1. Courageous Conversations:
Addressing
Underlying
Issues to
Advance
Information
Literacy
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

2. Conversation Guides
Carroll Wetzel Wilkinson
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West
Virginia USA
Courtney Bruch
Front Range Community
College Westminster,
Colorado USA
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

3. Core Values:
Enterprise-Wide Change in IL
Programming
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

4. Session Outcomes
• Examine IL through an organizational
culture context
• Define change agency and name
three change techniques as options
for further exploration
• Begin courageous conversations
between colleagues
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

5. “Courageous Conversations”
“a dialogue designed to
resolve competing priorities
and beliefs while preserving
relationships”—Heifetz, et al
(2009)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

6. “Organizational Culture”
“a pattern of shared basic assumptions
learned by a group as it solves its problems
of external adaptation and internal
integration, which has worked well enough
to be considered valid and, therefore, to be
taught to new members as the correct way
to perceive, think, and feel in relation to
those problems.”—Schein (2010)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

7. Assumptions & Integration
Internal Integration
Two Assumptions Problem Questions
• IL demands a • Does the library's
commitment to mission statement
education and a role include teaching (not
change just support of others’
teaching)?
• IL demands a
paradigm shift to • Have co-workers,
student (and librarian) library administration,
learning and campus officials
accepted this
paradigm shift?
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

8. Conversation
In your organization, are there
assumptions or internal
integration problems that
stymie IL program
development?
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

9. Change Agency
“foundation on
which successful
and enduring
change is built”—
Lucas (2000)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

10. Implementing Change
Strategies
“…change strategies seem to
be successful if they are
culturally coherent or aligned
with the culture.” –Kezar and
Eckel (2002)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

11. Diagnosing Change
Readiness
FACTOR DIAGNOSTIC SELECTED STATEGIES TO
QUESTIONS ADDRESS WEAKNESS
Example Example Example
• How seriously is • Use focus on
teaching recognized in teaching/learning to
REWARD STRUCTURE tenure and promotion promote collegiality
decisions in the
department? •Align award structure
College? University? with departmental
vision—Lee et al (2007)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

12. Appreciative Inquiry
“Appreciative Inquiry is a narrative
based process of positive change. It is
a cycle of activity that starts by
engaging all members of an
organization or community in a broad
set of interviews and deep dialogue
about strengths resources and
capabilities.”—Cooperrider (2005)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

13. Applications AI
Libraries Higher Ed and Business
• Sullivan used AI with • Bergquist hails AI as a
ARL libraries in the U.S. useful technique in
• Ohio State University working across
Libraries used AI as part bridging the six
of new strategic plan cultures of higher
2011 (Schlosser) education institutions.
• Somerville used AI to • Cooperrider
develop a learning promotes AI to
community at Auraria develop the
Library, serving 3 collaborative
campuses capacity in business
orgs
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

14. Change Agency Theory
“Exploring the model of change agent
strategies and behaviors empowers
librarians and helps develop a method
for paving the path of curriculum
reform.”--Travis (2008)
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

15. Reflection
Reflect on your institution’s culture and
subcultures. Have you witnessed a
change strategy at your institution that
was successful/unsuccessful? Why?
OR
Reflect on the change strategies just
discussed. Given what you know about
your institutional culture/subcultures,
which one might work best?
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

16. Implications & Conclusions
• Libraries can change, but factors (including
assumptions and readiness to change) must be
taken into consideration.
• Instruction librarians can be effective change
agents in libraries/higher education.
• Using techniques such as AI or Change Agency
Theory in teams can be effective.
• Instruction librarians can lead change by
addressing the discord and tension surrounding IL
through courageous conversations and by
practicing workplace IL.
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012

17. Thank you!
Carroll Wetzel Wilkinson
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia USA
Courtney Bruch
Front Range Community College
Westminster, Colorado USA
Wilkinson & Bruch LILAC 2012