April 30 Study Guide

Book: Wheatley, Margaret and Kellner-Rogers, Myron. A Simpler Way. 1998. 135 pages. $19.95.

About the Book: Margaret Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers don’t discuss libraries and librarians in their book, A Simpler Way, but the library community should find much to reflect on in their work. The authors discuss systems, arguing that much of the best organizational structure happens organically, when people and organizations are allowed to create and grow in response to the world around them. A Simpler Way offers ways to think about the organization of information, about staffing organization, and about planning in libraries.

The authors write that we live in a self-organizing world, and that life seeks to organize itself so that it can flourish. Yet, they also note that many lives and organizations provide little opportunity for experimentation, and for organizations to evolve. “If order is for free, than we don’t have to be the organizers,” they write (p. 35). Librarians, certainly historically and perhaps by their nature, are organizers. Some of us still believe it is possible to create an organizational system for the world’s information. Even if we were willing to give up on Dewey, many of us would like to believe that perhaps there’s a better way to organize information out there. Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers ask us to look at patterns that emerge, recognize that organizations and people will self-organize, and that change is a constant. Maybe there is no one, perfect system, and maybe that’s okay.

These same ideas may also be applied to library management and staffing systems. Unlike earlier books we’ve read, Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers don’t value a visionary leader. “The systems they create are chosen together. They are the result of dances, not wars,” the authors write (p. 44). Like other authors we’ve read, Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers offer up the values they think determine the form of a system: information; relationships; identity. What would a library staff look like where information was shared with all; people valued their relationships with co-workers and those they served; and felt empathy for identity of the organization (library)?

Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers offer a number of thoughts about planning, beginning with the idea that information is a necessary first step. “Information is one of the primary conditions that spawns the organizations we see,” (p. 82) they write. They argue for “parallel processing” – allowing many people and organizations to be working on a solution, which allows for both errors and multiple solutions. Interestingly, they are skeptical of traditional evaluation: “Every act of observation loses more information than it gains. Whatever we decide to notice blinds us to other possibilities” (p.26). So how do we create change in a system? Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers argue that we need to be “present and aware” about our organizations and ourselves. By reflecting on who we are, and who we want to become, we can move ourselves toward that change.


About the Authors: According to “the authors” section at the back of A Simpler Way, Margaret J. Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers have been “friends, colleagues, and partners” since 1976. They partner at both a consulting firm, and at the non-profit Berkana Institute. Wheatley earned a Ph.D. in administration, planning and social policy at Harvard; Kellner-Rogers studied at Holy Cross, Tufts and the University of Massachusetts.

Questions:

1. Thinking about the principles in this book, how might you organize an American public library? A grants program?
2. What successful organizations don’t have visionary leaders?
3. When does the creative process work best for you?

A Very Short Webography:
Book Reviews and Summaries

A short summary from Berrett-Koehler book sellers:
http://www.bkconnection.com/ProdDetails.asp?ID=1881052958&PG=1&Type=BL&PCS=BKP

The Illuminated Innovant is a blog with a good summary of the book by Paul Schumann (whom I do not know anything about): http://illuminatedinnovant.blogspot.com/2005/11/simpler-way.html

About the Authors

Margaret J. Wheatley has her own website at: http://www.margaretwheatley.com/.

Wheatley also has an entry at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Wheatley.

For a more traditional biography, and a photo, go to: http://www.integralleadershipreview.com/biography/bio_wheatley_margaret.html

Most everything about Myron Kellner-Rogers also included much info on Wheatley. Here’s a short bio from Berrett-Koehler: http://www.bkconnection.com/SearchResult.asp?SEL=1881052958&Type=RLA2

March 26 Book Discussion

Book: Bolman, Lee G. and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. 2003. 512 pages.

Preliminaries: Jana Bradley graciously facilitated our discussion this month. Also joining us for the first time was Elaine, who brought a lot of insight to the discussion. As usual, we chatted informally with snacks before getting down to the discussion.

