Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY 1

Organizational Health in the School Library

Susan C. Kiss

Dominican University
Organizational Health in the School Library 2

According to Patrick Lencioni (2012), author of ​The Advantage: Why

Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business​, “The health of an

organization provides the context for strategy, finance, marketing, technology, and

everything else that happens within it, which is why it is the single greatest factor

determining an organization’s success” (p.3). Healthy organizations thrive because

people want to be there, they feel good when they are there, and they just work.

Unhealthy organizations, on the other hand, can bring toxicity into the work

environment, thus creating an atmosphere of distrust and negativity, which impacts the

work that needs to be done. In libraries, organizational health is referred to as

organization development (OD). Organization development, like organizational health,

is “based in the behavioral sciences disciplines of psychology, sociology, organizational

behavior, and management, with specific focus on the human side of organizations”

(Parsch & Baughman, 2010, p. 3). Based on the fact that both organizational health

and organization development focus more on the people within the organization than

the organization itself, it stands to reason that the focus should be on the relationships

between people. Organization Development “has become an opportunity for the library

community to gather to discuss issues of importance for libraries becoming more

effective organizations” (Parsch & Baughman, 2010, p. 4). In a school library setting,

the health of an organization can either make or break the environment, the programs,

the staff, and the students.

Organization development and organizational health are not new concepts. In

fact, the theory of organization development has been used in libraries since the 1970s
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(Parsch & Baughman, 2010, p. 4). Of course, the theory has evolved and there are

many descriptions of the theory, but underlying them all is trust. In their article,

Stephens and Russell (2004) look at the evolution of OD in libraries. Among the

different definitions of OD is Carnevale’s (2003) which states, “Organizational

Development is optimistic about what people can achieve and decidedly depends on

high trust” (p. 113). This is a point that Lencioni (2012) makes again and again in ​The

Advantage​. Without trust within the organization or team, that organization cannot

possibly achieve organizational health. When asked about being supported and trusted

in her current role as a librarian at Oak Forest High School, Amanda O’Rourke said that

she feels very supported in her job and feels extremely valued by the other teachers in

the building. She commented that the teachers trust “[her] ideas and teaching ability in

their own classrooms” (A. O’Rourke, personal communication, February 19, 2019).

Trust is an important component when trying to achieve organizational health. In fact,

according to Lencioni (2012), it is the foundation on which healthy, successful teams are

built (See Figure 1). Because she feels trusted by the teachers, this librarian is able to

do her job effectively and passionately, thus engaging the students, who will, in turn,

produce a quality product based on the information she gave them. In this case, trust

begets trust and only good can come of that. The healthy relationships that she has

built with the teachers allow her to be an effective librarian. In addition to imparting her

knowledge and assisting the classroom teacher, Ms. O’Rourke has successfully built a

partnership based on trust. Not only has this librarian built trust with her teachers, but

she has built trust within her library team. When asked about trust, the library support
Organizational Health in the School Library 4

staff at Oak Forest High School said if they had a complaint or issue, they would go to

their supervisors, the librarians, because they feel they can trust them (D. Arentz & D.

Doyle, personal communication, February 19, 2019). In any workplace, if there is no

trust within a team, that team has no hope of being healthy. These women have

successfully built a level of trust between one another which has resulted in Arentz and

Doyle feeling like the librarians have not only their best interests in mind, but also the

best interests of the students (D. Arentz & D. Doyle, personal communication, February

19, 2019). This library is definitely embracing the ideas of organizational health.

At Indian Prairie School District 204, Dr. Karen Sullivan, superintendent, and

Allan Davenport, Director of Instructional Leadership and Innovation, also worked on

fostering collaborative leadership and partnerships within their district (Davenport &

Mattson, 2018, p. 16). Sullivan and Davenport realized that trust was missing from their

group of librarians. “As a former principal, [Davenport] knew that the first step in

creating agency was to build trust and community...” (Davenport and Mattson, 2018, p.

17). District 204 realized that their librarians needed to believe in one another in order

to become a true team. They all needed to feel as if they were one group so that they

could effectively share the Future Ready skills with their staff, students, and community.

Davenport and Sullivan embraced Lencioni’s (2012) idea that “team members must see

their goals as collective and shared” and that “if a team shares a common objective, a

good portion of their compensation or reward structure...should be based on the

achievement of that common objective” (p. 26). The common objective in District 204

was to build a Future Ready Librarian community. “[Davenport] and [Mattson] agree
Organizational Health in the School Library 5

that the year spent building trust, relationships, and collective efficacy was well worth it”

(Davenport & Mattson, 2018, p. 18). For both Ms. O’Rourke and the librarians in District

204, trust has been a major component in helping the librarians realize their full

potential within their schools.

