ClimateQUAL: Advancing Organizational Health, Leadership, and Diversity in the Service of Libraries

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

This book describes the application of The ClimateQUAL survey protocol (originally Organizational Climate and Diversity AssessmentOCDA) to over 55 libraries with thousands of individual respondents in the US, Canada and UK. The ClimateQUAL toolkit provides the ultimate management tool for effective organizational adaptation by employing deep assessment of a librarys staff opinions to plumb the dimensions of climate and organizational culture important for a healthy organization in a library setting. It tests critical attitudes around 26 validated dimensions. The ClimateQUAL survey measures include work attitudes, diversity climate, leadership and several other dimensions of library climate. The book describes the procedure for evaluating the structure and psychometric properties of each of these scales. The survey protocol provides feedback based on normative data from the libraries that have already participated. By using these normative scales and institutional results effectively, significant improvements can be achieved. Among other results, the ClimateQUAL research shows that the most effective techniques for remediation are not top-down, but those that engage the entire staff. The book touches on all significant findings of the 15-year project, including the positive impact of diversity on customer service experience and the emerging understanding of a new conceptthe healthy organizationand how it is built. A full view is provided of the history and experience with ClimateQUAL since its inception and its use in libraries.

Reviews

Lowry provides an excellent overview of the history and development of ClimateQUAL as an instrument to understand organizational culture and climate. Of particular note is the analysis of ClimateQUAL results linked to leadership effectiveness and how leadership may be evaluated as a contributor to a healthy organization. Lowrys ClimateQUAL examines the relationship between the two protocols of LibQUAL and ClimateQUAL demonstrating that a healthy organization contributes to a good service climate that is affirmed by library users. This research is helpful for organizations considering ClimateQUAL and a must read for organizations who are analyzing the results as it guides readers into the various applications of survey data. -- Maggie Farrell, Dean of Libraries, Clemson University
Its about a lot more than libraries! This edited volume is a superb application of the thinking and measurement of organizational climate, in this case to libraries as organizational systems. The book provides insights into how leadership and diversity (among other issues) in libraries get played out in both a librarys internal world and in the way it relates to its customers. ClimateQUAL is essential reading for any organization willing to learn how to do the hard work necessary to improveand it is especially essential reading for libraries who know they can be better. -- Benjamin Schneider, professor emeritus, University of Maryland
ClimateQUAL is a unique and important tool for libraries to learn about their employees views of the work environment in terms of leadership, fairness and the supports for diversity and inclusion. This book tells the story of ClimateQUALs development and its infrastructural support for the community of library leaders. The expanded longitudinal analysis and comparative assessments of the vast accumulated data will enhance scholarship and the capacity for leaders to use their institutions ClimateQUAL results. The insights into how different demographic groups are experiencing library workplaces and the discussion of leaderships deep organizational impact on employee work experiences are important to those interested in promoting equity in library workplaces. All of this makes this book a unique and important addition to this area of scholarship and the library leaders toolkit. -- Brian Keith, associate dean for Administrative Services and Faculty Affairs, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida
Teaching organizational climate is always a challenge, because students can appreciate the concept, but have difficulty recognizing the implications and applications of it, and are unsure how to measure it. ClimateQUAL helps to answer those questions, and gives such clear examples of why this construct matters. It's clear, concise, and a pleasure to read. A great new tool for the organizational climate tool chest! -- Marcus W. Dickson, professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit

Author Bio

Charles B. Lowry, Ph.D., has had a 50-year career in US higher education. He retired as the Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries (20082014). Prior to that he was the Dean of Libraries at the University of Maryland College Park (19962008). Lowry has directed five academic and research libraries, including service as University Librarian at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh where he led significant information technology initiatives (19921996). His service includes director of libraries at University of Texas Arlington, University of South Alabama and Elon College (now University).