Week Four

1. Week Four Staffing

2. Staffing • Overview • Job Characteristics • Organizational Structure • Job descriptions • HR Issues • Performance Evaluations • Legal Considerations

3. Types of Library Staff Professional librarians • master’s degree in library or information science • tend to be specialists Support staff • wide range of skills and responsibilities • handle the routine work of most library departments • varying education and experience levels Part-time employees • often are students • do mostly repetitive tasks

4. Changing Nature of Library Work • Shift from traditional, functional specialist positions to “multi-skilling” positions • Increasing requirements for behavior skills • ability to communicate internally and externally • work effectively with others • flexibility • creativity • innovative

5. Diversity • Broad term encompassing not only race, ethnicity, and gender but also characteristics such as age and physical ability • Diversity brings a variety of points of views and approaches to problems and opportunity that strengthens organizations • Managers must promote and commit to diversity as a principle and value that is part of the organizational culture

6. Training and Staff Development • Every library needs a planned, staff training and development program • Training • primarily focuses on teaching staff to perform their current jobs and helping them to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be effective performers • also needed to keep employees current

7. Training and Staff Development • Staff Development • staff development focuses on building staff knowledge and skills so that they will be prepared to take on new responsibilities • includes additional activities such as varied work experiences and formal education • professional conference programs and workshops • it is critical that managers promote transfer of the knowledge and skills to the actual work situation

8. Staffing • Personnel costs are half of the financial resources allocated to the library • In times of economic downturns, what gets cut? How do we prioritize? • Some academic libraries are being asked to cut 5-10% of budget (this could mean $3 million dollars).

9. ARL Budget Roundup 2009 • Staffing • Emory- 10 vacant positions won’t be filled (African-American studies, economics, LGBT, etc.), other searches on hold • University of Washington- • 8% cut= 20 vacant positions, closing/consolidating of three branches and two service points • 12% cut= 34.5 vacancies, 24 service hours cut in undergrad library, branches to close at 5pm everyday. • Umass Dartmouth loses Vice Chancellor of Library Services position- dutires relocated to Adminsitration & Fiscal Affairs • Staff Development • Reductions in travel and staff development- training, conference attendance, etc.

10. Organizational Structure In Academic Libraries

11. Organizational Structure • Organizations: • are groups of individuals joined together to accomplish some objective • have their own characteristics • have rules and norms which have evolved over time • interact with other organizations • change internally to keep up with external pressures

12. To Organize Structure • Group tasks into individual jobs • Group jobs into functions and divisions • Allocate authority in the organization among jobs, functions and divisions • Coordinate or integrate jobs, functions and divisions

13. Grouping Tasks into Jobs: Job Design • Job design is the process by which managers decide how to divide into specific jobs the tasks that have to be performed • J.R. Hackman and G.R. Oldman developed a job characteristics model that explains how to design jobs that are interesting and motivating

14. Job Characteristics Model • High motivation on the job is related to three psychological states: • Meaningfulness of the work: work has meaning to you, is something you relate to, not just a set of tasks/movements • Responsibility: you have the opportunity for success or failure, because you have sufficient freedom of action. Includes ability to make changes/ incorporate learning on the job • Knowledge of Outcomes: 1) you get feedback so you know how successful you’ve been & can learn from your mistakes, 2) you can connect emotionally to the customer of your product

15. Job Characteristics Model • Each of the three states derives from job characteristics: • Meaningfulness: • Skill variety: uses an appropriate variety of skills (too many is overwhelming, too few is boring) • Task identity: the extent to which a job requires a worker to perform all the tasks required to complete the job • Task significance: the degree to which a worker feels the job is meaningful

16. Job Characteristics Model • Responsibility: • Comes from autonomy- the degree to which the job gives the employee the freedom and discretion needed to schedule different tasks and decide how to carry them out • Feedback: • The extent to which actually doing the job provides a worker with clear and direct information about how well the job has been performed

17. Job Characteristics Model

18. Job Characteristics Model • Once we know what contributes to high motivation in a job, we can design jobs around key components: • Varying work to enable skill variety • Assigning work to groups to increase the wholeness of the product produced and give a group to enhance significance • Delegate tasks to their lowest possible level to create autonomy and hence responsibility • Connect people to the outcomes of their work and the customers that receive them so as to provide feedback for learning • Taken from http://www.arrod.co.uk/archive/concept_job_characteristics.php

