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Implementing Knowledge Management in Romanian Academic Libraries: Identifying the Elements that Characterize their Organizational Culture
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES · Implementing Knowledge Management in Romanian Academic Libraries: Identifying the Elements that Characterize their Organizational Culture by Octavia-Luciana Porumbeanu Available online 21 September 2010
INTRODUCTION For libraries and information services, as for other types of organizations, one of the most useful solutions that can be adopted in order to survive and to be successful in a society dominated by knowledge, is to implement a knowledge management process. This is especially true of countries like Romania, with a rapidly developing economy, following the collapse of the post-war communist regime. Within this context, a study was undertaken over several years in a number of large Romanian academic libraries, investigating whether a favourable climate for effective knowledge management could be identified. Based on this research, mainly comprising two separate surveys, the particular characteristics of the organizational culture in these structures were analyzed. Most of the participants in this study familiar with the knowledge management process and open to the idea of knowledge sharing and with many of them characterizing the managerial style in their organizations as being one that creates a stimulating climate, the next step in the development strategy of these libraries should be the effective implementation of the knowledge management function. Technological changes and global competition, together with other aspects that characterize the knowledge-based economy, push organizations to transform their structures and implement new managerial processes that can help them become more flexible and thereby stimulate innovation and performance. As Prusak outlines, the main sources of competitive advantage for an organization are represented by the organization's learning capacity and by the knowledge assets they possess.1 In this context, knowledge management (KM) has become a fundamental process for all types of organizations in our society although KM initiatives may vary from one organization to another. Experts have not yet reached agreement on areas such as knowledge management content, scope or priorities at this time, although there is agreement that every organization should concentrate on its ability to create, transfer, integrate and exploit knowledge assets. Libraries, along with other types of organizations, are currently facing a massive process of transformation and scrutiny of their functioning model. Libraries are being forced to adapt to changing conditions in the
Octavia-Luciana Porumbeanu is Lecturer, LIS Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, Romania.
marketplace of information and to become more and more competitive in order to be able to deal with continuous change and changes in the requirements of users. Libraries have proved over time that, despite their image as socio-cultural organizations that find adapting to change more difficult, they have, throughout their history, demonstrated a great openness to change, adapting to new paradigms on several occasions. Thus, their evolution over time has been from the being organizations specialized in the conservation of written cultural and scientific heritage to open, flexible organizations, relating to their users and specializing in information dissemination in a wide range of formats. The changes that took place in Romania post 1990, encompassing a change in the political regime as well as the economy, generated transformation at both the organizational level and more specifically at the cultural level in libraries. All of these changes were directed towards increased performance and the quality of services and products provided. However, Romanian libraries are still in a transitional phase marked by many further transformations which aim to bypass the effects of a long period when there was no management, in the true sense of the word, of these institutions. This period was characterised by the absence of library and information science (LIS) specialists, of professional managers, a lack of financial resources, high staff turnover and the absence of equipment. An organisational culture adequate for the specific needs of a knowledge-based society and economy could help Romanian libraries survive through increasing efficiency, improving the quality of information products and user services and through creating the necessary conditions for the implementation of new managerial processes. Knowledge management is one of these processes.
THE CONCEPT
OF
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
The concept of knowledge management is not well defined according to several experts, and there is no unanimously accepted definition.2,3 In general, it can be said it is a process that promotes knowledge and expertise in organizations and their strategic development. One useful definition by White defines it as “a process of creating, storing, sharing and re-using organizational knowledge (know-how) to enable an organization to achieve its goals and objectives.”4 Sydänmaanlakka considers that the starting point is represented by the organization's strategy and objectives together with its information technology systems, learning systems and human resource management. In addition, this is within an organizational culture that values, contributes
The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 36, Number 6, pages 549–552
November 2010 549
to and supports knowledge sharing and development and which includes continuous learning, knowledge exchange and informal communication.5 This is also the approach favoured by Sanchez.6
– their embracing of creativity, innovation, performance, communication, change, collaboration and continuous professional development amongst other elements.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
The survey sample: For this study we chose five large representative academic libraries in Romania. They are from three different areas of the country, three from Bucharest, one from Moldavia and one from Banat, and serve an extended community of users but are still very different libraries in terms of staff, users etc. By choosing these libraries we aimed to obtain as complete and representative a picture as possible of the current situation in Romanian academic libraries.
