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CONFERENCE CIRCUIT

ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute: Professional development at its best

C&RL News, September 1999
Vol. 60, No. 8

by Laverna Saunders

“I was amazed at the quality of teaching and would wish that everyone I know in education could experience such excellent and high-quality teaching.”

“What I received was much better than I expected. This was the most positive educational experience I have ever had.”

“I’ve learned a lot about my own organization, my leaders (current and past), and most importantly, about myself.”

These comments selected from evaluation forms indicate the enthusiasm of participants in the first ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute that was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 5–10, 1999. Intended as an intensive residential program on the Harvard campus, the institute drew 82 participants from 30 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Canada. All of the participants were mid-career senior administrators—library directors, deans, assistant directors, department heads—from a full range of academic libraries.

Becoming students again
The format of each day’s schedule included small-group discussion, faculty presentations, class discussions, one-on-one dialogue, social time, and then assigned readings. Two objectives behind the program were allowing time and providing an environment conducive to study and contemplation. Participants were instructed to leave their administrative wardrobes at home and to come prepared to be students. Many of the participants even stayed in an undergraduate dormitory, which added to the ambience of the week.

Having completed graduate school years prior, most administrators found that the expectation of two hours of reading each night was both a luxury and a challenge after a full day of thought-provoking presentations.

Great teachers, great teaching
With leadership as the broad theme of the institute, the faculty offered insights and guided interaction around four areas: organizational strategy, financial management, transformation learning, and planning.

The core text, Reframing Organizations, was coauthored by faculty member Lee Bolman.1 Former chair of Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management, Bolman holds the Marion H. Bloch Chair in Leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is a specialist in organizational behavior and change.

Bolman defined leadership as “a relationship of mutual influence leading to collective effort in the service of shared or compatible purposes and values in a context of uncertainty and conflict.” He also listed five traits of leadership as focus, passion, courage, wisdom, and faith.

His four leadership frameworks—structural, human resource, political, and symbolic—became a template for participants to analyze the leadership styles of individuals in case studies.

Financial management and institutional planning
The areas of financial management and institutional planning were presented by James Honan, a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and chairman of Harvard’s Institute for Educational Management.

Having once worked as a student assistant in the library of one of the participants, Honan lightened the serious subject of finance with library humor. In particular, he touched a raw nerve when he divided the class into two groups, one representing the library and the other information technology. It didn’t take long to identify the cultural divide between the two constituents and the perceptions that develop in the absence of partnerships.

He also used the following questions to stimulate critical thought and discussion of the assigned articles: How do institutions plan in an era of constrained resources? What are the roles and responsibilities of middle managers in planning initiatives? Are some approaches to planning more effective than others? How do we monitor institutional performance with regard to strategic goals?

Personal reflection
Any afternoon lethargy was forgotten when Robert Kegan took center stage. A psychologist in lifespan development and Chair of the Learning and Teaching area at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Kegan’s dynamic presentation style captured participants’ attention and involvement.

During one session the group examined a case from Kegan’s book, In Over Our Heads, in which a married couple faces work problems in their respective jobs.2 In his final session, Kegan guided participants through a self-analysis exercise that yielded painful fears and assumptions. As several colleagues shared their responses with the class, they discovered that they were not alone in having such thoughts. This session in particular provided a form of catharsis and affirmation for personal growth and change. Despite Kegan’s claim that “personal learning is messy,” he left us wanting to continue our group therapy as a cohort.

Case analysis
Also an interactive teacher, Mary Louise Hatten, professor in the Graduate School of Management at Simmons College, was particularly effective in leading the group through case analysis. Drawing from her extensive consulting experience in industry, Hatten focused on the effectiveness of strategy administration in different settings. The final case of the institute dealt with the daily work schedule of a college librarian and was commissioned by ACRL specifically for this institute.

One bonus was having the case writer present to validate and comment on the group discussion. The currency of this case and the process of relating our own work style to the director under discussion, created a revelation for many of us. In particular, we looked at how directors whose values are in the right place end up being “administrative” rather than “strategic.” The consequence is that the library loses its position as an active agent within the college or university. The image of the library director being a “supplicant” to other units on campus symbolized the loss of power that can happen as a result.

All of the faculty used the Harvard case study method as a technique for presenting a situation, analyzing specific questions, and then examining and applying issues from the case to academic libraries and individual institutions. The cases ranged from business settings to K–12 to research university and to a liberal arts college. Participants were challenged by the daily readings from business literature and stimulated to think differently about the cases. One value of the early morning discussion groups was having time in a friendly and collegial setting to clarify issues from the case of the day prior to the faculty presentation.

Learning from each other
Reflecting on their experiences during the institute, participants valued the mix of the class, hearing the “rich experiences of others who shed light on” their personal experiences, developing peer-coaching relationships with individuals in the discussion groups, the lack of hierarchy and ego, and the atmosphere of openness and sharing.

During coffee breaks and meals, participants continued discussions from the presentations or compared notes on problems they faced back at work. By the end of the week, there was agreement that a discussion list and possible institute reunions at ALA conferences were desirable for maintaining contact.

At the close of the institute, participants shared what the week had meant to them. The words spoken most often were “transformational” and “life-changing.” All agreed that this institute far surpassed the standard fare in library professional development. The faculty inspired us with their knowledge and passion. As Harvard faculty, they delivered quality presentations with excellent support materials. The ground rules of the institute empowered the introverts as well as the extroverts, and the variety of learning opportunities ensured that everyone benefited. Library administrators can feel alone in their work, and this institute filled a niche for networking that will continue for years to come.

Thanks for the opportunity
Credit for this fantastic institute goes to John Collins III, a librarian at Harvard who lobbied several years for librarians to have the same opportunity as other academic administrators to participate in a Harvard Institute.

Maureen Sullivan, ACRL president and an organizational development consultant, explored the possibility of the institute during her presidential year and took the invitation from Harvard to the ACRL Board. Sullivan also shared in the process of creating the curriculum. The ACRL Board of Directors agreed to take the risk in sponsoring the institute for a five-year period. All of the participants were grateful for this professional development experience and recommend it for all academic librarians serving in leadership roles.

Notes
1. Lee B. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal, Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, 2d ed. (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1997).

2. Robert Kegan, In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994).

About the author
Laverna Saunders is dean of Library Instructional and Learning Support at Salem State College, e-mail: saunders@noblenet.org