Leadership Reflections: Organizational Culture

Abstract

Organizations function as small societies with their unique behaviors, patterns, and communication. Organizational culture describes how individuals work within libraries and the patterns, assumptions, values, attitudes, and behavior that help an organization to operate within its environment and achieve, or not achieve, its mission. Effective leaders must understand the operational framework of their libraries in order to be successful in managing or to change the culture in support of strategic goals. Changing the culture of an organization is difficult and a long-term process with a realistic understanding of the current behaviors and a determined vision for how an organization should work. There are some specific strategies that may aid leaders in transforming a library culture into a productive and effective set of behaviors that will contribute to a library’s success.     

Leadership and Social Justice

ABSTRACT

Leaders have tremendous influence not only in their organizations but for the profession and within the communities they serve. Librarianship has strong core values that are the foundation of our services but librarians also create an environment that supports diversity of opinions. How does a library leader balance social justice while serving the broad needs of a community? Is there an inherent conflict between personal perspectives and the encompassing multiple viewpoints? Library leaders may face difficult decisions in determining social justice issues within their libraries considering personal beliefs, institutional responsibilities, and community impacts. Every library leader has opportunities to address social justice issues within libraries and in so doing, will advance community goals of inclusiveness of all members.     

Rethinking work. Time,space and discourse

In this paper, we survey the contemporary movement away from traditional educational forms to the new discourses and practices associated with the term “lifelong learning”. We relate this movement to the sense of crisis which seems to be present in the post‐compulsory and higher education sectors. We locate it in the technological, economic and cultural changes which characterise the postmodern condition and the questioning of the grand narratives which have sustained education in modernity. We examine how these changes are effecting education in terms of trends such as vocationalisation, marketisation, the commodification of knowledge, the individualising of learning and the challenging of the monopoly position of universities. We ask what “education” means when it is not a bounded field and what “learning” means in the more loosely bounded spaces of lifelong learning. We argue that the current situation is both exciting and troubling for educators requiring a redefinition of roles and purposes in a context which is complex and contradictory.     

Modeling unidimensional categorization in monkeys

The categorization performance of monkeys on a unidimensional perceptual categorization task was examined with reference to decision bound and exemplar theories of categorization. Three rhesus monkeys were presented with stimuli varying along a single dimension, the displacement of a target light from a fixation point. Left or right saccade responses were probabilistically reinforced according to one of three functions, two of which were nonmonotonic at one end of the stimulus space. The monkeys all showed a monotonic increase in response probability as a function of target light displacement in this region, consistent with decision bound theory. Fits of a single-boundary model (GRT; Ashby & Gott, 1988) and two exemplar models—one using a probabilistic response function (GCM; Nosofsky, 1986), the other using a deterministic response function (DEM; Ashby & Maddox, 1993)—revealed overall support for the decision bound model. The results suggest that monkeys used a perceptual decision boundary to perform the task.     

Inspiratory Muscle Training in Patients with Heart Failure: A Systematic Review

Purpose

The purpose of this review was to assess the quality of evidence on inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in patients with heart failure and to provide an overview on subject selection, training protocols, and outcome achieved with IMT.

Methods

Literature search was first performed via the PubMed database, and additional references were identified from the Scopus citation index. Articles of the review type and of clinical trials published in English were included. Quality of the articles was assessed using Sackett''s levels of evidence and rigor of methodology was assessed using PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) criteria for randomized controlled trials and the Downs & Black tool for cohort studies.

Results

Twelve articles of clinical trials were included. Typical training protocols involved daily training with intensity greater than 30% of maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax), duration of 20 to 30 minutes (continuous or incremental) and using a pressure threshold muscle trainer. The effect sizes of PImax, walk test distance, and dyspnea were moderate to large across these studies. Effects on quality of life scores were inconsistent.

Conclusion

Inspiratory muscle training is beneficial for improving respiratory muscle strength, functional capacity, and dyspnea in patients with stable heart failure and respiratory muscle weakness.Key Words: inspiratory muscle training, heart failure, maximal inspiratory pressure     

Information systems development in developing countries: An evaluation and recommendations

This paper explores the implications of environmental conditions related to computer-based information systems (CBIS) development and implementation in developing countries. Their different economic, social, infrastructural, educational, cultural, political and legal conditions have important implications for organizational information requirements and cost/benefit considerations. This suggests that strategies based on a systems approach for information systems development in those countries should be adapted to minimize costly mistakes and to increase effectiveness. By examining environmental conditions in developing countries and their effects on the system development process, this paper proposes general directions for CBIS development to organizations in these countries.     

Leadership Reflections: Organizational Language

Leadership language communicates more than words. Leaders are able to use the power of language to not only articulate an organizational vision but to create excitement and support around that vision. Library leaders can model organizational values through speech strengthening a written policy into practice. Organizational culture is difficult to change but leaders can counter negative and deceptive messages into productive statements that help employees move forward to understand and embrace library strategic goals. How a leader chooses to use language to articulate a vision, advance organizational values, and to change organizational culture is critical. Ignoring language opportunities will hinder not only leader success but organizational success as well.     

A Leader's Toolbelt

Leaders need a variety of tools to be effective in their management, communication, and leadership. These tools should be used for specific jobs and are operational in working with some personalities but not all. Leaders can develop these tools and over time, learn when and how to effectively use them. Such tools will enhance the leader's ability to address a variety of situations and issues drawing upon expertise gained through experience.