Transcript Staffing for the future - CAUL (Council of Australian

LATN Workforce planning
Staffing for the future
Fides Datu Lawton
Director (Library Resources Unit)
UTS
CAUL Meeting
16 September 2005
Background
Vicki Whitmell LATN consultancy on succession
planning
A report for all LATN members
– Workforce and succession planning in the Libraries of the
Australian Technology Network: preparing for demographic
change, October 2004
A report specific to each member library
LATN workforce planning
project
Project Group
 Fides Datu Lawton, Director (Library Resources
Unit), UTS
 Jenny McCarthy, Associate Director, Library Services
(Development), QUT
 Gabrielle Gardiner, Research and Policy Officer,
Library, UTS
Project Reference Group including
 Craig Anderson [RMIT]
 Jennie Barwick [CUT]
 Stephen Parnell [USA]
Why workforce planning?
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Developments in ICT
innovations in service delivery
Richer array of information resources
significant changes in work systems and
processes
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Internationalisation of teaching and
research
Why workforce planning?
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Reduced government funding – greater reliance
on other income ->More fee paying students >clients -> customer -> heightened user
expectations
Quality framework
– Greater linkages between performance and
reward and remuneration
– Funding implications
Greater competition/ New competitors
(more choices for clients)
Why workforce planning?
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Aging workforce
– March 2004, UTS Library staff
 nearly 50% = 45 years and older
 ca. 10%
= 55 years and older
Short term contractors; consultants, project
teams =>less time for training &
development (Must hit the ground running)
Questions raised
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What kind of library do we want to be?
What knowledge, skills, attributes do
we need of our library staff to get us
there?
How do we attract the right people?
How do we develop and retain them?
Identifying core competencies
Core competencies
are the skills, knowledge, and
behaviors necessary to an individual’s
success in a position.
By identifying core competencies for
staff, libraries are able to sustain their
ability to adapt to the changing
environment and will be better
prepared for the on-going changes in
the future of higher education
(McNeil and Giesecke)
LATN – IKSAA
(Inventory of Knowledge, Skills, Aptitudes and
other attributes)
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Client Services
Communication and Interpersonal
Decision Making
Information and Communication Technology
Library Technical Skills
Teaching and Learning Support
Information Management
Leadership
Marketing and Promotion
Personal Attributes
Understanding of the Higher Education
Environment
Personal attributes
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Ability for independent learning (Whitlatch 2003)
Ability to demonstrate confidence, assertiveness,
decisiveness (Breaks 2005)
Ability to demonstrate creativity and imagination
(Fisher 2004) and innovation
Ability to think outside the box (Breaks 2005)
Displays an openness to new ideas (Ashcroft 2004)
Displays a willingness to take risks (Breaks 2005)
Evidence of resilience, resourcefulness and
responsiveness
Lateral thinking skills (Fisher 2004)
Sense of humour (Fides)
POTENTIAL USES OF THE INVENTORY
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In drafting job descriptions
In recruitment exercises
– Selection criteria
– Interview questions
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In identifying gaps in staff knowledge and
skills
In developing and implementing staff
development plans
In benchmarking staff competencies with
other organisations
LATN Meeting, 15 Sept. endorsed these
recommendations
1) Enhance LATN website with:
 links to PDs
 links to salary scales for different positions
 links to organisation charts
 sample job advertisements, especially
advertisements for new positions and their
corresponding selection criteria
2) Identify evolving library roles/positions and
matching these with their corresponding core
competencies
LATN Meeting, 15 Sept. endorsed these
recommendations
3) work on a proposal to LATN for collaborative staff
development programs to facilitate the development of
the core competencies
4) LATN to provide the necessary resources (staff, venue,
funds, etc.) to implement agreed collaborative staff
development programs
5) LATN contacts to review programs after a year and
submit a report to LATN
Remaining challenges
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Review appropriateness of job descriptions
– from task orientation -> system-wide thinking
and planning and highlight core competencies
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Evaluate effectiveness of recruitment
processes
– Provide support and training to supervisors in
effective interview and recruitment strategies
“Hire people for future roles, not just for today’s
vacant position” (Whitmell)
Remaining challenges
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Eliminate barriers to peak staff performance
Align performance measures & evaluation
strategies with generational behavioural
considerations (Whitmell)
Establish partnership with libraries, library
schools and library associations
– in attracting suitable people to the profession
– in developing future library staff
– in keeping them (and inspired and challenged)
Whitmell on
Generations X and Y
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value flexibility and a balance between work and life
put a premium on results rather than process
place less emphasis on guidelines, procedures,
structures and organizational hierarchies
generally work well with others but … see
themselves more as individual contributors than as
members of a team
unimpressed with authority
will be seeking to work with and for organizations
that value service and keep their promises…provide
a flexible work environment with few levels or
hierarchies… that value self-starters, and that
welcome new and creative ideas
Certainly the most contentious,
expensive, and difficult resource to
leverage effectively is people. People,
particularly in service-based information
organizations, have the largest effect on
customer satisfaction, levels of
innovation, and organizational
effectiveness. Your competition can
duplicate all of your strategic resources
except the people in your organization.
(R Bazile-Jones)
Questions for CAUL
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What workforce planning activities are
happening in your organisations?
Have you developed core competencies for
staff? Can they be shared?
How effective are your recruitment
processes?
Is there broader interest in collaboration
on workforce planning?
References
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Abram, S (2005) “Next generation librarians in the
workplace” In Staff planning in a time of demographic
change, ed by V Whitmell. Lanham,Md., Scarecrow Press
Bazile-Jones, R. (2005) Diversity and libraries. In Staff
planning in a time of demographic change, ed by V Whitmell.
Lanham,Md., Scarecrow Press
McNeil, B and J Giesecke (2001) “Core competencies for
libraries and library staff.” Avery, E F, T Dahlin and D.A. Carver.
Staff development : a practical guide. 3rd ed. American Library
Association.
Staff planning in a time of demographic change (2005) ed by
V Whitmell. Lanham,Md., Scarecrow Press