Team 13

Harmonizing Professional Growth with Strategic Library Success

Cultivating a Culture of Skill Development Aligned with Community and Organizational Goals

In an insightful presentation, the team tackled the challenge of fostering a culture within libraries that not only values and rewards skill development but also intentionally connects personal and professional growth to the strategic success of the organization and the broader community it serves.

How might we help library leaders, staff, and community partners foment culture change that values and rewards skill development and that intentionally ties personal professional development to organizational strategic success.

Core Components of the Proposal:

1. Addressing Disparate Needs: Recognizing the varied needs and aspirations of community members, library staff, and leaders, the team illustrated these differences through a metaphorical representation reminiscent of a banjo with unsprung strings. This imagery underscores the initial misalignment between individual objectives and the collective mission of the library and its community.

2. A Three-Layered Matrix of Success: At the heart of their solution is a conceptual matrix consisting of three concentric circles. The outermost ring represents the thriving community and its success, encapsulating the broader objectives that the library seeks to contribute towards. The middle ring focuses on the library’s strategic goals, defining the organizational objectives that guide its operations and services. At the center lies the library staff’s professional development, highlighting the importance of individual skill enhancement and personal growth.

3. Cultural Shift Towards Alignment: The team emphasized the need for a cultural transformation within libraries to bridge the gap between these layers. By fostering an environment that actively links staff professional development to the library’s strategic goals, and in turn, to the community’s success, the proposal envisions a harmonized approach where individual achievements and organizational objectives are interconnected.

4. Aligned Action and Goals: The envisioned outcome of this cultural change is a scenario where the disparate needs and goals of all stakeholders are brought into alignment. This alignment does not imply uniformity but rather a synergistic relationship where personal growth supports organizational strategy, which in turn, advances community well-being.

This team’s presentation offers a compelling vision for libraries seeking to create a culture that celebrates skill development while aligning it with the strategic success of the organization and the needs of the community. By proposing a framework that integrates individual professional development within the broader context of organizational and community objectives, the team outlines a path towards creating a more cohesive, strategic, and supportive library environment. This approach not only enhances the professional satisfaction of library staff but also ensures that the library remains a vital, responsive, and integral part of its community.

Team 13 Members

Thanks to these project team members for their collaboration with DATALIS and their contributions towards innovating professional development.

• Juliane Schneider
• Steve Mandeville-Gamble
• Rachel Frick

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