Along with trust, one must also look at human potential. Carnevale (2003) says,

“The heart of OD is realizing human potential at work” (Stephens & Russell, 2004, p

241). In all organizations, there is a hierarchy which can be found on its organizational

chart. In a school district, for example, the superintendent is the “leader” of the district

and he has direct reports who have direct reports and so on down the line. To a much

smaller extent, this is also evident in libraries. In a library, there might be an assistant

superintendent who directs all of the librarians in the district who then direct their

support staff. In most cases, the library support staff personnel are not hired as certified

staff, but classified staff. Unfortunately, the classified support personnel are often

looked down upon because they are not certified. This goes against Carnevale’s (2003)

idea of realizing human potential. Each individual, no matter her place in the

organizational chart, has something to contribute. According to Stephens and Russell

(2004), “[l]ibrary employees in general are intelligent, collegial, well educated, well read,

curious about a wide range of topics, proactive, and often eager to try out new

approaches - and are willing to share the results of what they learn with others…”

(p.244). So, why not use these support personnel as vital members of the team? In an

interview with Ms. O’Rourke, she said, “several members of the library staff are

constantly helping each other out and do not feel bound by job descriptions” (personal
Organizational Health in the School Library 6

communication, February 19, 2019). This idea of team is so important for

organizational health. “The only way for a team to really be a team and to maximize its

output is to ensure that everyone is focused on the same priorities” (Lencioni, 2012, p.

67). Even though Arentz and Doyle have specific responsibilities, they are willing to do

whatever is necessary to ensure the students get the best experience they can in the

library. This team shows that as librarians and library support personnel, its main goal

is to help people, regardless of job description or education. The library at Oak Forest

High School seems to view “every employee as a leader (at one level or another, in

various ways.” (Stephens & Russell, 2004, p. 240). Unfortunately, this is not the case in

all libraries. So, to attempt to achieve organizational health, “every employee should

have some familiarity with facilitation processes - whether or not that employee ever

leads a meeting or supervises another employee” (Stephens & Russell, 2004, p. 239).

In order to bring about organizational health, recognizing the human potential in all

employees, regardless of job description or education, is key.

After establishing trust and examining human potential, a third element in

achieving organizational health is engagement. Employee Engagement seems to be at

the forefront of organizations right now. Many organizations are now asking themselves

what they need to do in order to retain good employees. Paul L. Marciano, Ph.D.,

author of ​Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work​ (2010), introduces the RESPECT model (See

Figure 2). He explains how to build a culture of employee engagement based on the

principles of RESPECT. The RESPECT Model, as defined by Marciano (2010), “is

defined by seven critical drivers that influence an employee’s internal assessment of

Organizational Health in the School Library 7

respect and subsequent level of engagement: ​R​ecognition, ​E​mpowerment, ​S​upportive

feedback, ​P​artnering, ​E​xpectations, ​C​onsideration, and ​T​rust” (p. 80-81). Trust has

already been discussed and a key component in building organizational health, as has

empowerment in terms of human potential. The focus now is on the Consideration

aspect of Marciano’s (2010) model. People want to go to work and feel good about

what they do. According to Marciano (2010):

Supervisors, managers, and team members demonstrate consideration, caring,

and thoughtfulness toward one another. Supervisors actively seek to understand

employees’ opinions and concerns and are understanding and supportive when

employees experience personal problems. (p. 81)

This is not to say that the library needs to focus more on the individual staff member,

however, employees need to know that they are valued and cared about. “Many

leaders convince themselves that employees are motivated primarily by money. As a

result, they discount the impact of authentic and specific expressions of appreciation”

(Lencioni, 2012, p. 167). In a school library, specifically, money is not the main

motivation for going to work in the morning, so there needs to be something else

happening that keeps the library personnel stay in their buildings. When asked how

they feel about going to work every day, the library staff at Oak Forest High School had

the following things to say: “I feel great coming to work every day. Working in the

library is the absolute best possible job” (A. O’Rourke, personal communication,

February 19, 2019), “I look forward to coming into work each day. If I did not get a

bonus for retiring this year, I would probably keep working here forever” (D. Arentz,
Organizational Health in the School Library 8

personal communication, February 19, 2019), and “Great! I never complain because I

love work” (D. Doyle, personal communication, February 19, 2019). This library has an

engaged staff who is willing to go above and beyond their job responsibilities because

they feel great about going to work because they have a healthy organization within

their library. In District 204, Davenport and Mattson (2018) noticed an immense level of

growth within individuals after they decided to work toward a healthy organization

among their librarians. They noticed that “[a]mazing things...that used to happen in

pockets began to spread like wildfire as the thirty-two librarians were empowered to

lead, challenge, question, and support one another” (Davenport & Mattson, 2018, p.

