changing scenario of the world. According to Jayaprakash and Ramanaiah (2001), The organizations which fail to change are sure to fail. Library and information centers are not exception to these phenomena. Organizations must carefully observe the environment and incorporate suitable changes the situation demands. They must be proactive in affecting change. Nandagopal and Sivakumar in Change management in library and information services (2005) writes that Library is considered as an organization within organization. Library is a part of an organization/institution be it a business enterprise, corporation, research institution, university, college or other educational body. While implementing organizational change that involves adoption of new technology and functionality, a shared perception of organization culture needs to be created. There is a challenge for all libraries to create an environment where the satisfaction of both the client and the staff can be achieved cost effectively. This culture stresses how best the organization gets from its staff. There is a challenge to develop individual roles and job descriptions that provide sufficient guidance for what is to be achieved, while allowing scope for flexibility and choice that makes work challenging and satisfying (Panda and Mandal, 2006). According to Gallacher (1999) once flexible structures and systems are in place, it is easier to introduce and implement change. She says For change to succeed, however, it is also necessary to have an organizational culture where change can flourish. 2. Need for change in library and information centers In order to survive and grow every organization/library has to depend on their interaction with their external environment. They get input from their environment, transform them through various processes and export output to the environment. The management of change is a complex process that involves a lot of exercise on the part of the management of any organization or institution and it requires considerable foresight. The following are the broad needs for management of change in library and information centers: Information explosion: Impact of Information and Communication (ICT): Globalization: 2

3 3. Significance of the study Change management in library and information centres is responding to the needs of changing library and information environment. New technological developments have already profoundly affected libraries. These changes are necessitated by the exponential growth of information generation and developments in the handling and communication of information. The manner in which libraries process, store, and retrieve information is changing as is the information medium itself. The purpose of change management in libraries is therefore aimed at providing quality information services and greater user satisfaction. Pugh (2007) is of the opinion that the modern information service should recognize that it is in a period of discontinuous change, which demands a distinguishable break with past practice, and requires the recognition that the former ways of doing things will not create and sustain successful organizations. There is a need for a change culture, which makes use of the theories or organizational development. Libraries of today are in transition from manual to automated systems. Databases are replacing card catalogues, printed indexes and abstracts, full text articles and textbooks as well. Information produced and stored in new forms. The integration of computers and printing is leading to a new method of information dissemination. Libraries are no longer self-sufficient but linked through electronic networks of various types and means. In view of the changing environment and growing competition in the world, and the impact of ICT on libraries are gearing up for change management in their organizations, shifting from manual management of library activities to automated management of library activities. The process of management of change is really a very challenging task because it needs to change the very mind set of LIS professionals, management and library users. It also requires the support from various counts, and lot of resources, involves many people and demands the library manager to put in his best efforts. 4. Change Management The Compact Oxford Reference Dictionary gives the meaning of Change as make or become different, move from one system or situation to another. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines Management as The act or skill of directing and organizing the work of a company or organization. According to Nilakant and Ramanarayan (2006) effective Change Management is about balance between short-term and long-term profits and people, overview and detail, continuity and transformation, reality and imagination, hardnosed business savvy and soft-hearted dreams, and between what is feasible and what is desirable. It is not about restructuring, reorganizing, merging or downsizing. It is all about changing the ways in which people think and act in an organization. 3

4 Type of libraries No. of libraries Table 1: Distribution and receipt of questionnaires No. of questionnaires distributed No. of questionnaires received & effective Percentage % % % % The total population of the study is 285 consisting of: from general libraries 122, Technological libraries 86 and Medical and allied libraries 77. Out of these the questionnaires received and qualified for tabulation and analysis were libraries 77 (63.11%), Medical/allied libraries 56 (72.72%) and libraries 65 (75.58%) while the overall percentage was 69.47% and the total questionnaires received and considered for the study were Literature review Farrow s study (1997) considers the changes taking place in the information and library sector-changes which are due to fast developing technologies and the resulting information explosion. She says that the traditional skills and methods of working are coming under increasing pressure and are no longer sufficient. Study assesses the impact of these information technology changes on information staff who has to extend their traditional skills and develop new expertise. The study considers staff management issues, especially resistance to change, and the effect of training and communication programmes. She concludes that maintaining the balance between technology and individual needs is the key to success. In the study managing change in library and information services, Gallacher (1999) reported that librarians recognize the rapid change is a way of life in libraries and information services. But in times of rapid and continual change, librarians are absorbed by growing workloads, daily routines and individual change projects that they lose perspective on the change process as a whole. It is important to step back and think about the nature of change in general and about its effects on organizations and individuals as well. Gallacher contends that it is no longer just senior librarians, who must be able to manage change well, but all library professionals and indeed all library staff. Therefore her study is intended for all librarians and senior library and information assistants, particularly those who involved in managing staff in libraries and for new comers in library profession. Her study is about the change process itself: why change is necessary in libraries and information centres, why change can be difficult and what librarians can do to implement change successfully in their concerned libraries. 4