Book Discussion: Jana began the discussion by presenting the basic premise of the book, and describing the four frames: structural, human resources, political and symbolic. She noted that a leader should have the capacity to use all of the frames. She also provided some historic background about management theory, and discussed how this was a “classification system,” which brought out lots of librarian grins. She agreed that there were many subcategories, and understanding the frames allows a leader/manager to mix and match as needed.

One group member pointed out that there is no magic bullet – a person can do everything “right,” yet the hoped-for outcomes don’t happen. She added that leaders seem to need a bit of serendipity as well.

The group spent some time discussing the symbolic framework, which Jana said that often times her students struggle to appreciate. Jana pointed out the use of “symbolic ambiguity” – the use of symbols that can have multiple meanings, and resonate with people in different ways, allowing them to buy-in to the idea.

The discussion concluded with talk about which frameworks are at work in libraries. Member pointed out that to some extent, all of the frameworks are there – the structure in the way the library is organized to provide books; human resources training especially in customer services; the role politics plays in how libraries are funded and operated; and both the values (right to access/freedom to read) and symbolic role they play in a community as a champion for those values. Jana noted that many libraries were classic bureaucracies, and challenged the group to think about what they would change.

Something to Think About: Should a leader strive for harmony?

March 26 Study Guide Part II

Book: Bolman, Lee G. and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. 2003. 512 pages. $32.



Reframing Organizations proposes that managers and leaders use four “frames” or points of reference when considering an issue. This allows for multiple perspectives. The four frames are:

Structural: this frame provides the structure of an organization so that people are able to do their best work. Considerations include the allocation of work, and the coordination of work.

Human Resources: this frame works from a number of assumptions including that organizations should serve humans; organizations and people need each other; and a good fit between an organization and a person benefits both.

Political: this frame recognizes that coalitions with an organization will have different values and compete for resources. Goals, structures and policies may emerge from these ongoing negotiations.

Symbolic: this frame recognizes that meaning is based in experience and culture, and that what something means is more important than what happened.

Bolman and Deal make a number of references to other writers on leadership, including an earlier work by last month’s authors, Boyatzis and McKee (“a little squishy,” although grounded in the human resources frame. Much of Bennis’ ideas on vision, voice, integrity and adaptive capacity, play across these frames, although Bolman and Deal make a point of discussion vision as a part of the symbolic frame.

About the Author: Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal are best-selling authors, business consultants, and members of academic communities. Bolman is the Marion Bloch Chair in Leadership at the Bloch School of Business, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Deal is the Irving R. Melbo Professor of Education at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School.

Questions:

Taking Jana’s suggestion, I came up with a couple of different library issues for us to talk about.
1. Pornography on the Internet. Let us say that our library is CIPA compliant: it has minimal filtering, and we make it easy for people to request that it be turned off. Recently, a number of people have asked to have it turned off, while sitting at computers in the most public areas. The library staff had recently reorganized the computer area so that they could better supervise the area after some computer vandalism. Now, several parents have complained, and the library director has just received a letter from on a city councilperson asking about the incidents. How do you balance CIPA, library staff concerns, and community concerns?
2. Reaching a New Generation. Recently, a staff member has proposed building a video and sound studio, where people can make their own videos for posting to YouTube or for other purposes. While some of the start up costs may be donated, there will be significant ongoing costs, and no new money in the library budget for those costs. In addition, the library needs to find space for the studio. While some staff members are very excited about the studio, others are concerned about what it may mean for their long-standing programs. How do you decide whether to make this a priority? At what cost?
3. Maybe you have an issue you’d like us to use the frames to talk through?

A Very Short Webography:
Book Reviews and Summaries

This is a summary, in outline format, of an earlier version. Written by Ted Nellen, probably as a part of his college work; it seems to summarize the ideas adequately. http://www.tnellen.com/ted/tc/bolman.html

Almisbar (United Arab Emirates University) Library Newsletter had this review of the 2003 edition: http://www.libs.uaeu.ac.ae/almisbar/2005fall/review.html

About the Authors

Lee G. Bolman has his own website (and even posts his photo) at: http://www.leebolman.com/

And so does Terrence E. Deal: https://www.cuesta.edu/commty/foundation/pages/DEAL%20Bio%20&%20Pic.pdf

March 26 Study Guide

Book: Bolman, Lee G. and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership. 2003. 512 pages. $32.