18). By bringing these librarians together to have them share both personal and

professional struggles and joys, they bonded as a team and were motivated to embrace

change and implement new services. They knew if they failed, they could share their

failure with their fellow librarians and get the support they needed in order to try again.

As libraries are striving to become Future Ready, there is a need for librarians to feel a

certain level of comfort in order to make the necessary changes. “It is now better

understood that the core mission of school librarians and the school library program is

to prepare students for success in academics, career readiness, and life” (Dando, Folk,

& Levitov, 2017, p. 8). If the librarian and the library staff do not feel engaged in their

jobs, what is their motivation to embrace change? There will be no monetary

compensation as a result of becoming Future Ready, but what will happen is that

students will be better prepared to enter college and the workforce. As both Lencioni

(2012) and Marciano (2010) have mentioned, once employees feel empowered and
Organizational Health in the School Library 9

trusted by both their supervisors and one another, organizational health can occur.

Consideration ‘foster[s] employee loyalty, which reduces turnover and absenteeism.

Loyal employees “show up” literally and figuratively at work, on time and engaged”

(Marciano, 2010, p. 166-167). If employees feel good about what they do and for whom

they do it, this is a win for the institution.

As seen in the examples from Oak Forest High School and the librarians of

District 204, organizational health can be achieved, but not without work and

commitment. Lencioni (2012) says, “There is just no escaping the fact that the single

biggest factor determining whether an organization is going to get healthier - or not - is

the genuine commitment and active involvement of the person in charge” (p. 191). If

the principal of a school is not committed to making sure her employees feel like they

are trusted, their human potential is valued, and they feel engaged, then there is little to

no hope of achieving Organizational Health. Fortunately, libraries can be seen as

beacon’s of health in an otherwise unhealthy organization. “Many of us view libraries as

relatively humane organizations in which to work. In highly functioning libraries,

leaders, managers, and staff work constantly to improve organizational culture”

(Stephens & Russell, 2004, p. 245). Perhaps the library can be the catalyst for change

that a building might need. Libraries have often been the places where change occurs

first and librarians “have considered new visions of the influence of the human factor in

productivity, studying working conditions, reward recognition methods, personal

fulfillment opportunities, and how staffs respond to social workplace relationships”

(Fagarasan, 2017, p. 49-50). Based on this information, libraries are the natural places
Organizational Health in the School Library 10

to develop organizational health. “Despite cuts in funding and the related downsizing of

many libraries, there is always a need to attract and retain valued employees”

(Kaarst-Brown, Nicholson, von Dran, Stanton, 2004, p. 41). Because the school library

is such a staple in every building, it is logical to build organizational health here and let it

spread outward to the building. If the library can achieve organizational health on a

small scale, expand the model to fit larger groups. With the library being the hub of

most schools and responsible for literacy instruction, digital citizenship instruction,

technology instruction, it is vital that this organization embraces the principles of

organizational health. Unlike businesses, school libraries are in the business of

producing well-rounded, well-educated, decent people who will hopefully go into the

workplace and do amazing things with the tools they have been given. To quote Ms.

O’Rourke again, “working in the library is the absolute best possible job!” (personal

communication, February 19, 2019). By embracing the principles of trust, human

potential, and engagement, the library can also be the absolute best place to work, as

well.
Organizational Health in the School Library 11

Works Cited

Dando, P., Folk, M., & Levitov, D. (2017). School Librarians Transform Learning:

Advocacy Begins with You! ​Teacher Librarian​, ​45​(1), 8–12. Retrieved from

https://dom.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=lls&AN=126080396&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Davenport, A. & Mattson, Kristen. (2018). Collaborative Leadership as a Catalyst For

Change. ​Knowledge Quest,​ ​46(​ 3), 14–21. Retrieved from

https://dom.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=lls&AN=126935204&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Kaarst-Brown, M. L. ., Nicholson, S., Von Dran, G. M. ., & Stanton, J. M. . (2004).

Organizational Cultures of Libraries as a Strategic Resource. ​Library Trends​, ​53​(1),

33–53. Retrieved from

https://dom.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=lls&AN=15289201&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Lencioni, P. M. (2012). ​The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything

Else In Business.​ John Wiley & Sons.

Marciano, Paul L. (2010). ​Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work​: ​Build a Culture of Employee

Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT.​ McGraw Hill.

