ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

CONFERENCE CIRCUIT: ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute

Harvard case study method takes theory and applies it t…#x201C;case”—a documented real-life situation. In the vigorous examination of each case, in the small group sessions and in the following class sessions, we identified leadership techniques and analyzed them wit…et of conceptual tools. A…esult, elements of leadership and analytical tools were sharpened like knives sharpened by crossing one blade against the other.

This scrutiny gave me an opportunity to look at my core leadership assumptions. Incisive discussion and exploration of case studies exposed the successes and failures of other leaders. In this atmosphere…ound ideas that would provide powerful help in many challenging areas.

I brought back excellent tools for making improvements in my leadership and immediately put them to use. The conceptual architecture of “frames” and the process of “reframing” has since help me assess situations faster and direct my actions much more effectively…ontinue to work toward the leadership goal…rote during the institute.

The dialectic of learning occurs in discussions with others. My fellow attendees were open and ready to share their thoughts and ideas in small group discussions, the seminar class, and at the coffeehouses and pubs we visited together in Cambridge…hank the participating Harvard faculty, the Harvard organizers, ACRL, and the institute attendees fo…rofoundly rewarding experience.— David Bilyeu

The Harvard Leadership Institute was one of the most rewarding professional development experiences I’ve ever had.

Wit…chedule packed with administrative responsibilities…arely have time (or take time?) for concerted professional development other than professional reading and an occasional workshop…ooked forward to the Harvard program a…ime for reflection, intellectual stimulation, and practical applications for leadership improvement.

I especially liked the idea that the program was focused on the director and associate director level in academic libraries and was being offered through the Harvard Higher Education Institute in conjunction with ACRL. My mind was set fo…uality program and superior faculty, with colleagues in similar situations…ever expected it to exceed my expectations, because they were aimed so high at the outset.

I was first stimulated by the readings, especially the book by Lee Bolman, Refraining Organizations, which was at the core of the program…early finished it all befor…rrived in Cambridge and was talking about and recommending it to my associate directors at Rutgers. It has given m…uch broader perspective for decision making an…ctually mentally walk through scenarios using the frames…asn’t familiar with the case study method a…eaching/learning tool before this program, bu…ound it wonderful for the group discussions. Reading about real situations and havin…hance to explore with colleagues what you’d have done in the same situation, and why, with new insights was energizing. The mix of institutional participants from small to large institutions, private to public, adde…onderful diversity to the discussions. Whil…robably spoke less in the large group becaus…ust enjoyed listening to everyone…oved our small group discussions for testing ideas and thinking out loud.

The opportunity to think seriously about wha…o, to be stimulated by ideas and new possibilities, and to reflect on personal goals and mission was luxurious…hink about the experience often…elt lik…ponge just sopping up information. It went too fast an…ried hard to not mis…eat. It was just wonderful bein…tudent again and being changed through the experience.

The program was simply top notch from beginning to end—from the faculty and curriculum, the food and ambience, and the fellowship of interesting colleagues…ave many wonderful memories of that experience, not least of which is that paper in my desk that one of our instructors suggested we keep…ook at it regularly. I’m still on track!

Thanks to everyone associated with the development and delivery of the program and to my fellow participants fo…ost rewarding experience.—Marianne Gaunt

August 30, 1999, Buffalo State College, State University of New York Buffalo, New York.

Somehow writing this article is indicative of the change that was effected by attending the first ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute. Ordinarily the first day of the semester would not afford time to reflect and write. Yet, symbolicall…anted to write on this day to mark the change that six days in Cambridge, Massachusetts, among 81 other colleagues an…upportive and expert faculty and staff can make i…id-career, middle manager in middle America.

Directing libraries can b…onely pursuit. Decisions in the face of spiraling inflation are usually decisions to cut traditional print materials, anathema to those of us who grew up with stately edifices and thousands of periodical subscriptions; acquiring at least one book per FTE per year wa…iven. We need to lead and assist in the implementation of technology. Our decisions also have great impact on the educational outcomes of our students. Additionally, libraries, as service organizations, affect the broadest campus constituency.

