The Library Organisational Project - Case Study Example

The Library Organisational Project-a Reflective Analysis. Introduction This essay was written as a reflection paper about an organisational analysis project that I have completed. The project was embarked upon as part of the Organisational Analysis Module during weeks 6 to 10. My group was assigned to analyse library organisation-with a focus on leadership and management aspects. First, this paper will describe the objectives of the project; second, it will reflect the work I have accomplished in the project; third, it will identify the challenges as well as the solutions on how to overcome these challenges; and fourth, the report will end with summarising the lessons learnt and will also mention the points to improve in future projects. Aims and Objectives 1. To enhance the knowledge about organisational analysis By applying concepts used in the analysis of organisational processes to real organisations 2. To realise the effectiveness of teamwork, in contrast to working in isolation, and developing teamwork skills By holding meetings regularly to discuss difficulties, solutions, plans and processes 3. To undertake the assignment in a professional manner and complete it successfully By extensive research of books, articles and other secondary sources My role in the project There were two responsibilities which I executed in the project-namely, data collection and data analysis-as described below: 1. Data Collection Different data-gathering methods were used, such as conducting interviews, distributing questionnaires and searching information from various sources, to gather as much information as the project requires. a) Interviews: Senior managers were interviewed from five library departments, as follows- Janet Gardner - Head of Planning and Resources Heather Green - Head of Operations Development Robin Green - Head of Research and Innovation Antony Brewerton - Head of Academic Support Helen Ford - Archives Manager Team members were assigned to conduct interviews with each senior manager. I was responsible for interviewing Mr. Antony Brewerton, Head of Academic Support. Initially, I asked Mr. Brewerton to fill out questionnaires with the intention to analyse his perspective against his employee's perspective. Afterwards, I proceeded to interview him on leadership and management so as to analyse his leadership style and how he manages his department. b) Questionnaires: Organisational Diagnosis Questionnaire (ODQ) designed by Robert Preziosi (1980) was used and the questionnaires were distributed to cover the five departments in the library. Using this questionnaire, a variety of dimensions of an organisation could be studied-such as purpose, structure, leadership, relationships, rewards, helpful mechanisms and attitude toward change. The questionnaire was used the in the analysis because of its benefits, as enumerated below- Relatively easy to analyse, People familiar with the questionnaire, A large sample of the given population can be conducted, Information is collected in a standardised way, The questionnaires can be used for sensitive topics, which users may feel uncomfortable speaking about to an interviewer, and Respondents have time to think about their answers because they are not usually required to reply immediately. After finishing the interview with Mr. Brewerton, I asked for his cooperation to distribute the questionnaires among his staff through emails and to kindly forward the responses to me. c) Various sources: To get acquaintance with the organisation, I searched the information from different sources such as library websites, articles and documents provided by the Librarian. 2. Data Analysis The findings were divided into two categories, which are qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis- a) Qualitative analysis With the data gathered from the questionnaires, I conducted the qualitative analysis. The ODQ questionnaires were grouped under the seven dimensions and I calculated the average ranking for each of the dimensions. I plotted graphs in MS Office Excel sheet comparing the senior management's perspective and the staff's perspective. The method clearly showed the difference between the senior's perceptions against their staff's in each department. For example, senior management thought they give enough rewards to motivate their staff to work; however, the staff felt that rewards were a little bit less than the actual output they give. While the attitude between senior managers and their staff was found not to be in congruence, a discussion is needed to have mutual agreement for both parties so they can understand and work toward the same goals-this will bring a more collaborative working environment, and consequently, the whole library network will work more productive and more effective. b) Quantitative analysis Interviewing the senior managers about the leadership and management style in each department gave us a picture of how they manage the whole organisation. I found that most of management team in the library allowed their subordinates to participate in decision-making. The senior managers gave their staff the power to do things appropriately. The management hold meetings regularly to keep up with the progress and to keep the senior managers informed about the project. The staff employees were willing to make the challenge against the senior managers-when they have enough evidence to support their reasons-because the senior managers have always been under the impression that their staff employees work professionally and have an in-depth understanding of their work. Challenges There were many obstacles and challenges faced throughout the project. I have listed the challenges as well as the solutions to overcome these challenges, as follows- 1. Time constraint: The time availability was the most important constraint of the project. Doing both processes of gathering data and interpreting data findings were difficult within a short span of 1 month. Solution: Project scheduling has always been an effective tool to solve time constraint. In order to manage time in this project, tasks were divided for each member with an estimate of how long it will take to complete each task; therefore, I developed a project schedule. This schedule helped me to organise the time effectively, and also kept me informed about deadlines and upcoming tasks. 2. Difficulties to arrange face-to-face interviews: It was difficult to make an appointment with the busy senior management team. At first, we sent an email to arrange the time for interviewing but some of senior managers took several days to reply to the email-which caused a delay in appointment time according to our schedule. Solution: Rather than sending the email, I made a phone call so as to receive quicker responses. I received cooperation from the senior management and finally managed to meet them before the deadline. 3. Delay in survey response time: At first, the senior management team was asked to distribute questionnaire to their subordinates. The questionnaires were sent out through emails but there were only a few people who responded to the questionnaires. Solution: To overcome this challenge, I distributed questionnaires by myself. Meeting people face-to-face was the fastest way to get an answer. Moreover, I realised that people were more enthusiastic to answer the questionnaire when I explained the reason of surveys and its benefits. 4. Limitation of questionnaires Respondents may misunderstand questions because of poor design and ambiguous language. In addition, respondents may ignore certain questions and it would not give a fair evaluation. Solution: When I was distributed questionnaires by myself, I also overcame this challenge as well. I found that meeting people face-to-face was not only a faster way but also a better way to receive the answers. I explained the questions which they didn't understand and this prevented misinterpreting the meaning of questions so we could evaluate the answers accurately. Lesson Learnt The organisation analysis project enabled me to enhance my knowledge of the realities of the business situation and its challenges. I discovered, out of the project, how effectively duties can be performed and how results can be achieved when working as a team, in contrast to working in isolation. I also noticed that coordination and cooperation are the two pillars of effective team management. Moreover, I learnt to manage time wisely in order to complete all tasks effectively and being prompt when we have to perform an array of activities. If I will have the chance to do a project next time, I would have to plan it better and have a clearer idea of processes I have to go through. For example, instead of electronically sending the questionnaires to the staff, I will have to do it face-to-face. In conclusion, even though there were many challenges and obstacles in doing this project, I managed to overcome them. I have achieved my goals and have obtained priceless knowledge which will be of great use for my future career. Reference Lok, P. (1999) 'The application of a diagnostic model and surveys in organisational development' Journal of Managerial Psychology 15, 2, 108-125. Read More