SCONUL Focus 46 2009
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Library awaydays – homewins or owngoals?
Daren Mansfeld
Academic Subject Librarian,University o LincolnTel: 01522 886094E-mail: dmansfeld@lincoln.ac.uk
Love them or loathe them, away days have become an integral part o the library calendar.Last summer the University o Lincoln held anaway day event comprised o a morning address-ing matters that arose rom a sta survey andthen the launch o a learning landscapes agenda– essentially a game o two halves. Away dayscan orm a crucial part o employee engagementi used wisely – any organisation’s plan in usingaway days is to boost morale and ultimately pro-ductivity. At their worst, away days can be embar-rassing and can reinorce a negative opinion o theorganisation; at best, they can transorm organi-sational perormance and inject resh enthusiasminto a project or team. The rst-ever study o theeectiveness o away days, by the Chartered Insti-tute o Management and the Advanced Instituteor Management Research, concluded, accordingto Nick Pandya, that ‘our in 10 managers on suchcorporate outings believe that the rendezvousthey attended had either no impact or a nega-tive impact on a range o measurable businessoutcomes’.
1
Away days oten all short o expecta-tions, and even o their basic objectives, becauseo a lack o preparation and because o resistancerom those involved.
2
Without doubt the notiono an away day can induce eelings o despair,particularly when they are traditionally associatedwith go-karting or paint-balling – activities thatare not suitable or everyone. Games can easily be perceived as articial exercises that annoyemployees and may elicit their most unpleasantcharacteristics.
3
So, how can organisers create anaway day which contributes towards organisa-tional learning, inspires motivation and is reward-ing or all participants … without turning it into apantomime?As team development is essentially about inclu-sion, Peter Fleming has argued or the importance
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SCONUL Focus 46 2009
in team building o removing barriers via ree-fowing conversation.
4
While clustered aroundteam-building activities, each employee shouldeel equally valued – at least or the day. Inworking together to solve problems, sta oughtto eel empowered through meaningul engage-ment. Stimulating discussion around importantmatters, in a sae, welcoming environment whereemployees are comortable in expressing theiropinions, without ear o retribution, naturallycreates a productive environment where trust can be generated.An eective away day is the hallmark o aorward-thinking organisation, according to Julia Vowler, ‘At Bucknall Austin, which wasshortlisted or the construction, agriculture andmining Best Places to Work Award, unding is setaside or team events, and an open atmosphere isencouraged in meetings.’
5
Dan Collins, ounder oteam-building motivational activities and event-organiser Fresh Tracks, advises that an away dayhas to start with clear objectives.
6
Location andvenue, rereshments, adequate acilities, ambi-ence and ease o access are important actors that build towards a successul day. Candour, relaxa-tion, a change o scene, avoiding an overcrowdedprogramme and giving plenty o notice are othergood tips. As well as providing plenty o eedbackabout the day, acting upon the recommendationsand ormulating an implementation plan is vitalso that participants acquire a sense o ownership.Being away rom the normal working environ-ment helps people to view key questions rom theoutside, and hopeully achieve greater objectiv-ity. Firstly, organisers need to identiy the reasonwhy the away day is necessary; although it seemsobvious, this rationale helps to ocus activities. Asta survey at the University o Lincoln identiedthree areas in the library that required attention:1 Improving communication2 Improving your Personal DevelopmentReview3 Improving career development.The morning o our away day was based uponthe innovative concept o the World Caé, whichclaims to be a ‘
conversational process
based on a seto
integrated design principles
that reveal a deeper
living network pattern
through which we co-evolveour collective uture’.
7
Such orums host con-stantly evolving conversations around impor-tant questions, as a means to share purpose andachieve common aims, where conversations ‘linkand build on each other as people move betweengroups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover newinsights into the questions or issues that are mostimportant in their lie, work, or community’.
8
To address the three issues arising rom our stasurvey, three groups were asked to debate eachissue or twenty minutes beore turning to thenext topic, to identiy a list o possible solutions:an arrangement that created lively discussion andworthwhile debate. Our library away day wassuccessul because there was sucient time todebate each topic, and it was eectively managed by the chairs o each group so that everyone hada chance to speak. I other World-Caé-inspiredaway days were organised with the same demo-cratic ethos then I’m condent the library wouldcontinue to score home wins, rather than owngoals.
B
iBliography
Collins, D., ‘Away days or away daze?’,
Training Journal
, May (2007), p 41Emery, R.,
Staff communication in libraries
, London:Linnet Books, 1973Fleming, P., ‘Metaphors o resistance’,
ManagementCommunication Quarterly
, 19 (1) (2005), pp 45–66Pandya, N., ‘Workshops miss their target: team- building exercises like paintballing may be un, but oten ail in their aims’,
The Guardian
(‘Jobsand Money’ section), 13 August 2005, p 17Vowler, J., ‘Away days promote teamworking’,
Computer Weekly
, 17 May 2005, p 28Wilkinson, J.P., ‘The psycho-organizationalapproach to sta communication in libraries’,
Journal of Academic Librarianship
, 4 (1) (1978), pp21–6World Caé, ‘What is the World Caé?’ Locatedat http://www.theworldcae.com/what.htm[accessed 8 January 2009]Wren, A. ‘Team–building: more than just anotherwork jolly?’,
The Independent, The World of Work
, 26May 2005, p 5
r
eferences
1 N. Pandya, ‘Workshops miss their target:team-building exercises like paintballing may be un, but oten ail in their aims’,
The Guard-ian
(‘Jobs and Money’ section), 13 August2005), p 17
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Library Away Days Home Wins or Own Goals
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