I had been named director just three years ago, and when news about the program at Harvard was brought to my attention…mmediately checked the Web site and applied! The Web site stated, “the program prepares you to answer two key questions: 1) How well-positioned is my organization to meet current and future challenges? [and] 2) How effective is my own leadership?” These are questions that are very meaningful to me, questions tha…ery much wanted to explore i…tructured fashion. To bolster my resolve…ad heard wonderful things about the Management Development Program and Institute for Educational Management program from colleagues on campus, s…as confident that the experience would be positive.

I arrived in Cambridge on the 5th of July in 98-degree weather with my readings completed an…opeful attitude. We met in the same classroom each day afte…orning discussion with our own small group. Generally we had three 80-minute classes each day with readings and assignments each night. The curriculum had been crafted to include leadership studies, finance, management, and adult development. We were treated t…ovely reception in the Harvard Faculty Club an…estive clambake in Radcliffe Yard. Conversations during the social events ranged from sailing to off-site storage to pets to license agreements.

Was it worth it? Yes. In our opening session, Cliff Baden assured us that they “would not waste our time.” Time is precious and our time was very well invested…eft wit…onfidence that came of sharing wit…iverse cross-section of academic library directors and upper managers from the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

What di…earn? Foremost…earned to reframe all major issues: to look at the political, human resource, structural, and symbolic aspects of campus and library issues, and to explore solutions that take all four of these views, or frames, into account…iscovered which frames come naturally and whic…eed to work o…it more…lso learned to perceive the leadership of other administrators in my institution using these frames. This helps me in my interactions…earned about strategic intent and why strategic planning can fall flat, despite the best of facilitators…earned to laugh and tell stories that get laughs…earned to take time to think and analyze…earned to creat…ecure structure…earned to pay attention to the context, not just the content…earned to set standards, have expectations, take risks. Not bad fo…ive-day institute!

I also learned fascinating things like where Emerson and Thoreau (and Bill Gates, Tommy Lee Jones, and Al Gore) lived as undergraduates…earned the name of the luminous green grass growing in my garden from the astounding glass flower exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

An…earned that it’s very hard to eat lobster with plastic flatware…as able to wander in bookstores…te dinner in the Henry James House…earned about the dominant Harvard finance principle of “each tub on its own bottom.”

I met creative librarians, impassioned professors, and some dynamic institute staff whom we all wanted to spirit away to our own campuses…et undergraduate and graduate students on the streets of Cambridge and in the libraries of Harvard.

I am back…m energized, an…hin…av…ew approach.

The 1999 participants are hoping to hav…eunion, since the class bonded so well, and we should have success stories to tell i…ear or two.

My sincere thanks go to Maureen Sullivan, John Collins, Althea Jenkins, and Cliff Baden who conceived the program and recruited the stellar faculty: Lee Bolman, Robert Keegan, Mary Louise Hatten, and Jim Honan.—Maryrutb Pbelps Glogowski ■

Sign up for the 2000 ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute

Academic libraries exist i…onstantly changing environment with many new challenges and many available opportunities. New demands on academic libraries call for fundamental shifts in leadership know-how. In response to these challenges, ACRL is collaborating with the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education to offer the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute.

The goal of the institute is to increase academic library leaders’ capacity to lead and to manage. Harvard Institutes for Higher Education faculty will give special attention to issues such as:

• leadership;

• organizational strategy;

• financial management;

• transformational learning; and

• planning.

The institute is designed for directors of libraries and those who report directly to them in positions such as associate university librarian or assistant library dean. Attendance would also be useful for individuals regularly involved in decision-making that affects the entire library operation and that involves other important relationships on campus.

The 2000 ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and begins wit…eception on Sunday, July 30, and concludes on Friday, August 4.

More details about this exciting institute, including registration information, can be found at http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ppe/ index.html (select Programs, Higher Education, then scroll down to locate ACRL/ Harvard Leadership Institute). ■