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Transformational Leadership Practice in the World's Leading Academic Wayne State University School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications School of Information Sciences 1-12-2020 Transformational leadership practice in the world’s leading academic libraries Patrick Lo University of Tsukuba, Japan, [email protected] Bradley Allard Clark County Public Library, KY Hermina G.B. Anghelescu Wayne State University, [email protected] Yawei Xin The University of Hong Kong Dickson K. W Chiu The University of Hong Kong See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/slisfrp Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Lo, P., Allard, B., Anghelescu, H. G. B., Xin, Y., Chiu, D. K. W., & Stark, A. J. (2020). Transformational leadership practice in the world’s leading academic libraries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000619897991 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Information Sciences at DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. Authors Patrick Lo, Bradley Allard, Hermina G.B. Anghelescu, Yawei Xin, Dickson K. W Chiu, and Andrew J. Stark This article is available at DigitalCommons@WayneState: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/slisfrp/156 LIS0010.1177/0961000619897991Journal of Librarianship and Information ScienceLo et al. 897991research-article2019 Article Journal of Librarianship and Information Science Transformational leadership practice 1 –28 © The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: in the world’s leading academic libraries sagepub.com/journals-permissions https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000619897991DOI: 10.1177/0961000619897991 journals.sagepub.com/home/lis Patrick Lo University of Tsukuba, Japan Bradley Allard Clark County Public Library, Kentucky, USA Hermina G.B. Anghelescu Wayne State University, Michigan, USA Yawei Xin Dickson K.W. Chiu The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Andrew J. Stark The Southport School, Australia Abstract This article analyzes 12 semi-structured interviews within the framework of transformational leadership, using a set of open-ended questions addressed to 12 directors (six men and six women) of academic libraries in high-ranking universities in four different countries (Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America). It also investigates the interviewees’ approach to managing and leading their library organizations within the context of the opportunities and challenges facing their organizations as well as their parent institutions. The interpretation of the participants’ responses is based on the four ‘I’s, the four dimensions of the concept of transformational leadership: (1) Idealized influence, (2) Inspirational motivation, (3) Intellectual stimulation, and (4) Individualized consideration. The findings indicated that academic library directors who chose to implement transformational leadership noted its significance as a major contributing factor to the enhancement of inner communication and building mutual trust, and respect within the library organization. This, in turn, has fostered a motivated and creative work environment that has ensured personal and collective success and institutional advancement. Transformational leadership contributes to promoting sustained organizational performance based on adaptability to the rapidly changing environment of academic libraries worldwide. Keywords Academic libraries, change management, leadership, library leadership traits, library management, qualitative analysis, transformational leaders, transformational leadership Introduction Multiple forms of transformation have been occurring Corresponding author: within higher education institutions around the world. Patrick Lo, Faculty of Library, Information and Media Science, “Such transformations include economic transformation University of Tsukuba, 1-2 Kasuga, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8550, Japan. (the formation of human capital), social transformation (the Email: [email protected] 2 Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 00(0) mechanisms of mobility by different groups), and cultural academic libraries’ success and survival during turbulent transformation (the production of and transmission of ide- times of transformation and change. As highlighted by als to a wider societal base)” (Boronski and Hassan, 2015: Martin (2016: 281), “Without strong, effective leadership, 227). Students’ voice also became central to the process of academic libraries, and the profession of librarianship can- transformation amongst institutions of higher education not weather crises or reinvent themselves to meet the chang- (Boronski and Hassan, 2015). These transformations are ing demands of higher education.” Furthermore, many the result of internationalization and trans-nationalization issues concerning the characteristics and management styles of higher education, which inevitably lead to new forms of of academic library directors, as well as their roles and competition and reform within universities at different responsibilities, have not been addressed in a comprehen- regional, national, and international levels. According to sive body of cohesive research. For this reason, more evi- Musselin (2018: 657), “competition in higher education is dence-based research of academic library leadership and no longer only occurring among individuals and countries, management, with cross-cultural perspectives on an interna- but has become institutional, leading to a multi-level form tional scale, is imperative. of competition, and transforming universities into compe- titors.” Such competition has many drivers, including, a Aims of the study decrease in public funding (Tandberg, 2010); a change in the financial support of higher education (Eaton et al., “The chief librarian has a role to play in the university at 2016), and a change of curricula due to the move towards large, as well as in the profession and in the community, and inquiry-based learning in many developing countries. analysis of one’s strengths in this domain is essential” Owing to the increased globalization of higher education (Matthews, 2002: 583). Additionally, transformational lead- and rapidly-changing socio-economic landscapes world- ers are described as being the driving force in their organiza- wide, competition between research universities continues tions, constantly engaging in exchanges with their followers to intensify. This includes competition for students, (library staff) and creating substantive change by develop- resources, budgets, high-caliber academic staff, and world- ing the full potential of their followers via inspiration wide rankings. (Halatchik, 2016). According to Aslam (2018), transforma- Since university libraries are at the heart of academic tional leadership is one of the key traits of academic library institutions (Liu, 2019), they are never immune to the leaders that motivates followers to grow and develop, changes and challenges brought about by the globalization thereby achieving the institutional objectives. This study of higher education. Furthermore, “libraries are at a critical was carried out with the belief that library directors of major juncture due to new demands in information technology, the league universities have a tendency to show transforma- increase in the number of distance education programs, new tional traits, as they have the ability to transform their fol- models of support for research and teaching, and a declining lowers and library organizations to survive the challenges resource base” (Weiner, 2003: 5). Matthews (2002: 596) brought about by globalization, as well as the rapidly- also noted that because of the “impact of technologies, new changing socio-economic and information landscapes. learning partners, and the competition/cooperation nexus Unlike other leadership approaches with a top-down with publishers and aggregators of information products hierarchical style, the transformational leadership approach and services, [library organizations] are experiencing to management emphasizes the following four dimensions dynamic changes.” The competition and transformation (the four ‘I’s): (1) Idealized influence, (2) Inspirational happening amongst universities worldwide “have forced motivation, (3) Intellectual stimulation, and (4) Indivi- significant questioning of longstanding principles and prac- dualized consideration. These four dimensions or compo- tices throughout library services and operations” (Martin, nents of transformational leadership are based on the 2013: 49). As a result, it has become imperative for many assumption that (1) the moral character of the transforma- academic library directors and their staff to undergo a “fun- tional leader has a tendency to show concern and respect damental rethinking and redesign of library roles, services, for the followers; (2) the transformational leader has ethical and operations in universities, which are also undergoing values and integrity embedded in his/her vision, articula- great change and major transformations concurrently” tion, and executed programs; and (3) ethical choices and (Ferguson and Metz, 2003: 96). Quality and effective lead- actions are made based on moral principles and values ership is crucial to the survival of academic libraries, espe- (Sell, 2009). Using a qualitative interview approach, this cially in times of challenge, change,
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