University of Maryland Libraries

Philosophy of Shared Leadership

The University of Maryland Libraries' Philosophy of Shared Leadership is a vision of what leadership means in the new team-based organization where leadership no longer rests with a few individuals or in certain positions.  This philosophy shows us how we must learn to work differently.  As each of us embraces the principles and values that are set forth below, our mindset and behavior will be transformed.  Shared leadership is one important way through which the Libraries can achieve its mission and make the vision a reality.

PRINCIPLES

We strive to achieve the Libraries' vision.

The University of Maryland Libraries will be an innovative leader and partner in the research library and scholarly information communities.  We will be a model for client-centered service excellence, providing information resources that enhance learning and teaching in an environment both physical and virtual that is inviting and user-friendly.  We will hold ourselves to high standards of expertise, performance and contribution to the larger effort, in an organization that will enable and reward achievement of these high standards.  (UM Libraries Strategic Plan, April 2001 revision)

The Libraries' mission is at the core of everything we do.

The direct mission of the University of Maryland Libraries is twofold:

Providing access to the use of scholarly information resources required to meet the education, research, and service missions of the University.  The Libraries support this effort by building, organizing, maintaining and preserving these resources;

And second:

Providing assistance in the use of the scholarly information resources required to meet the education, research and service missions of the University.  The Libraries support this effort through interpreting, instructing and educating in the use of these resources.

Beyond this direct mission, the Libraries, to the extent possible, serve the larger scholarly community.  (UM Libraries Strategic Plan, April 2001 revision)

We are a service organization.  The pursuit of service excellence at all levels requires the ongoing commitment and dedication of all staff.  This is truly a collaborative effort that recognizes the need for continuous improvement, innovation and experimentation on behalf of our customers, internal as well as external.  (Excerpt from the Services Task Force)

The Libraries contribute to learning and the discovery of new knowledge in the University community by teaching, by delivering scholarly information, and by contributing to scholarship.

Everyone has leadership potential; leadership is a skill rather than simply an innate talent.  Accordingly, we embrace and support leadership from all.  Leadership is the work of the whole community and manifests itself in many ways.  Our understanding of it will continue to evolve.  Shared leadership requires self-discipline and fortitude from each of us.

As a community, we agree with the Libraries' Guiding Statement on Work Culture.
(See http://www.lib.umd.edu/PUB/wctf_final.html#vision)

VALUES

The following values have emerged through staff discussions and workshops as important to the practice of shared leadership:

COMMITMENT TO ACTION

"An agile and perpetually learning organization is an interdependent organization, one in which individuals, teams, departments, and divisions work in ever-changing combinatory collaboration." ¹    As a community, we recognize that certain practices and methods enhance our ability to work together.  Therefore, as leaders, we make personal commitments to:

• Accept responsibility and stand behind our decisions
• Be fair and open-minded with others
• Be forward-looking and yet mindful of the past
• "Be there" when others need us
• Create an environment where people can grow by fostering trust in each other and helping others to develop their skills and abilities
• Emphasize effective communication that supports dialogue and encourages active listening
• Encourage creativity, independence and participation of others
• Encourage others to expand their responsibilities
• Encourage each other's intellectual curiosity
• Ensure adequate training and continuous learning
• Foster excellence without expecting perfection by creating an environment in which the admission of mistakes is met with understanding
• Model the standards of professional behavior
• Promote shared decision-making that is open and clear to all
• Recognize the value of people's contributions and help bring out their potential
• Share our knowledge and expertise with others
• Show energy and enthusiasm
• Support one another in our efforts to respond and adapt to change
• Take the work seriously, not ourselves
• Take time to be reflective

Leadership is the creation of relationships that nurture and engage in the sharing of responsibility for the success of the UM Libraries.  Through these guiding principles and values and the commitment to action, all library staff become a part of the whole.

Citation:

Kathryn J. Deiss  and Maureen Sullivan, "The Shared Leadership Principle: Creating Leaders Throughout the Organization," Leading Ideas: Issues and Trends In Diversity, Leadership and Career Development 2 (May 1998), p.

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