Thanks to Dr. Jana Bradley, who has provided us with the following study guide. I'll add more of an overview, and perhaps some other sources, later.

Overview of Book: This book groups approaches to management, represented by management theories, in four categories, each of which views management from a different perspective. The basic premise is that complex problems always benefit from analysis from multiple perspectives. Managers tend to analyze problems from the perspectives with which they feel most comfortable, which may not always be the most relevant or useful. Managers benefit from having an “analytical toolkit” of perspectives.

Reading Recommendations: To understand the book’s premise—that complex management problems benefit from analysis from multiple perspectives—it is necessary first to understand the concept of “framing” and then grasp each of the four frames: structural, human resource, political and symbolic. Here are some reading suggestions to give you a sense of the whole book. Read more if you have the time and interest.

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Power of Framing
Chapter 3: Getting Organized (Structural Frame)
Chapter 6: People in Organizations (Human Resource Frame)
Chapter 9: Power, Conflict and Coalition (Political Frame)
Chapter 12: Organizational Culture and Symbols
Chapter 15: Integrating Frames for Effective Practice

Discussion: One of the best ways to work with this book is to take an issue or problem in library management, discuss how each frame conceptualizes the issue and what solutions each frame offers, and then put together a plan or sequence of approaches that you think pulls everything together.

Of course, you could choose a number of different problems. In classes, I have had a great deal of success with using the introduction of new technology into a library as the focal issue.

Feb. 26 Discussion

Book: Boyatzis, Richard and McKee, Annie. Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting With Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion. 2005. 286 pages.

Preliminaries: Thanks to the core group of participants who continue to participate with this exploration of leadership. We welcomed a new member this month, Dereth, and appreciated her insights and participation. Snacks were tortilla chips and dips – not very inspirational, as we’d already used up the Mexican food theme for lunch with some out-of-town guests earlier in the day.

Book Discussion: Everyone who had read even a little in this book reported that it resonated with them, and we were able to quickly bring the few non-readers up to speed. (We should remember this: even among librarians, we are sometimes non-readers.)

After reviewing the books highlights (emotional intelligences, sacrifice syndrome, CEO disease, and how to combat it: mindfulness, hope and compassion), we discussed whether these strategies worked for those of us who are not “the” leader, but do have professional jobs requiring both creativity and responsiveness. Strategies included exercising; eating meals regularly with significant others; church attendance and other worshipful practices; family events; attendance at cultural events; and hobbies.

Everyone took some time to complete one of the exercises, “Insight into Your Operating Philosophy” (p. 215). The book divides people into three types of operating philosophies: pragmatic, intellectual and humanistic. Just the effort it took some group members to complete and score the exercise said something about their operating philosophy. Our results were mixed, although almost everyone showed up at least somewhat strong in the humanistic area. A few of us learned we’re pretty intensely entrenched in one philosophy. Using that information, we could begin to understand how two people might have the same intentions, but select very different courses of action. And, we realized, an understanding of your operating philosophy also helps develop mindfulness, and toward personal activities that might complement the work life.

Something to Think About: Would you hire someone who had a reputation of always being in the office more than 60 hours a week, and never taking vacations?

Feb. 26 Study Guide

Book: Boyatzis, Richard and McKee, Annie. Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting With Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion. 2005. 286 pages. $25.95.

I took a break from finishing Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee’s Resonant Leadership yesterday to see the movie, The Queen. The movie is a fictional account of the week following Princess Diana’s death, in which Queen Elizabeth and her royal family seem unable to reach out to the British people’s escalating public grief. Surely this was an example of dissonant leadership, I mused, wondering why the Brits continue to humor the monarchy. Yet, the monarchy has remained in this otherwise post-modern nation (it’s interesting that in the movie Charles wants to be seen as modern); certainly this must be some evidence of resonance.

