Teams, as described in Working Papers #1-2, and 4, have charges that include the planning and provision for seamless service to library users. Cross-Divisional Teams are teams whose function is to bridge organizational divisions in order to ensure that work which cuts across technical, public, and administrative service lines is effectively managed. These teams are formed in order to establish strong system-wide decision-making structures and increase awareness and communication. It is the shared responsibility of team members, whose specialized and detailed knowledge will be necessary for using fact-based decision-making tools, to work harmoniously, collaboratively, and with a clear sense of common purpose and mission.
Working Paper #2 identified a number of teams that are enriched by cross-divisional participation. These include: the Access Services Team, the Information and Research Services Team, the Collections Management Team, and the Information Literacy team. Membership on these teams has been opened to members of Technical Services. Along with the program/functional teams, Working Paper #2 recognizes the need for the Subject Teams to forge closer relationships with other divisions and areas of the Libraries that have a significant impact on their work, including Technical Services. Working Paper #2 has charged the Subject Teams with preparing recommendations that support this goal. TSD Planning and Leadership Team is charged with taking leadership for collaboration with the Subject teams to forge closer relations with TSD.
Working Paper # 4 has identified the Staff Education Coordinating Team (SECT) as a cross-divisional team to identify, coordinate and support or share in developing training opportunities for staff. Core membership on this team includes representatives from the Technical Services Training Coordinating Team. We recommend that a non-TSD member of SECT be included as a member of the Training Coordinating Team.
This Working Paper identifies four coordinating teams to be cross-divisional. The Continuing Resources Coordinating Team includes a member from Collection Management Team, as well as, others from Periodical Public Service points throughout the University Libraries. The GovDocs Processing Coordinating Team includes members from the Government Documents/Maps Collection and one member from a subject team. The Digital Library Coordinating Team, includes members from the Digital Libraries Operations. The Training Coordinating Team includes non-TSD members from Continuing Resources Coordinating Team, and the GovDocs Processing Coordinating Team, as well as, others from the Staff Education Coordinating Team.
As team structure progresses throughout the Libraries other opportunities for cross-divisional participation will be formalized, such as the Facilitators Team whose membership is open to all.
Implementation of the new organizational structure must be carefully planned and introduced as methodically as possible. A transformation as extensive as this one cannot be implemented overnight, rather the transition will take place over a period of time. To ensure that the transition is deliberately charted and thoughtfully designed, the BRC proposes that a Transition Team be established and charged with creating a transition plan. The plan should include: creating a timeline that outlines the steps of the transition as well as developing a process for helping staff to find their role in the new organization. This work will encompass: gathering and reviewing job descriptions, identifying a selection process which encompasses selection guidelines, creating a selection criteria, developing the membership documentation that will be used by staff to express interest in Production Group positions and Team positions. In accomplishing its goal, the Transition Team will work with the leaders of the Production Groups and the members of the Training Coordinating Team once they have been selected.
The BRC recommends that the membership of this committee include: Director of TSD, 2 BRC members, 2 members from outside TSD, and 3 members from TSD departments.
Evaluation of the organizational structure will be ongoing. Each of the Production Groups and the Coordinating Teams will conduct a self-evaluation after the new structure has been implemented. In addition to the self-evaluations, there should be a larger and more formal review of the organization. The Transition Team will be asked to incorporate into the transition timetable a recommendation for the first evaluation. The evaluation will be conducted by the TSD Planning and Leadership Team. The BRC recommends that many of the same techniques used for gathering feedback during Program Review be used. This includes focused discussion group meetings with TSD staff as well as staff outside of TSD. Interviews with individual departments is another way to gather information on the effectiveness of the structure.
Incremental changes are very likely to be made throughout the implementation of the new structure. The BRC agrees that problems which hinder service will need to be addressed as early as possible.
The work of the Blue Ribbon Committee would not have been possible without the contributions of many staff within the Technical Services Division and outside of it. The Committee would particularly like to express its gratitude to Sue Baughman, our hardworking facilitator. Her work with the Committee and with other staff contributing to the project was always tireless, thoughtful, and helpful. We are also deeply indebted to the Program Review Working Groups. Their work provided the bedrock on which the proposal is grounded. We also wish to thank all of the staff who took the time to offer their analysis and feedback both of the data gathered in program review and of the proposal in its various stages of development. The BRC made many changes along the way based on the very sound advice offered by various staff members. In particular, the staff of two units, Cataloging and Acquisitions invested substantial time in clarifying alternative approaches to the organizational design. We also thank Maureen Sullivan for her guidance in planning and setting the stage for this research, and Lutgarda Barnachea for her work in posting the reports and progress reports to the TSD WEB site.