Collegiality and Cooperation / Effective Communication Part 1 of 3

Action Initiatives

Collegiality and Cooperation / Effective Communication — Part 1 of 3

Objectives /

Desired Outcomes: A library-wide environment where the following statements are true.

1. We treat co-workers, clientele, subordinates and superiors the way we want to be treated, being mindful to respect cultural differences.

2. We show respect for each other by communicating in a friendly and courteous manner, listening attentively, encouraging the expression of differing points of view, and staying open to questions and opinions from others.

3. We work together by taking a library-wide perspective, basing discussions on facts rather than rumor, offering constructive criticism, seeking creative and practical solutions, committing ourselves to follow mutually agreed-upon methods and procedures and meeting agreed-upon deadlines.

4. We are truthful, open and clear in our communication and respect confidentiality when appropriate.

Ideas for action:

· Hold discussions of staff to develop and articulate ground rules that apply to meetings and one-on-one communications throughout the Library, then establish a mechanism for all staff to acknowledge, adopt and reinforce these ground rules.

· Continue Town Hall Meetings, Early Birds and cross-departmental councils and working groups which gather a wide variety of viewpoints. Deepen this to encourage and support all staff in being heard by holding regular cross-departmental discussions like those sponsored by OCC. Train facilitators and participants in the basics of “making meetings work.”

· Provide training/discussion sessions for all staff on working in an environment rich with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

· Foster the expectation that all supervisors hold regular staff meetings and that all staff will actively participate in them.

· Hear more from staff about how to make useful allusers, minutes, etc., and ask that the communicators and recipients take responsibility for “talking” and “listening” effectively.

· Provide training in “giving and receiving positive feedback” to all staff to enable safe and constructive feedback.

· Identify a person within the Library to serve as mediator or ombudsperson when bad relations cannot be resolved within a unit OR identify resources on campus who will actively mediate.

· Roundtable plays a key role in providing feedback to both administration and to working groups in-process. Roundtable is also a crucial conduit for information and opinion to and from staff. Ask Roundtable what they need to be more effective in these roles.

Related ideas to consider:

· Foster collegiality by sponsoring frequent library-wide social events designed to celebrate our diversity and to encourage staff from different units to know each other.

· Involve staff in the development and implementation of a “recognition program” to celebrate both small and large achievements of individual and/or teams of staff. (examples to consider: FedEx recognition program; UCB campus document on Recognition and Reward Programs, at http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/GUIDE/gd-appg.htm)

Action Initiatives

Collegiality and Cooperation / Effective Communication – Part 2 of 3

Possible Milestones / Markers of Success

· A set of ground rules posted in every meeting room.

· Staff changing their behavior in respect for the ground rules.

· Staff being able to ask another to abide by the ground rules without either party feeling rancor or resentment.

· A calendar of information-sharing meetings.

· A calendar of information-gathering meetings.

· “Certificates” issued to a significant number of people who participated in “Making Meetings Work.”

· Meetings that use the basics of “Making Meetings Work.”

· “Certificates” issued to a significant number of people who participated in a training/session on cultural diversity in the workplace.

· Roundtable meetings having material and agendas for each scheduled time.

· Roundtable meetings in which many people offer input on any given query, including perspective from their staffs.

· Regular unit meetings that are well-attended throughout the library, in which information is shared and opinions gathered.

· Clearly stated guidelines for how to frame minutes/emails and when/how to distribute them.

· A majority of staff who find reading minutes and emails to be an effective way to receive and send information.

· A track-record of successful mediation of difficult situations that cannot be remedied initially by those in conflict nor by their supervisors.

Possible Milestones /Markers of Success for “related ideas”

· A series of well-attended events showcasing staff talents and ethnic backgrounds

· Ever-increasing number of nominations for the SDC awards.

· A series of “surprise” parties (5-50 minutes) to acknowledge an individual or team

Action Initiatives

Collegiality, Cooperation / Effective Communication – Part 3 of 3

Staff Input from Brainstorming Sessions, October 2000

Library staff attended one of five drop-in sessions offered by the Organizational Culture Committee in October 2000 to discuss concrete actions the Library might take to improve our working environment. Participants made suggestions specifically with regard to the six behaviors that 173 Library staff had previously identified as being the most effective to pursue first.

In these sessions, attendees named

· actions we take now which are in direct conflict with a value/behavior that we should stop (coded here as P);

· actions we take now that already support a value/behavior that we should continue (coded here as C);

· new actions that we should take (coded here as S) .

Participants also indicated whether specific actions required library-wide programs (coded here as O) and/or if individuals could also take effective steps to realize these behaviors in our environment (coded here as I).

Value:

COLLEGIALITY, COOPERATION / EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION — We work together to build a civil environment. We cooperate and support each other. We appreciate diversity. Regular and ongoing open communication occurs throughout

Behavior(s):

1. We treat co-workers, clientele, subordinates and superiors the way we want to be treated, being mindful to respect cultural differences.

4. We are truthful, open and clear in our communication and respect confidentiality when appropriate.

Actions suggested at October meetings.