Boyatzis and McKee wrote Resonant Leadership as a sequel of sorts to Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence. This new book begins with a discussion o emotional intelligence, and includes a table outlining the domains and competencies of emotional leadership: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. These ideas somewhat parallel the competencies that Warren Bennis requires of leaders in On Becoming a Leader: vision, voice, integrity and adaptive capacity. Using emotional intelligence as a building block, Resonant Leadership asks how leaders maintain that resonance over time. Boyatzis and McKee talk about the sacrifice syndrome that contemporary leaders fall into when they deal with one crisis after another, failing to renew themselves along the way. Renewal requires mindfulness, hope and compassion on an ongoing basis, the authors argue.

It might be argued that none of this has anything to do with Queen Elizabeth – she is only a figurehead, and not a leader. However, as the movie reminds us, ten elected British prime ministers have come before her to ask her permission to form a government, and have then engaged her in ongoing discussions about the country. Whether this role will continue after her death is not idle discussion. If she is more celebrity than leader, it is celebrity built on figurative leadership. Regardless of the monarchy’s relevance, Queen Elizabeth (both as portrayed in the movie and the media) would score high in the emotional intelligence of self-awareness and self-management. She embraces and believes in her role as sovereign, and shows tremendous discipline. One might argue whether she has an accurate self-assessment, adaptability or initiative. However, her sustained popularity with the British people would indicate that she exhibits these competencies as appropriate to her role. A critical discussion of her emotional intelligence in the areas of social competencies might be more spirited. While she may be an inspirational leader, as sovereign, she is not allowed to voice a political opinion, negating much of her effectiveness in other relationship management areas.

Resonant Leadership focuses on why leaders stumble, and how they might pick themselves up. The movie, The Queen focuses on such a stumble. The queen’s lack of a response to Princess Diana’s death could be seen as emblematic of a failed monarchy, the sacrifice syndrome, or a momentary crisis. Leaving aside value judgments on the monarchy as an institution, it would be hard to argue that Queen Elizabeth is a failed monarch. Her longevity, popularity and legacy are testaments to her success. However, I wondered if she had fallen prey to sacrifice syndrome, caused by too many threats and crisis for too long of a period with no time for renewal. During the course of the week, the queen’s popularity drops, and the number of Brits calling for an end to the monarchy rises to a record 25 percent, as the queen seems immobilized to do anything. She is a prime candidate for CEO Disease – with no peers, few in her trusted circle would criticize her. Interestingly, it is Tony Blair, as a young prime minister, who takes on this challenge.

Despite the disastrous week, Queen Elizabeth isn’t portrayed as perpetually dissonant. Instead, she exhibits some of the traits that Boyatzis and McKee say leaders need to sustain themselves: mindfulness, hope and compassion. She is mindful of who she is, and confident in her role. As the symbolic head of the Church of England, the media also tells us she is personally religious. Moviegoers see a vulnerable Queen Elizabeth when she stands in awe of a stag, and then, finally, is able to cry. She does stay attuned to what is going on around her, even if her response seems out of step with public sentiment. The movie would have us believe she is acting out of a sense of propriety, as well as some deep ambivalence for Diana herself. Hope is a little harder to gauge. If hope is defined as optimism about the future, Queen Elizabeth’s actions may be seen as hopeful – she thinks she is protecting her grandsons – England’s future. Then there’s compassion, interesting to think about in this woman who is seen as rather severe and formal. She does show affection for her family, even if it is within a tightly prescribed set of rules. (At one point, Charles calls her on this, pointing out what a warm mother Diana was to her sons.) In the end, she participates in Diana’s public funeral. She may have been bowing to political pressure, but she was also reaching out to the British people. For Queen Elizabeth, I wondered if the careful constructs of personal relationships that she subscribes to are what have allowed her to sustain herself for so many years.

