Crumpton Strategic Human Resource Planning for Academic Libraries

Information, Technology and Organization
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-78063-445-6
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 110 Seiten

Reihe: Chandos Information Professional Series

Strategic Human Resources Planning for Academic Libraries: Information, Technology and Organization provides an in-depth discussion of human resources as a strategic element of a library organization, especially as staffing needs and competencies change. The book focuses on the impact of human resource practices in a library setting, discussing several aspects, including the role of human resources when the library is part of a larger organization, along with information on how to identify strategic objectives that are expected and related to workforce issues. In addition, the book reviews hiring practices, reorganizations of staff, use of temps or time-limited positions, and how students, volunteers, and internships can make a strategic difference overall. - Chapters address competencies across different levels of employment within different library types and consider how those competencies are changing - Presents how leadership and library leaders must utilize human resources as a valuable tool for developing a strong and healthy organization - Addresses human resource tools, such as job tasks analysis and the creation of equitable payroll structures - Demonstrate the use and benefit of multiple employee statuses that provide flexibility and resourcefulness to end users

Michael A. Crumpton, MLS, SPHR, is the Assistant Dean for Administrative Services at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is the former Director of Library Services for Wake Tech Community College and Access Services Manager at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. He is certified as a Senior Human Resources Professional and also holds a graduate certificate in Adult Teaching. His published works include; 'Handbook for Community College Librarians', 'Workplace Information Literacy: A Neglected Priority of Community College Libraries' in the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 'Reconceiving Entrepreneurship for Libraries: Collaboration and the Anatomy of a Conference”, in Collaborative Librarianship. He also writes a quarterly column for The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, and has published several other chapters and articles.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Crumpton, Michael A.

Leseproben

2

The strategic planning process

Abstract

Creating and implementing a strategy is not an easy task and it takes a process in itself to ensure that all background information are known and understood and that stakeholders are part of the process through involvement or communication. Strategic planning occurs at many levels and organizations must choose the strategy that is right for the best organizational welfare. Understanding what can go wrong if the strategy is not supported and is vital to success as well as developing an ongoing assessment of the organization’s human resource needs.

Keywords

Strategic planning

SWOT analysis

Human resources

Accreditation standards

Goal setting

Resource allocation

Benchmarking

Environmental scanning

Mission statements

Assessment

Creating strategy is a process for being sustainable and achieving success with an organization’s primary mission. This becomes the framework in which decisions are made, processes are developed, and choices are evaluated that impact the organization’s value. These decisions, processes, and choices define an organization’s competitive position (Cascio and Bourdreau, 2012) or in the case of an academic library, its value and relevance in the higher education institution. Organizations should not be static but dynamic and on the move, strategic planning helps to make those moves in the right direction.

Strategic planning can cover many elements depending upon the level of detailed need or desired. Obviously the more detailed and extensive of an effort that goes into the planning process, the more likely it is to be successful in the execution and overall results. Many different perspectives exist regarding steps to be taken in the strategic planning process. What follows is the highlights from several points of view, to help to determine what approach is right for you.

2.1 SHRM’s strategic planning phases

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) is the largest association in the world, dedicated to representing the human resources management profession. This is a multinational organization that provides expert advice and advocacy for the field of human resource professionals. As part of a certification process, human resource professionals are tested and then continually evaluated on work accomplished within the profession.

SHRM partners with both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), to provide appropriate human resources practice and activities guidelines from which to follow. The SHRM Learning System offers these professionals as a body of knowledge, as established by the Human Resources Certification Institute and developed by a team of subject matter experts within the field.

Per the SHRM Learning System (Society for Human Resource Management, 2009), the strategic planning process is the best established using a four-phased approach:

• strategy formulation;

• strategy development;

• strategy implementation; and

• strategy evaluation.

