The Key to Success: Effective Communication

Recommendations for: The Library Coordinator of Valdosta Technical College Library

April 5, 2010 Shannon Leaper Valdosta State University

The Key to Success: Effective Communication

Executive Summary Valdosta Technical College and East Central Technical College will merge July 2010 to form Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The four campuses, two for each college, will become the largest technical college in South Georgia, serving over 7,200 students. Due to this merge, leadership roles will change and new policies and procedures must be implemented. Effective internal and external communication is vital to the continued success of the merged Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Libraries. Effective communication is important for imparting policies and procedures to all members of the organization. According to Altnz (2009), efficient communication is the principal device for the adequate implementation of administrative and organizational activities. (p. 217) Therefore effective communication should be the primarily addressed issue pertaining to this merge by not only the library staff but also the remaining staff and faculty of the merged colleges. Through the course of our interviews, the library Coordinator expressed concern over one potential weakness of the newly merged organization. When the four campuses combine, there could potentially be a problem with effective communication, both upward and downward. Since the campuses are spread out, finding effective ways to communicate are very important for the sharing of information. External information or information affecting all campuses must be disseminated to all employees. Additionally, several internal communication problems have recently arisen and although they were quickly dealt with, having a procedure in place will help deal with future problems quickly. My proposal to my client was to research and suggest several forms of internal communication to be used with her staff, as well as means of effective external communication to be used in the forthcoming merge. Plans for the short term -

Each Campus: Implement daily emails to and from all staff within each campus with a daily summary containing a log of library happenings during the shift. Establish a group email for each campus. Together: Implement a weekly teleconference between the Director and Coordinator of Library/Media Services to discuss weekly issues. Throw a party for all library staff.

Looking forward - Together: Establish a Community of Practice for all campuses library staff. Establish a schedule for teleconference for staff meetings with all library staff on all campuses. Establish procedures for forwarding interlibrary loan resources throughout the four campuses. Publish a Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Libraries newsletter to be distributed to all faculty and staff via email.

The Key to Success: Effective Communication

Discussion As stated previously, the technical college will be merging in July 2010. Due to this merge, leadership roles will change. A policies and procedures manual is already being established and since the current Library Director and the Library Coordinator of both main campuses are working together to create the manual, both are able to provide input to produce a product that is cohesive and acceptable to all. In addition to the library policies and procedures manual, the libraries have been working together to overcome obstacles such as different cataloging programs, interlibrary loan transfers and no face-to-face interaction due to distance. Since the libraries staff have been working together efficiently to begin merging their combined resources, the libraries could be the glue that binds the four schools together into a cohesive learning environment when the schools are finally merged in July. There are commonalities in the libraries where there may be many differences in the classrooms, specifically in regards to different education programs offered on the different campuses. Despite the cohesiveness already established, one of the biggest potentials for problems could be with effective communication, both upward and downward. Since the campuses are spread out, finding effective ways to communicate are very important for the sharing of information. Bolarinwa & Olorunfemi (2009) remind us that quality communication can benefit all within the any organization. External information or information affecting all campuses must be disseminated to all employees. Wood (1999) points out a number of common ways in which information within the organization can be disseminated, whether this information will be disseminated via face-to-face meetings, through written memos or emails, memos or in-house newsletters, remains to be seen. Within the Valdosta campus library, internal communication problems have sometime arisen and although they were dealt with quickly, having a procedure in place will help deal with future problems quickly. In order for changes to work, Galleger (1999) reminds management that the staff must support the new structure and management is responsible for making sure the staff understands the current changes and has had the opportunity to participate in establishing the new organization structure. Implement daily emails to and from all staff within each campus with a daily summary containing a log of library happenings during the shift. This daily email also serves as a daily log of library happenings that can be compiled for future reference. Items to be included are problems with computers or any technical issues that occurred throughout the day. Staff issues, such as someone unable to come in for a shift due to sickness or family emergency. Issues or questions from students that may not have been answered during one shift that may need to be addressed in another, campus incidents and upcoming meetings could also be addressed. This is especially helpful when there are several shifts and coworkers rarely see one another for more than a few minutes between shift changes. Establish a group email for each campus. Group e-mail accounts work well to raise the level of awareness of issues among the participants if responsibilities regarding workload are clearly defined and trust exists among colleagues that the appropriate person will do the appropriate work to respond to the communication. (Feather, 2007, p.210) The Valdosta campus already makes use of a group email where instructors can send request for proctoring. This is very helpful when you have several individuals working different shifts. With a group email instructors do not have to worry that the email went to the right person who will be there at the right time. Instead, all library staff has access to the information and can assist the student.