At the end of the movie, Tony Blair compliments Queen Elizabeth on handling the crisis. She cautions him that public opinion can turn negative very quickly. Anyone up for analyzing Tony Blair’s leadership issues?
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About the Author: Richard Boyatzis is a professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. Annie McKee is at the Teleos Leadership Institute.

Questions:

1. Do you have to be THE leader to fall into Sacrifice Syndrome?
2. What can you do to renew mindfulness, hope and compassion?
3. Is CEO Disease related to the Abilene Paradox?
4. Take a look at the activities at the end of Chapter 5. Define your fantasy job. Think about what you would like your legacy to be. Do you have a personal vision?


A Short Webography:
Book Reviews and Summaries

Ten minute audio file of Richard Boyatzis talking about Resonant Leadership on Bill Thompson’s eyeonbooks at http://www.eyeonbooks.com/ibp.php?ISBN=1591395631

Case Western Reserve University article on book: http://www.case.edu/news/2005/12-05/resonant.htm

Book excerpt, “Business Week” online at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_48/b3961151.htm. Short discussion of some of the exercises from the book.

Book summary from 800-CEO-READ of first chapter at http://800ceoread.com/excerpts/archives/005772.html .

Amazon reviews at http://www.amazon.com/Resonant-Leadership-Connecting-Mindfulness-Compassion/dp/1591395631/sr=8-1/qid=1171850745/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-7672359-1488452?ie=UTF8&s=books

Executive Summary from Executive HR Network summit led by Richard Boyatizis on Resonant Leadership: http://www.cognos.com/pdfs/whitepapers/wp_executive_summary_chicago.pdf

About the Authors

Biography of Richard Boyatizis: http://www.eiconsortium.org/members/boyatzis.htm

Publications by Annie McKee: http://www.teleosleaders.com/pdf/Bibliography_of_Annie_McKee.pdf

Jan. 29 Discussion

Book: Bennis, Warren On Becoming a Leader: The Leadership Classic. 2003. 218 pages.

Preliminaries: Holly led this month’s discussion as we munched on cheese and crackers, along with a little dark chocolate. Our group of seven welcomed one new comer, and discussed inviting some additional people. I realized after the discussion that I had forgotten to take notes, so my comments here are from memory; perhaps another participant will have additional insights.

Book Discussion: Most everyone agreed that they liked this book, and appreciated Bennis’ writing style; his focus on four leadership competencies (vision, voice, integrity, adaptability); and that Bennis didn’t try to offer up any formulaic solutions. We found our discussion returning to the competencies throughout our discussion, and at one point Holly asked us which we valued most. Several discussants thought integrity was the most important, because without it, vision and voice can be destructive. Another person argued for vision, pointing out that without it, a person can be a good manager, but isn’t necessarily a leader. Another person made a similar argument for voice.

The group spent some time discussing Ed, the company man from New York who as being groomed to be the CEO of a Minneapolis-based company. Bennis came to know Ed when he was hired to coach him, a role in which he did not succeed. Ed was a company man who had drive and toughness. He quickly earned a reputation in his new company as the “Brooklyn Bomber,” and lacked people skills. As much as Ed worked at becoming less tyrannical, the people who worked with him remained wary of him. We discussed the competencies that Ed seemed to missing, and finally concluded that he lacked them all. Rather than leading, he was bullying.

Book discussion participants talked about library leaders in Arizona and the U.S. They talked about how the Library Development Division at the Arizona State Library, as well as continuing education efforts within library districts, might nurture leaders. The opportunity to travel, especially to attend national or regional library conferences, is especially important. Workshops delivered to local communities can be important first steps, and workshops that encourage library staff members to attend with those they don’t know, are also important. Library leaders have emerged from the week-long library institute, which takes place on the UofA campus. Efforts to encourage library staff members to network outside the library within their own communities are also important.

Something to Think About: Can leadership be taught? Thinking about each of the competencies that Bennis outlines, is it possible for a person to learn these?