Developing Corporate Culture in the Indian University Libraries; Problems and Challenges of Change Management

Dr. I V MalhanProfessor & Head

Department of Library ScienceUniversity of Jammu

JammuIndia

Higher Education Institutions in India• Are influenced by the globalization of

Higher Education• Facing growing competition • Experiencing external pressures of

market forces• Pursuing the objective of quality and

need based education• Undergoing changes and competing like

business enterprises

Because of these factors, the Universities are undergoing metamorphosis and so do their librariesTheir libraries are• Restructuring their facilities• Remodelling their functions for

effectiveness and efficiency• Reengineering their operations • Reinventing their services• Ameliorating their resources

University libraries however are facing problems such as

• Requirement of additional financial resources for modernization

• Competition with alternative information communication channels

• Increasing number of users because of expansion of universities and their functions

Contd.

• Growing service demands and different types of demands

• Continuing education and retraining of their staff

• Develop multimedia collections and facilitate other possible channels for instant access to information

The ongoing changes in libraries areaccelerated by the developments in IT and

fueled by the Internet. The technology in fact has helped the libraries

o For compact storage of informationo Speedy processing of informationo Quick retrieval of informationo Instant communication of information

Technology has provided opportunities and means for libraries for • Improving efficiency of their in-house

operations • Develop OPACs• Instantly access the remote information

resources• More effectively publicize their resources

and services through the webContd.

Contd.• Digitize their collections and make these

accessible through the Internet• Facilitated more effective delivery of

information overcoming the barriers of space and time

• Network the standalone libraries• Instantly access remote information sources• Facilitated choices of buying access or

buying a source

Technology at the same time has also empowered the information user communities and offered them greater choices• Users can themselves access a large number

of information sources• Enormous number of open access

information resources are available to them directly on their Internet connected computers

Contd.

Contd.• Even personal viewpoints, ideas and

concern can be reached through blogs

• There is no dearth of information and no scarcity of information channels. If any limitation exists that is time available with individual user and capacity to use and assimilate information

Contd.

Contd.

• Users now often measure the value of information received against the time spent

• Users having common subject interests can quickly exchange information through mailing lists

Challenges for the University Libraries are• To constantly add value to their

services

• To intimately relate information with the work processes and work performance requirements of the university

Contd.• Pay greater individual attention to users

and map out their information routes for facilitating them to achieve their individual goals and objectives

• Evolve to the next level of service to provide knowledge based prescriptions to solve users’ problems

Contd.• Make effective profitable use of

available open access information resources and knowledge management tools

• Jointly evaluate information and create need based virtual library networks

• Organize the virtual libraries into most user friendly information architecture

Contd.• Constantly track information sources to

find ideas for the benefit of their users• Move a step ahead in their services to

relate worthwhile information with other relevant information and thus repackage and provide information

• Constantly search means for greater user help and convenience

Contd.• Customize information as per users’

requirements• Invent new information products,

innovate new information services and develop new knowledge management tools

• Work for users’ capacity building for making most effective and profitable use of available information resources

Keeping in view the problems, opportunities and emerging challenges, the university libraries are almost developing corporate culture as they are

• Developing their mission statements and defining their objectives

Contd.

Contd.• Finding means for cutting costs and

eliminating redundant costs and redeploying their sources for cost effectiveness

• Developing strategic alliances with other libraries to develop collections and enhance services

• Privatization is just happening for some of the services such as reprography and the Internet access

Contd.• To achieve time targets some

university libraries are just getting their work done through outsourcing e. g. retroconversion of card catalogue, introduction of the RFID technology

• Making efforts for fund raising, providing fee based services and marketing their information products

Contd.• Dismantling rigid hierarchical

management structures in favour of spatial management

• Trying to achieve international certifications and six sigma performance

• Paying greater attention and ensuring more care for their customers

Contd.• Keeping strategies in place to deal

with the changes in the external environment as well as internal functioning of the universities and adapting accordingly

In the modernization of university libraries and introduction of new work culture the greatest challenge is management of change. However rigid management principles cannot be laid down for managing change because Contd.

Contd.• There are variations because of

their functioning in diverse cultural settings

• Level of financial support also varies

• Variations in the level of interest of the university leadership

• Variations in availability of information resources and facilities

However some helpful strategies for change management are:

Strategy I: Administrative Level• Firm commitment on the part of

university leadership to develop and sustain a state of the art university library system

• Constitution of staff teams for modernization and change management by the university libraries

Contd.

• Setting up of a monitoring committee for facilitating change

• Personal visits of the university leader to monitor and review the process of change do help

• Change process is smoothened when the library employees are willing to actively participate

Strategy II: Staff Level• Continuing education and training of

library personnel in handling new work technologies e. g. Training process has largely helped in the introduction of ICT in Indian university libraries. When the staff is trained new methods and technologies of handling information, the latter automatically get integrated in their work culture.

Strategy III: Users Level• When users are exposed and familiarized

to new methods of information accessing by imparting information literacy, they demand information access to such information channels and technologies. As university libraries now plan and execute customer need focused services, they introduce changes to provide greater service and convenience in favour of user communities.

Strategy IV: Facilitating change as part of organizational development

Change process can also be facilitated as part of overall development, modernization and changes introduced in the university

Strategy V: Management of change through organization’s culture and organization’s behaviour.

This involves change in ways things are done.

Strategy VI: Evaluation and Quality grading of library resources and services

• The process of evaluation and quality grading of the university library motivate the staff to simply work towards the goal of a better grade for their library and hence set the process of change for the better.

Case Study of the University of JammuAfter environmental scanning and

SWOT analysis the major problem identified for change management at the University of Jammu was:

• Low motivational level of library staff

Contd.

The reasons identified was low motivational level were

• Lack of promotional avenues• Lack of adequate recognition and

reward system• Long wait for higher salary scales

Realizing this problem the university authorities took step for• Promotion and better salary scales

for frontline employees

• Initiated steps for time bound promotions of junior employees

These steps substantially helped to set the process of

• Organizational change in the library• Cleared bottlenecks for change• Helped to develop a better work culture and further

As a part of organizational development and university level changes the factors which helped the university to manage change for the better are

Visit of the NAAC Committee for university’s accreditation rank

Subsequently visit of ISO committee for ISO certification

Library visits of the leader of the university and on spot decisions for improvement of the library

Contd.

The university got the ISO certification and the users got access to most modern RFID enabled university library.

THANK YOU

imalhan_47@rediffmail.com

http://www.jammuuniversity.in