Understanding the Culture or Establishing It | Leading From the Library; Library Journal, 9/24/14

Stephen Bell, Library Journal; Understanding the Culture or Establishing It | Leading From the Library:

"“Don’t expect to change anything unless you can do it within the constraints of the organization culture” is a piece of advice often given to leaders. Perhaps leaders are better off ignoring it and establishing a new culture.

When I was a graduate student working towards my degree in higher education administration, in one course we read a book called The Invisible Tapestry. You probably are more familiar with the author, George Kuh, than with the content of this publication. Kuh is well-known as a higher education researcher for his work related to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The book is subtitled “Culture in American Colleges and Universities,” and the “invisible tapestry” refers to an institution’s culture as the intangible fabric that weaves together the experience of belonging to that particular academic community. Kuh and his coauthor Elizabeth Whitt deftly blend theory and cases to demonstrate how institutional culture plays a role in not only differentiating colleges but establishing a set of properties (norms, rituals, icons, myths, etc.) that define what it means to be a member of the community. The book’s big takeaway is that if, as an academic administrator, you want to effect some change within an institution it must be done within the constraints of the culture. Attempts to force change that conflicts with the culture are doomed to failure. In other words, implementing conservative-minded programs at a place like Oberlin College would probably be an ill-fated move."