Implement a weekly teleconference between the Director and Coordinator of Library/Media Services to discuss weekly issues. A weekly telephone conference between the Director and Coordinator of Library/Media Services allows for the two managers to discuss any pertinent issues that may have arisen during the week. While emails are good for detailing information, they have a tendency to be one-sided. Additionally, physical clues such as tone of voice are absent from emails. In turn, by missing verbal clues, those communicating may miss the importance of what is being said through an e-mail. A telephone conference would allow both participants to verbalize their issues. Throw a party for all library staff. Most people love parties and this party would serve several purposes, the first, to encourage esprit de corps, of the newly combined staff. Additionally, it is usually easier to address problems or issues with someone you have a connection with. Since communication is not only about the verbal use of the word, but also the non-verbal signals someone gives and receives, meeting coworkers face-to-face is helpful in learning about others within the organization. Without a doubt, those who do not find a way to network about office goings-on miss out they also miss opportunities for the serendipitous exchange of knowledge. (Manafy, 2004, p. 5) Establish a Community of Practice for all campuses library staff. A Community of practices will allow all staff access information needed to succeed in their job. Summarized by Wenger (2002) Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. (p. 4) Establishing a CoP will allow the Library Director and Library Coordinator to disseminate downward important information to the staff of the library. The library staff will be able to work on problems together and to learn aspects of their job they either did not have previously or had to go to several sources to learn. Establish a schedule for teleconference for staff meetings with all library staff on all campuses. Establish staff meetings for all library staff via teleconference once per month. This teleconference allows all staff an opportunity to interact with one another as well as to discuss any issues that may have arisen in the past month. This is also a good time for continued education and training as well as opportune time to pass on necessary information regarding processes and policies. Establish procedures for forwarding interlibrary loan resources throughout the four campuses. In order to establish procedures for forwarding interlibrary loan resources I propose Wiregrass Georgia Technical College create a Currier job position. The purpose of the Currier would be to provide a source of transportation for documents and interlibrary loan items from all campuses. There is already a person at the Valdosta campus who visits the detachment campus several times a week. This position could be expanded to include the other two campuses. Publish a Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Libraries newsletter to be distributed to all faculty and staff via email. The Library Coordinator at the Valdosta Campus does an excellent job of communicating with the college faculty and staff concerning library updates via a newsletter emailed out once a month. This newsletter is very well put together and easy to read. I would suggest Wiregrass Georgia Technical College continue this tradition and distribute it to all campuses. While having to organize and review emails can be a source of distress from some individuals and many will say having one more email to read is more than they need, an article by Cook & Krieger (2001) shows by eliminating e-mail clutter through organization the important information is at hand. The Library Coordinators newsletter is informative and user friendly and would be a great way to showcase the combined efforts of the four campuses.

The Key to Success: Effective Communication

Annotated Bibliography Altnz, M. (2009). An overall approach to the communication of organizations in conventional and virtual offices. International Journal of Social Sciences, 4(3), 217-223. Compares and contrast communication in a conventional office and communication in a virtual office. This article discusses the increase in efficiency in virtual teams when the right information has been obtained concerning administrative activities and the decrease in efficiency when the system goes beyond what the original purpose was.

American Library Association. (n.d.). Identify Communication Strategies. Retrieved from http://www.ala. org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/advocacyuniversity/toolkit/makingthecase/strategies.cfm An article from the ALA which examines how to deliver the message your library wishes to send. This article goes on to extol the values of having library advocates and communicating with the community at large.

Bolarinwa, J., & Olorunfemi, D. (2009). Organizational communication for organizational climate and quality service in academic libraries. Library Philosophy and Practice, 2009. An article written by two Nigerian librarians reminding us that communication is universal and necessary to remain productive.

Cook, E., & Krieger, L. (2001). Eliminating e-mail clutter: strategies for virtual office management. Serials Librarian, 40(3/4), 225. An excellent article on the downsides of e-mail that focuses on when not to use email as well as e-mail etiquette, organization and security.

Feather, C. (2007). Electronic resources communications management: a strategy for success. Library Resources & Technical Services, 51(3), 204.
An excellent study, done at Ohio State University on the e-resources and group e-mails. Focuses on

achieving a balance with electronic communications. Gallacher, C. (1999). Managing change in libraries & information services. London: Aslib. This book examines the rapid changes in library and information services and discusses the factors that create a resistance to change.

Manafy, M. (2004). The social butterfly effect. EContent, 27(7).

An article extolling the benefits of gossip around the water cooler.

We never talk anymore. (2006). USA Today Magazine, 134(2731), 7-8. There are several forms of communication. Which one is right for the communication you trying to send? Should you send an e-mail, discuss your issue over the telephone or have a meeting to share with the group? This article helps you decide which form of communication is appropriate for the action you wish to take.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. An explanation of the terms Community of Practice, this first book on the subject explains the community based theory for understanding social interactions and puts into practice community sharing of information.

Wenger, E., McDermott R., & Synder, W.M. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. This second book by Etienne provides more information regarding Communities of Practice including practical examples of how we use CoP everyday without realizing it.

Wood, J. (1999). Establishing internal communication channels that work. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 21(2), 135. This article describes communication and studies methods used by chief executives when communicating to their staff within an organization. This article also discusses the point of view of the staff, discovering what ways they believe to be effective in receiving information.

Outstanding Websites Business Management Daily http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/ With articles like Gain a better Outlook: 3 moves toward an empty inbox and Improve your phone skills: Surefire tips to make every customer call count, Business Management Daily provides great hints and tips for managers of all shapes and sizes, whether the CEO of a large corporation or the Library Director in charge of small rural library with only three employees. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/index.cfm The ALA is the starting point for most queries having to do with any aspect of librarianship. Here, professional resources are available for research as well as general reading.

Valdosta Technical College, East Central Technical College and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College logos found at http://www.wiregrass.edu/ and used under the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code) for scholarly purposes.