I like the idea of looking at the characteristics and how they are broken up into organisational and individual. Being strategically oriented but enabling conversations, I think when we are the only information specialist in the school we can often forget to have these debates about where we want the library to go in the future, if we even think about that instead of being reactive to the situation in the school. Getting feedback first from those that use the services and what they would like to see can be the catalyst for devising a plan for the future of the library.
I like the use of the terms used by Tichy and Sharman (1993): awakening; envisioning; rearchitecturing which are the normal jargon used with leadership theories but are terms that the majority of us would have a clear understanding of their meanings. The difficulty is that it is still written for the leaders of the school and there is still a gap in understanding the role of the TL as a leader in a lot of schools and this is an area that requires a lot of hard work to change and may not change for many years.
There is the idea of shared values to work together and to work with teachers and staff to achieve but this will require time and research to make sure that where the library is going is where the staff also want it to go - I know this is part of aligning people but I feel that there is a big gap here that could be too big to overcome considering all the other job apsects that still need to be done too.
There is a need to understand ourselves and what values we hold to be able to move forward but there is little on going ahead with this self-analysis and coming out with something worthwhile.
What seems to be reinforced throughout this article is that there needs to be connection and application between thought/theory and action. that as Pietersen (2002 p.181) suggests "a culture of giving" to work together to share knowledge, learning and build teamwork. That to work together there needs to be setting goals and creating meaning for those goals (p.11).
I found the strategic intervention the hardest to reconcile with a TLs role - identifying key points to intervene to develop these. We are moving into ACARA and I must admit I hadn't really thought of this as an opportunity to intervene until now, reading this article. This could be the perfect time to hold discussions with the principal to look at the role of the library in this new curriculum - to identify new ways of working with staff and leading. We are having a TL conference later this month on the TL and ACARA and looking at how they intersect and this could be useful to go with to the principal to discuss this as a new way of the TL working with staff. Worth a shot anyway.
The difficulty with strategic capabilities is that they are fundamental changes across the school and without the principal in this there would be little chance of the TL managing some of these. Not to say it couldn't be done but it would be easier with the principal onboard or leading with support from the TL - the TL is leading from the middle perhaps with this more than leading from the front????
The dissatisfaction with the present can be a number of people, I think the key with this aspect is the 'envisioning the strategic leap' (p. 13) and being a passionate advocate for change. The one area I think I am strong in is with the absorptive capacity - to absorb new information and assimilate it, learn from it and apply it. What I have to do is learn to be the passionate advocate - working towards leading to change. This is connected with the adaptive capacity, again an area I think I am strong in and definitely have the motivation to continue, where I can change when nedded. I have to work on the 'strategic opportunism' (p.14) component to take the opportunity as it arises. I am doing it in small areas but have to look for the bigger picture opportunities.
With the leadership wisdom and the practical, analystical and emotional intelligence components to be be a leader and to have personal qualities such as empathy, motivation and communication - again communication is a key issue in leadership - and social intelligence is a key aspect in today's working world of education. Being able to determine/discern emotion in others and 'read' them. I also liked the conclusion where they talk about the idea of being too focused with the approach and outcome of the day whereas it is more important to look at what skills are needed in a leader to drive change - it is this that can survive different brands of leadership styles and doesn't need to be defined as a specific style.
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