19. Job Characteristics Model

20. Organizational Structure Job groupings

21. Grouping Jobs into Functions and Divisions There are at least six structures used in libraries: • functional structure • subject structure • divisional structure • form structure • matrix structure • hybrid structure

22. Jobs in Functions and Divisions • Functional structure • a function is a group of people, working together, who posses similar skills or uses the same knowledge, tools or techniques • most common structure found in libraries • Subject structure • used by libraries to organize based upon the classification of knowledge • humanities, social sciences, etc. • then, functional by including functional responsibilities within the subject structure, such as acquisitions and reference

23. Jobs in Functions and Divisions • Divisional structure • an organizational structure composed of separate units within which are the functions that work together to produce a specific output for a specific customer • we often see geographic divisional structures -- campus branch libraries

24. Jobs in Functions and Divisions • Form of resources structure • sometimes referred to as a divisional/product structure (the form is the output) • use of materials format to organize, such as map, microform, audio-visual, serials, electronic services, and government documents • often, the form of resources structure handles all functions related to the format: acquisitions, cataloging, shelving, etc. • example: Government Documents Departments.

25. Jobs in Functions and Divisions • Matrix structure • workers are grouped by first by function, then into product teams. Members of different functions work together to develop a specific product. • each person reports to two bosses: the function boss and the product boss • to keep matrix structure flexible, product teams are empowered and members are responsible for making important decisions. • not seen often in libraries because of its complexity and problems with unity of command (two bosses)

26. Jobs in Functions and Divisions • Hybrid structure • usually based in a large organization that has many divisions and simultaneously uses many different structures (for example, function and product, etc.) • essentially used to break large organizations into smaller, more manageable units

27. Integrating Staff • Mechanisms are used to increase communications and coordination among functions and divisions • Direct contact • Liaison roles • useful for transmitting information across an organization

28. Integrating Staff • Task forces • a committee from various functions or divisions who meet to solve a specific problem • temporary; once the problem is solved, the task force dissolves • Committees • members are usually appointed • have a specific charge and are results-oriented • may be temporary or permanent standing • example: Public Relations Committee; Staff Development Committee

29. Integrating Staff • Cross-functional teams • to address recurring problems, use permanent cross-functional teams • Quality circles • groups of employees that meet regularly and voluntarily to recommend solutions to quality and productivity problems • Self-managing teams • internal groups that manage themselves • members are those who do the work • process-oriented • managers are responsible for developing the talents and skills of team members, motivating them, and fostering effective working relationships

30. Organizational Structures in Libraries The current thinking is: • flexible and adaptable to change • few levels of formal hierarchy • loose boundaries among functions and units • work unit is teams • focus on end user services

31. Organizational Structures in Libraries • Results: • job descriptions are becoming broader • combining units internally • some flattening of the hierarchy • empowerment of team-based staff to make decisions for which they have the appropriate information, knowledge, skills and abilities • use of interdepartmental committees to cross functional departments

32. Organizational Structures in Libraries • Results (continued) • liaisons to the faculty (selection; research; instructional, etc.) • new user services (virtual reference) • elimination of user services (such as reference librarians doing database searching on behalf of the user) • new partnerships with other organizational units (usually IT- which others?)

33. Job Descriptions • Job analysis is the HRM process of identifying the tasks, duties and responsibilities that make up a job -- the job description • Job descriptions specifies the duties associated with the job

34. Job Descriptions Usually contain the following elements: • Job identification • job title and department • Job summary • description of the major responsibilities and why the job exists • Job activities and procedures • description of tasks to be performed • clear delineation of the duties and responsibilities of the job

35. Job Descriptions • Relationship of job to the organization • lines of authority • number of employees to be supervised • internal and external relationships required of the job • Job requirements • identifies the minimal qualifications required • education; experience; special skills; knowledge or abilities necessary • could also identify “preferred” qualifications including additional educations and specific experiences