Strategy formulation is about developing mission or vision statements, which most academic libraries already have. In renewing or updating a strategic plan based on the changes to economic support or the changes within the larger institution, a review of these mission statements and intended vision is appropriate. This can also be a great opportunity to involve library staff in reassessing or developing new versions of who you are as an organization (in this timeframe), what you do and why (with new technologies and tools), and who are you serving and how (in a Google age). This can lead into establishing a list of values for the organization that will guide the execution of the vision and mission.

Strategy development is the gathering of information that will be needed to influence the planning process. This can include a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis which is identifying the organization’s SWOT. In an era of change, this might be difficult as some perceptions of traditional strengths can also be considered new weaknesses, in trying to move the organization forward. And some threats might need to be seen as opportunities, for example; if budget declines are a threat, holding the organization back they might also provide an opportunity of seeking alternative revenue resources.

Another form of gathering information can be an environmental scan, which is gathering all the relevant data about external factors that influence the organization’s operation. For academic libraries, this can be looking at a broad view of the traditional librarianship values such as who is seeking information, how are they evaluating it and using it, what alternative resources do they have, and is the library keeping up with the technology they seek? This might become delineated into library departments that face different external factors in their service models. And this could include that has changed within the external environment over the last several years that impact the work being done currently.

The third phase listed by SHRM is strategic implementation. This starts with the establishment of short-term objectives or goals, which can be measured as a strategy’s effectiveness. This will include creating action plans as to how resources will be distributed and how to communicate effectively, so that staff remains motivated and willing to implement the strategic directions desired. This is a critical phase, because this becomes the point in which employees are asked to do something different, assuming that the short-term goals that have been established is moving the organization in a different direction based on the changes to the environment or profession. The academic libraries have identified changes that need to be made in order to stay in sync with the larger institution, this can be the most difficult phase to implement.

Gaining employee “buy-in” is critical to the success of implementing these strategies and should actually be considered a strategy within itself. Library staffs need to know the challenges that the organization is faced with and how the proposed strategies will benefit them as individuals as well as make a different for the larger organization. Some suggestions from SHRM that could be utilized in this phase include: providing learning opportunities, recognizing team efforts, and ensuring that communication efforts reach and are understood by everyone concerned.

The final phase is strategy evaluation. This is a review of the strategies implemented to measure or to determine if differences were realized or not. Or, if the strategy itself is in need to change or “tweaking” so as to realign and still be positioned for success. This phase also allows library staff to provide feedback on what is working or what is not working. Once again, this is important for “buy-in” to maintaining a strategy that is creating needed change within the organization.

SHRM’s point of view with regard to the strategic planning process is that by having a human resource professional involved, who is committed to organizational goals and health, a total organization benefit, can be gained with objective and learned feedback. The human resources role is to be more of a consultant, which can develop and build partnerships across departmental lines within the larger organization. At this level of involvement, the human resources professional should understand or learn much of the basic industry information about the function of the organization.

In an academic library that does not have a human resources professional on staff, hiring an outside consultant or someone from the campus human resources department is appropriate during the strategic planning process. This role is important due to the strategic changes and the impact it might have on the employees within the organization. The strategic changes could impact positions, job descriptions, repurposing, training, and development need or possibly even lay-off. Having a human resources partner focused on these issues can help move initiatives along easier.

2.2 Strategic planning in higher education

Earlier literature regarding higher education planning activities refer to incremental or multilayered processes and budget driven limitations as it relates to effectively conducting long-term planning activities. Academic institutions, unlike their corporate counter parts, usually suffered from a lack of useful data and ended up with descriptive phrases rather than process driven goals and objectives.

More recently and also driven by tighter accreditation standards, higher education planning has become more strategic so as to tie funding and political considerations into more accountable and measurable outcomes that support the business or mission of the specific institution. Hinton (2012) outlines the contemporary strategic plan in higher education institutions and how separate components are necessary to provide a process, but also support each other for long-term effectiveness.

Hinton’s (2012) breakdown of the strategic plan is outlined as...