Issues for Library Management When Implementing Large-Scale Programmatic Change

Abstract

Change, by its very nature, is unpredictable, and often unmanageable, yet an organization’s success depends on an ability to predict and control change in some way. To derive maximum benefit from new opportunities and to avoid reactive situations, it is essential to manage organizational change. Further, as change accelerates, the more difficult and stressful it is to manage. The proliferation of change management literature in the library and information field indicates that these issues are becoming increasingly important as more academic libraries develop a virtual presence (Higuchi, 1990; Lee, 1993; Riggs, 1997; Meyer, 1997; Nozero & Vaughn, 2000). Nearly a decade ago, Dougherty and Dougherty (1993) observed that the current rate of change in the information field was higher than ever before, while libraries’ ability to respond quickly and decisively had never been more constrained. Academic libraries, like other organizations, must respond proactively to their changing environment in order to take advantage of the opportunities for increasing their visibility, restructuring to meet the needs of their users, and achieving their objective of remaining the preeminent source of information within the academy. This chapter begins with an overview of the theoretical perspectives of change. Using Burke, Church and Waclawski’s (1993) Managing Change model, the authors will discuss the structure of change, the culture of change, and the individual response to change within a case study framework.