Organizational Health in the School Library 12

Parsch, J. H., & Baughman, M. S. (2010). Towards Healthy Organizations: The Use of

Organization Development in Academic Libraries. ​The Journal of Academic

Librarianship,​ ​36(​ 1), 3–19. ​https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2009.11.002

Stephens, D., & Russell, K. (2004). Organizational Development, Leadership, Change,

and the Future of Libraries. ​Library Trends​, ​53​(1), 238–257. Retrieved from

https://dom.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=lls&AN=502932390&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Organizational Health in the School Library 13
Organizational Health in the School Library 14

Figure 2 (Marciano, 2010, p. 69)

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Interview with Library Staff at Oak Forest High School on February 19, 2019.

1. Please describe the roles and responsibilities of your job.

Amanda - My job changes on a daily basis which is probably my favorite part about it. As
a librarian I am in charge of reader’s advisory, digital citizenship/literacy, and research
assistance for the school. I teach classes, work with individual students who need help,
and plan with teachers to help their classes run smoothly. The library is also in charge of
the technology in the building, so I do a lot of troubleshooting iPads and fixing classroom
technology in my job.

Donna - My job is to order supplies and books, catalog new books, and maintain the
collection. I also help students check out books, make sure supplies and books are
accounted for and do whatever else is necessary for the library to run smoothly.

Debbie - I am in charge of student attendance in the library. I also do book displays,

manage the student library aids, track down overdue materials, and aid with circulation.

2. Please describe how you feel when you come to work every day.

Amanda - I feel great coming to work every day. Working in the library is the absolute
best possible job!

Donna - I look forward to coming into work each day. If I did not get a bonus for retiring
this year, I would probably keep working here forever.

Debbie - Great! I never complain because I love work.

3. If you have a concern or complaint, who would you go to? Why?

Amanda - It depends on what kind of concern. I always try to address other parties
individually if others are involved. For example, if a student is causing a disruption, I will
address them directly. If I have an issue with or suggestion for another staff member I
talk to them directly as well. If it is a policy issue or if I have tried to solve it on my own,
and it is not working then I would probably go to my building principal and/or the
assistant principal in charge of my evaluation to address the problem and ask for
advice/help.

Donna - I would go to the media specialists because they are my supervisors.

Organizational Health in the School Library 16

Debbie - Media specialists. They are my boss.

a. Do you feel that you can trust this person? Explain.

Amanda - Yes. I love the administration in my building. They have been extremely
supportive ever since I have been hired and I would trust them to get whatever needs to
be done, done because I have seen how quickly and efficiently they work in many
different situations.

Donna - Yes.

Debbie - Yes, they will handle it if it is a big deal..

b. Do you feel that this person has your best interest in mind? Explain.

Amanda - Yes. The are very supportive of change, and I feel very valued and
appreciated by the administration. They make an effort to point out the positive and stop
in to see how you are doing.

Donna - Yes, we work well together

Debbie - Yes, they want what is best for the library.

4. Describe the people you work with.

● How you are supported by the people with whom you work? If you don’t feel
supported, please explain why you feel this way.

Amanda - I am supported by some more than others. Several members of the library
staff are constantly helping each other out and do not feel bound by job descriptions. I
am very lucky to work with a few people who like what the do and have the students’
best interests in mind. However, there are others who do not contribute as much as they
tae and although that bothers me at times, I prefer to focus on the positive instead of
dwell on the negative. There is always a dud, and you can’t let them bring you down.

Donna - The people I work with are delightful and I feel very supported. I do not worry
about the decisions I make because I feel like I will be backed up.

Debbie - The people I work with are friendly, fun, and knowledgeable.

● Do you feel like you are part of a team? Explain.

Organizational Health in the School Library 17

Amanda - As a whole, yes! The library support staff are very helpful and will jump in to
make sure classes are covered and everything in the library runs smoothly. I also feel
like a valued part of the teaching team. Teachers come to the library for help all the time
and trust my ideas and teaching ability in their own classrooms.

Donna - Yes.

Debbie - Yes, we all help each other whenever someone needs it.

5. If you could change anything about your work environment, what would you change and
why?

Amanda - I would like one person I work with closely to be less negative all of the time
and contribute more to the team. I know I need to try harder to relate to this individual,
but I am finding it very difficult because we are so vastly different and I just cannot
understand her behaviors... #libraryrelationshipgoals

Donna - I would like a shorter work year. We work an extra month each year when there
are no students or teachers and the days are very long. I would also like more control
over who is allowed in the library and for teachers to not send their entire study hall
classes so they get a free period.

Debbie - I would like to be able to close our bathrooms when the supplies in them are
abused. I feel like students sometimes take advantage of the space and there are no
consequences.