36. Human Resources Management In Academic Libraries

37. Legal Environment of HRM • There are a number of local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning labor • Local laws are usually centered around minimum wage; although there is a federal minimum wage, Boston has set its own minimum wage level

38. Legal Environment of HRM • Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 • mandates that non-managerial workers (non-exempt employees) receive overtime pay at the rate of 1.5 times their regularly hourly rate for any hours worked beyond the standard 40 hour week • exempt employees are classified as managers who make important decisions affecting the organization, supervise two or more subordinates, or can hire and fire employees are “exempt” from the 40 hour workweek and overtime pay. • most professional librarians are classified as exempt employees

39. Legal Environment of HRM • Equal Pay Act - 1963 • requires men and women to be paid equally if they are performing equal work • Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) • Civil Rights Act, Title VII – 1964 • equal right of all citizens to the opportunity to obtain employment regardless of their gender, age, race, country of origin, religion, or disabilities. • covers a wide range of employment decisions, including hiring, firing, pay, promotion, and working conditions.

40. Legal Environment of HRM • Age Discrimination in Employment Act - 1967 • prohibits discrimination against workers over the age of 40 and restricts mandatory retirement • Equal Opportunity Employment Act - 1972 • amends Title VII to cover all private employers of 15 or more people, all private and public educational institutions, state and local governments, employment agencies, labor unions, and apprenticeship and training programs.

41. Legal Environment of HRM • Pregnancy Discrimination Act - 1978 • prohibits discrimination against women in employment decisions on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical decisions • Americans with Disabilities Act - 1990 • prohibits discrimination against with disabled individuals in employment decisions and requires employers to make accommodations for disabled workers to enable them to perform their jobs

42. Legal Environment of HRM • Civil Rights Act - 1991 • prohibits discrimination (as does Title VII) and allows for the awarding of punitive and compensatory damages, in addition to back pay, in cases of intentional discrimination • Family and Medical Leave Act - 1993 • requires employees to prove up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for medical and family reasons including paternity and illness of a family member

43. Legal Environment of HRM • Sexual Harassment • form of sexual discrimination protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 • quid pro quo sexual harassment: occurs when a supervisor or someone in authority demands a sexual favor in exchange for some type of employee benefit • hostile work environment of sexual harassment: occurs when an employee is forced to work in an environment where behaviors considered offensive to an employee, such as sexual teasing or jokes, occur. The plaintiff must only demonstrate that the environment created by the offensive conduct was hostile and abusive.

44. Legal Environment of HRM • Library managers responsible for HR must keep current with ever-changing laws, case law, and regulations.

45. Performance Appraisal and Feedback • Performance appraisal is the evaluation of the employees’ job performance and contributions to the organization

46. Performance Appraisal and Feedback • Who appraises performance • immediate supervisors are the most common appraisers of performance • also, self-evaluation, peer-evaluation, subordinates and clients • Establishing standards of performance • standards of performance must be established against which an employee’s work is evaluated • articulate expectations; do not assume that everyone’s definition of “being on time” is the same • employees should have a say in the standards to be used since they are closest to the work

47. Performance Appraisal and Feedback • Methods of performance appraisals • there is no standard for performance appraisal • most are form-based, and the form is developed by the institutional level HR department • Instruments used • narrative essay • ranking systems • simply ranks attributes from 1- 5 or high to low • graphic rating: uses a short phrase to describe the level of performance - “meets”, “exceeds expectations” etc. • behavior anchored rating scales • assesses job behavior, such as “knowledge,” “attitude,” “judgment,” etc. • difficult to administered because each job is different

48. What is effectiveness in context of teams?

49. “Leading Groups in Organizations,” by J. Richard Hackman and Richard E. Walton InDesigning Effective Work Groups, edited by Paul S. Goodman and Associates, 1986, pp. 72-120

50. Effectiveness: task-performing groups in organizations • Results: the degree to which the group’s productive output (service) meets the standards of quantity, quality, and timeliness of the people who receive, review, and/or use that output • Collegiality: the degree to which the process of carrying out the work enhances the capability of members to work together interdependently in the future • Individual Development: the degree to which the group experience contributes to the growth and personal well-being of team members