Building a culture of learning in our profession

1. Building a culture of learning in our profession Damian Lodge CSU

2. Discussion today Organisational culture Learning culture Role of the library manager Role of library associations Role of educators

3. If we can understand where culture comes from and how it evolves, then we can grasp something that is abstract; that exists in a group’s unconscious, yet that has powerful influences on a group’s behaviour. (Schein, 2004, pg 15)

4. Organisational culture has been argued as one the most powerful and stable forces operating in organisations and can influence a firm’s leadership, decision making, performance, internal development and strategic development

5. The Role for Library Managers • Managers stated they promoted a learning culture in their organisation by supporting staff to: • Complete staff development opportunities • Attend conferences • Attend team building sessions • Become involved in library planning • Job role clarification / redesign • Support further education for employees

6. Key characteristics of a learning organisation: • a corporate learning strategy; • participative policy making; • information technology harnessed to inform and empower people to ask questions and take decisions based on available data; • formative accounting, where accounting systems are designed to assist learning from decisions; • internal exchange; • flexibility is rewarded; • front-line workers are expected to be and are used as environmental scanners; • inter-company learning takes place, where learning is not restricted to the organisation, but extends to organisations which are suppliers, customers, or even competitors; • a climate is created which supports learning; • self-development is for all members of the organisation. Megginson and Pedler (1992)

7. The role for Library Associations • Professional development • Training • Conferences • Short courses • Is it compulsory? • Related to membership? • Formal education review • Course recognition • Setting goals and objectives • Lead the profession in terms of the values and beliefs that the profession see as important.

8. The role for Educators • Leading curriculum • Control the learning and pedagogical approaches • Promote the value of lifelong learning • Build stronger links with the profession • Complete research that has direct applications for the profession.

9. Conclusion Thankyou Contact details Damian Lodge dlodge@csu.edu.au +61 2 6933 2172