5 Boughey (2000) argues that the management of change is a major theme of management studies. He tries to answer the question why some organizations change with the times and go from strength to strength, whilst others either stick rigidly to the old ways and die, or attempt to change but it all goes horribly wrong. Stressing this, Boughey gives the examples of change that has not worked in several libraries, The computers that sits gathering dust in the corner because no one knows what it is for or how to use it, may be because, the enthusiast who installed it left for a better job and went. He identified a few areas which are relevant for the management of change: the change management stages that are gone through, analyze of forces for and against change and the role of leadership. As per him any one element of change affect on all other elements of the organization. Based on previous studies, he identifies four areas of an organization which are subject to change: task, technology, structures and people. - Tasks refers to the product or services that are produced, and the process that are undertaken - is the equipments used - Structures mean the structure of the organization - People are fairly obvious, but include the beliefs and ways of doing things and the paradigms that the staff follows, which includes the culture of that organization. As per Swanepoel, Du Toit and Van Brakel (2001) the academic library itself acts as a change agent at the same time it is also prone to change in the midst of major change from traditional paper base to a digital, virtual information service. Therefore they found that it is essential to have a management protocol or model for change management in libraries. While stressing the need for better change management they say that change impact heavily on human resources and leaders play a pivotal role in the change process. After studying several models, they propose their own model primarily to manage the technological changes in libraries and also provide guidelines for implementing the new model. The study concludes that a principle of managing change is that leadership should be from the top management. 6. Deciding the Most Appropriate strategy While selecting the best change strategy for change management, the result oriented strategy has to be chosen. Proper importance need to be given to the available resources, values, mission and aims and objectives of the organization. Consensus of the staff is taken to decide the strategy and more importance need to be given to the opinion of the group leader. 5

6 Table 2: Deciding the most appropriate strategy for change management Best result oriented change strategy is chosen Importance is given to resources available for change Change strategies are consistent with values, vision & mission Consensus of staff is respected before the final decision is taken More importance is given to the opinion of group leader Type of library Type of library Type of library Type of library Type of library Strongly disagree Uncert ain Strongl y agree Std. Deviation Median Mean(%) ANOVA F value p value Disagree Agree Mean d.f , % 9.1% 10.4% 58.4% 22.1% NS 1.8% 1.8% 12.5% 57.1% 26.8% % 7.7% 15.4% 61.5% 13.8% % 6.6% 12.6% 59.1% 20.7% , % 9.1% 15.6% 49.4% 26.0% NS.0% 1.8% 16.1% 48.2% 33.9% % 3.1% 10.8% 69.2% 15.4% % 5.1% 14.1% 55.6% 24.7% , % 7.8% 14.3% 53.2% 24.7% NS.0% 1.8% 12.5% 48.2% 37.5% % 3.1% 15.4% 66.2% 15.4% % 4.5% 14.1% 56.1% 25.3% , % 6.5% 20.8% 46.8% 24.7% NS 1.8% 3.6% 14.3% 62.5% 17.9% % 4.6% 16.9% 58.5% 16.9% % 5.1% 17.7% 55.1% 20.2% , % 11.7% 22.1% 45.5% 16.9% sig 3.6% 1.8% 12.5% 48.2% 33.9% % 6.2% 9.2% 58.5% 23.1% % 7.1% 15.2% 50.5% 23.7% 6.1 Two way ANOVA results For the components: F (4,780) = p = HS For the type of libraries: F (2,195) = p = NS Respondents agreed that while selecting the best change strategy, result oriented strategy is chosen with the mean score of 3.92 ± 0.83 with percentage mean which is high. Respondents were asked whether proper importance is given to the resources available for the change management and their responses shows a mean score of 3.99 ± 0.80 with percentage mean which is also high. Respondents opined that the change strategies are consistent 6

7 with the values, mission and aims and objectives of the organization with a mean score of 4.02 ± 0.76 with percentage mean which is also high. Respondents agreed that the consensus of the staff is respected before the final decision on change strategy is taken with a mean score of 3.86 ± 0.86 with percentage mean For the question whether more importance is given to the opinion of the change group leader, the responses mean score is 3.84 ± 0.98 with percentage mean which is also high. Two way ANOVA results shows that the difference between the components of change strategy is highly significant as F=3.644, p=0.000, HS, and the difference between the type of libraries is not significant as F=2.001, p=0.138, NS. Table 3: Deciding the most appropriate strategy for change management Deciding which strategy is the most appropriate Type of library Std. ANOVA F p N Mean Deviation Median Mean(%) value d.f value , NS On deciding which strategy is the most appropriate, the total mean score of all the libraries is 3.93 ± 0.68 with percentage mean which is high. In general libraries the mean is 3.85 ± 0.73 with percentage mean In medical/allied libraries the mean is 4.08 ± 0.69 with percentage mean and in engineering/technology libraries the mean is 3.88 ± 0.60 with percentage mean Further it is seen that medical/allied libraries it is highest with percentage mean and in general libraries it is lowest with percentage mean ANOVA p=0.138, NS. 7. Motivation Motivating staff in a rapid and continuous change in organizational setup requires flexible leadership, focus on the aims and objectives of the proposed change, spirit of experimentation, the skill of balancing the pros and cons of change, communication skills, open minded attitude and skills in implementing change management. Motivation- self as well of the staff is a process directed towards attaining the pre set goals. It includes the fulfillment of personal needs, learning, organizations mission requirements and recognition and rewards. There are several motivating factors, fulfillment of which motivates the employees in organizations to work better and attain the required results. Respondents were asked to mention which are the important motivating factors for their support for change and they are motivated by that. A total of ten factors of motivation were listed and respondents were asked to mark it on a five point scale as: Very important, important, uncertain, partially important and not important. Table shows their responses. 7

