Christopher Schoenherr Written Analysis Paper LIS 770 May 18, 2010

Although about relatively different subject matter, the articles Sally in Libraryland and Gender and Organizational Culture are very easily related to each other. I believe that both share an underlying theme, and that is the word understanding. More obviously, both articles deal with the concept of leadership. Sally In Librarylands author, Sally Decker Smith talks about the lack of understanding between administration and staff at libraries. This article makes a lot of sense. I have been on one side of the divide for nearly 11 years as a library staff member. Smith speaks of a general lack of understanding between the staff and administration. Staff may view administration as lazy and overpaid. Staff may not have a grasp on what exactly a director is required to do. Likewise, while focusing on the big picture, a director may overlook the accomplishments and the hard work of certain individuals on the staff. What Smith has done as compiled a large list of requests from staff and administrators a like. Both sides ultimately wish that the other would simply understand each other. What most of the staff has replied with hits very close to home. For the most part, the members of the staff want to feel like they are part of the team. Much like anyone else, they want recognition for their hard work, and they want their opinions to matter. Having spent almost 11 years working with the public I understand where the staff featured in the article are coming from. Another thing that seems to bother many staff members is that some directors seem to always take the side of the patron, even in the case of unruly patrons. This leads to unrest and the feeling that the director does not care about the opinion of the staff. Oddly enough many staff members are upset at a directors unwillingness to fire or reprimand staff members who arent performing their job well. Some library staff members work very hard and take their job seriously. When library directors come up from their office, they dont get to see the whole

pictures. Oftentimes they may see the staff for a few minutes a day. Those few minutes may define the directors entire opinion about that particular staff member. The example given in the article is about how the director comes across the reference librarians reading magazines at the desk. Immediately the director may jump to inaccurate conclusions about what the staff members are doing and how seriously they take their jobs. Likewise, library directors also feel that they are misunderstood. Unlike staff members, the library director has no one at work to vent to. A directors job is much more than filing paper work and sitting behind a desk. The position oftentimes requires a different type of work day for a director. They can be seen arriving at work and leaving work at different times. To staff members who may not have a clear understanding of what a director does in the community, this might appear like they are ditching work for no good reason and getting away with it simply because they are the boss. An essential part of a directors job is developing and maintaining relationships in the community. Sometimes this means that they must conduct business outside of the library. The directors who responded to Smith had similar things to say about what they wish staff knew about their job and the decisions they must make regarding the library and library policy. One thing that is always on a directors mind is funding. This is true now more than ever. Sometimes staff members may have great ideas that would be really beneficial for the library, but because of funding these activities and ideas may not be possible. In this situation, because the director is responsible for the financial well being of the library, they are seen as the bad guy. Directors also want the staff to know that they are in fact working down in their office. Contrary to popular belief, most directors are actually being productive in their office instead of playing computer games. Finally, directors want staff to know that they are someone they can come to and not feel nervous around.

I believe that good communication is the only viable solution to this problem. At my library, our director is very sociable, especially with staff. Our assistant directors responsibilities on the other hand are dubious. In general our staff has a great deal of respect for our director because we understand the integral part he has played in securing funds and keeping a library afloat during troubled economic times. Our library is a beacon in our community because of the relationships he has created. The next article Gender and Organizational Culture by Doug Valentine discusses the concept of gender in relationship to leadership. Valentine draws on research about the differences between male and female leadership. He is very careful to point out the difference between sex and gender. Sex is inherent whereas gender is defined by culture. Although there are always exceptions, research has shown that there are differences between males and females, although much of the early research has been disputed. There are some traits that are gender neutral such as adaptive, tactful, sincere and conscientious. According to research, males tend to be more spatial and mathematical, autocratic, dominant, competitive, and independent. Because of these traits, the male management style tends to sharply contrast the typically female management style. The male management style is more verbal, and the male leader tends to be better at decoding non-verbal signals. Females on the other hand tend to be caring, supportive and good listeners. This influences their leadership style as well. The female leadership is typically described as interactive leadership. There is no research that points to either leadership style being more accurate then the other. Both of these articles suggest that communication is vital to leadership. Whether the obstacle you face in the work place is gender related or a typical management versus staff problem, both sides can work together successfully with a little understanding.