Continue

Oct 04 / C / Continue cross training and team-building / O
Oct 05 / C / Continue the meetings and intent of this committee. / O
Oct 05 / C / Continue making minutes and notes of meetings available on the web and through email / O
Oct 05 / C / Having fun at work. / I and O
Oct 05 / C / Library staff should have tours of other departments—if we understand big picture, the relation of our work to others, we are more motivated and feel part of a team / I and O
Oct 06 / C / Library-wide opportunities to meet people in other units (like these OCC events) / O
Oct 06 / C / Introducing each other so faces get matched with names. / I
Oct 06 / C / The diversity of classes offered via Staff, Development and Training / I and O
Oct 06 / C / Library Administrative team periodic Early Birds to inform staff and answer questions. / I and O
Oct 06 / C / Encourage staff who are reluctant to speak up either in meetings or large group settings. / I and O
Oct 06 / C / Trying as hard as possible to respect co-workers, patrons, supervisors, and to remain as calm and tolerant as possible during difficult times. / I and O
Oct 06 / C / Sending minutes of administrative groups, councils, etc. to alluser reflector. / I and O
Oct 09 / C / Everyone takes responsibility for communication—not just top down / I and O
Oct 09 / C / We show respect to the coworkers, clientele, communicate with each other in friendly manner, seeking creative and practical solutions. / I
Oct 10 / C / Cross-functional assignments (committees/task forces) / O
Oct 10 / C / We model the behavior we want and expect through our own actions. / I and O
Oct 10 / C / The detailed Cabinet minutes—often the only way we hear of decisions made by administration. / O
Oct 10 / C / Continue Early Birds. / O

Start

Oct 04 / S / Slow down. Administrators and managers need to model the reality that good communication and consultation take time.
Oct 04 / S / Training in behavioral feedback and effective communication / I and O
Oct 04 / S / Deal with behaviors and people who are counterproductive in this area / I and O
Oct 04 / S / Incorporate all values/behaviors in individual evaluations. / I and O
Oct 04 / S / Break down barrier between managers and staff. Start being consistent in regard to expectations and workloads. (i.e. no “surprises,” ambushes, delayed criticism, or “review”) / I and O
Oct 04 / S / Have HR director report directly to UL.
Oct 04 / S / Put HR staff who have knowledge/perspective of library-wide compensation/reward/issues on key councils and a flow of direct reporting to policy makers. Currently, staff HR not on any library-wide committees, including Roundtable.
Oct 04 / S / Treat people with respect verbally and non-verbally. / I
Oct 04 / S / Including lists of specific behaviors in annual performance appraisals for rating/feedback. / I and O
Oct 05 / S / Work with Staff Affirmative Action Office / I and O
Oct 05 / S / Widespread recognition of contributions—as opposed to individual performance awards that foster competitiveness / O
Oct 05 / S / Librarywide meetings should be held in a place comfortable for all—everyone can sit, see and hear. The Morrison Library is a nice room but it is not appropriate for one time meetings which all should attend / O
Oct 05 / S / Hostile and verbal abuse cannot be allowed. Appropriate action should immediately be taken by an impartial party or parties. / O
Oct 05 / S / Encourage wider participation in process. Outreach to bring all the units into the process. / O
Oct 05 / S / More interdepartmental exchange is needed. Perhaps tours would help. Maybe small exhibits which describe each department’s function. / I and O
Oct 05 / S / Frequent meetings of large units (e.g. Tech Services, Doe-Moffitt, TBL) in an effort to include some human-interest aspect. / O
Oct 05 / S / Library identified nametags—pick out library staff in crowds. / O
Oct 06 / S / Communicate with all involved when implementing any changes.
Oct 06 / S / When you identify a problem, offer constructive ideas about possible solutions and be willing to work (actively) to implement / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Making a conscience effort to NOT interrupt. / I
Oct 06 / S / Setting ground rules for behaviors for all meetings. / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Training in behavioral feedback and effective communications. / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Work with Staff Affirmative Action office. / O
Oct 06 / S / Only put into email a tone you’d be willing to have others see. / I
Oct 06 / S / Make regular work-group meetings a requirement of supervisors; make unit/dept meetings the norm. AUL’s to hold their direct report accountable. / O
Oct 06 / S / Recognize that there are times that it’s okay to disagree. / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Have monthly social events open to all staff. / O
Oct 06 / S / Do not forward email sent to you without the sender’s permission. / I
Oct 06 / S / Take a Library Assistant to lunch!! How many Librarians have ever done that? / I and O
Oct 06 / S / More training in dealing with diversity among co-workers, student staff. / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Accept that confidentiality does not always have a sinister purpose. / I
Oct 06 / S / More interdepartmental communication. / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Those who supervise other staff should all go through arrangement/supervisory training. / O
Oct 06 / S / Extremely important to be informed timely so we can work efficiently to meet our library goals/needs. / I and O
Oct 06 / S / Sorry to say that this doesn’t seem to happen in our work environment. As a result, the silent responses didn’t encourage anyone to pursue further unless the messages are urgent. / I and O
Oct 09 / S / Provide training in giving and receiving feedback. / O
Oct 09 / S / Build these values into our performance evaluation process at all levels—recognizing that this is an important part of how we work. / I and O
Oct 09 / S / Begin a monthly social event. By meeting and interacting with each other on a regular non-work basis, say over coffee, ice cream, or a monthly birthday cake, we tear down the walls of seclusion. / I and O
Oct 10 / S / 360-degree review. / I and O
Oct 10 / S / In order to take a librarywide perspective, staff must be well-informed about what is happening librarywide. Ensure opportunities for staff to know what’s happening in all library units—Early Birds? Articles in CU News? / O
Oct 10 / S / Leadership, communication and diversity sensitivity training mandatory for supervisors. / O
Oct 10 / S / Training in good communication / O
Oct 10 / S / Provide rotational opportunities for staff leadership (in meetings and/or projects) / I and O
Oct 10 / S / More staying open to questions and opinions of others. / I
Oct 10 / S / Intra-unit workshops on topics of communication e.g. listening, constructive criticism, effective meetings. / I and O

Stop