8 Type of library Proceedings of the Third Asia-Pacific Conference on Global Business, Economics, Finance 7.1 Two way ANOVA results Organizational culture Management styles Job security Working conditions Relationships with colleagues Salary and other benefits Status and recognition Empowerment Transformational leadership Learning and self improvement Organizational culture Management styles Job security Working conditions Relationships with colleagues Salary and other benefits Status and recognition Empowerment Transformational leadership Learning and self improvement Organizational culture Management styles Job security Working conditions Relationships with colleagues Salary and other benefits Status and recognition Empowerment Transformational leadership Learning and self improvement Organizational culture Management styles Job security Working conditions Relationships with colleagues Salary and other benefits Status and recognition Empowerment Transformational leadership Learning and self improvement Table4: Motivation For the components: F (9, 1755) = p = HS For the type of libraries: F (2,195) = p = NS For the question whether the organizational culture as important motivating factor, the respondents total mean score is 4.27 ± 0.76 with percentage mean Std. N Mean Deviation Median Mean(%) For the management styles as a motivating factor the mean score is 4.18 ± 0.80 with percentage mean For job security as a motivating factor, the mean score is 4.34 ± 0.83 with 8

9 percentage mean For working conditions as a motivating factor, the mean score is 4.35 ± 0.71 with percentage mean For the relationships with colleagues as a motivating factor, the mean score is 4.24 ± 0.83 with percentage mean For salary and other benefits as motivating factor, the mean score is 4.30 ± 0.91 with percentage mean For status and recognition as a motivating factor, the mean score is 4.10 ± 0.92 with percentage mean For empowerment as a motivating factor, the mean score is 4.02 ± 0.87 with percentage mean For transformational leadership as a motivating factor, the mean score is 3.95 ± 0.96 with percentage mean and for learning and self improvement as a motivating factor, the mean score is 4.20 ± 0.80 with percentage mean Out of the ten important motivating factors, working conditions scored highest with percentage mean and transformational leadership scored lowest with percentage mean Two way ANOVA results show that the difference between the components of motivation which is highly significant as F=9.60, p=0.002, HS, while the difference between the type of libraries is not significant as F=0.402, p=0.670, NS. Table 5: Motivation Motivation Type of library Std. ANOVA P N Mean Deviation Median Mean(%) F value d.f value , NS The total mean score of all factors on motivation of all the libraries is which is very high. The total mean score of general libraries is 4.18 ± 0.55 with percentage mean For medical/allied libraries the mean score is 4.25 ± 0.67 with percentage mean As for the engineering/technology libraries the mean score is 4.15 ± 0.67 with percentage mean of Further, it can be noted that the medical/allied library staff are highly motivated with percentage mean 85.07, which is highest among the three types, and for the engineering/technology libraries, which is lowest among the three types of libraries. ANOVA F=0.402, p=0.670, NS. 8. Conclusion Service organization like library should incorporate suitable changes as per the situation demands. While adopting the technology functionality one should understand clearly the perception of the organization. In the changing environment and growing competition in the world, and the impact of ICT on libraries are gearing up for change management in their 9

10 organizations, shifting from manual management of library activities management. References to automated Boughey, Alan, Implementing the New Library: the people s network and the management of change. Aslib Proceedings, 52(4), Farrow, Janet, 1997, Management of change: technological developments and human resource issues in the information sector. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 12(5), Retrieved February 24, 2010 from Gallacher, Cathryn, 1999, Managing change in library and information services. London: Aslib. Jayaprakash, A., and Ramanaiah, K., 2001, Management of change for quality improvement in library and information centers. University News, 39(46), Nandagopal, R.,and Sivakumar, B, 2005, Change management in library and information services. New Delhi: Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Nilakant, V., and Ramnarayan, S., Change management: Altering mindsets in a global context. New Delhi: Response Books. Panda, K.C.,and Mandal, Manik, 2006, Corporate culture in libraries and information centers to promote knowledge-based business in IT era. Library Management, 27(6/7), Pugh, Lyndon, Change management in information services. (2 nd ed.) Ariadne. Ashgate: Swanepoel, Marinus, Du Toit, Adeline, and Van Brakel, Pieter A, Management of information technology in academic information services. Aslib Proceedings, 53(6),