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 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;

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.

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:
 

Accountability	Effective Communication	Risk Taking
Collaboration	Good Morale	Service Orientation
Collegiality	Initiative	Supportiveness
Compassion	Mutual Respect	Trust
Diversity

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

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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