The success of an organization depends a lot on its culture, which in turn influences the employees' attitudes and behaviour.7 In the context of the discussion on the process of knowledge management implementation, the change of culture at organizational level has an extremely important place. The existence of a favourable environment for communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing and transfer as well as easy identification of the organization's knowledge assets is essential for this approach and facilitates it. If libraries and other information services are to survive in the contemporary information market place, the creation of a culture oriented towards performance, which appreciates and encourages communication, collaboration and that rewards creativity and new ideas is essential. This also has to be a culture oriented towards people, employees and users, one which meets their information needs and one of permanent change, oriented towards learning and continuous professional training and one that stimulates knowledge sharing and development. Thus, a knowledge and learning-oriented culture would facilitate the implementation and development of knowledge management systems, which are extremely important for organizations such as libraries. In the specific context of Romanian libraries, in the post 1990 era, identification and analysis of the characteristic elements of their culture did not receive any special attention over the last few years despite the fact that one of the priorities clearly recognized by most of those involved in this field was the cultural change needed in the organizations themselves. And if there is to be a change of organizational culture in Romanian libraries, there needs to be recognition of certain aspects which will lead to the implementation of change in the entire organization, a different management style, and the involvement of employees in the development of the new culture, as well as a new attitude towards knowledge management.
THE ROMANIAN STUDY In the context of the transition to a knowledge society and the implementation of a knowledge management strategy in an increasing number of organizations, an initial study was undertaken in Romanian academic libraries on the theme of knowledge management and the organizational culture in these institutions.8 That 2004 study, the first ever in Romania on the theme of knowledge management in the library/information services domain, revealed that a culture of knowledge sharing amongst respondents, all of whom were staff in large Romanian libraries, did not yet exist. However, the study identified some elements that could support the creation of such a culture over the next few years. Most of the participants in the study considered the implementation of a knowledge management strategy by their organizations as necessary and beneficial. A first step in adopting this new managerial concept was the fact that they were familiar with concept, had a fairly good perception of what knowledge management represents, and were open to the idea of knowledge sharing. Starting from this base, we decided in December 2006 to undertake a study aimed at analysing the elements that characterize the organizational culture in Romanian large academic libraries by evaluating the librarian's perception of: – the organizational culture in the institution where they work; – the values promoted by this culture; – their policies concerning staff, and organizational development; – their managerial style; – knowledge sharing;
550 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
The Central University Library “Carol I” of the University of Bucharest This Library was established in 1895 and was the first large academic library in Romania to introduce an integrated automated system (VUBIS) in 1994; it has provided access to the Internet for the users since 1995. It has more than 1,800,000 items, and over 27,000 periodical titles. It has more than 30,000 registered users, with around 500,000 regular visitors per year. It has 14 branches (faculty libraries). The library staff consisted in 2006 of 328 persons, 261 working as librarians with a range of qualifications based on short- or long-term education programs.
The Central University Library “Eugen Todoran” of the University of Timişoara The Library was established in 1948 and in 1995 purchased the ALEPH library automation software; since 1997 the whole computer network of the library is connected to the Internet. The library has 16 branches, and the Library staff consists of 121 persons, 82 being librarians, all with professional training, either undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in LIS. It has almost 1,000,000 library items with over 7,000 periodical titles. It serves over 25,000 users.
The Central Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest The Central Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest is the most renowned Romanian medical library. It was established in 1857 simultaneously with the National School of Medicine and Pharmacy. The Library serves users from the whole university with 96 branch libraries spread all over Bucharest. The main library currently has 366,546 book titles, 5,531 periodical titles and approximately 27,000 other documents in open access. There are more than 10,000 active users of the library (7,567 students, 1496 teaching staff and 957 physicians).The Library has provided access to electronic information resources since 1999. There are 10 computers with access to the Internet. The staff of the library consists of 47 persons, 41 of whom are librarians.
The Library of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest The Library dates from approximately 1868. In 2004 it implemented the ALEPH 500 system and since 2005 has offered its users computers connected to the Internet. It has approximately 1,500,000 library items (books, periodicals, special collections, standards, audiovisual materials) and 6,633 periodical titles. It has more than 13,000 registered users, again with around 500,000 visitors per year. It has 17 branches. The library staff consists of 38 persons, 35 being librarians.
The Library of the “Dunărea de Jos” University in Galaţi The Library was established in 1974 and began the automation process in 1999, using the integrated library system TINLIB. Since 2000
it has offered users connection to Internet. It has more than 450,000 registered library items and more than 5,000 users. It has 3 branches. The Library staff consisted in 2006 of 24 persons, 22 being librarians.
METHODS
OF
DATA COLLECTION
A questionnaire consisting of 10 questions was used for the 2006/ 2007 survey. Eighty questionnaires were randomly distributed to the library staff in the five libraries:
Number of questionnaires
Library The Central University Library “Carol I” of the University of Bucharest
25
The Central University Library “Eugen Todoran” of the University of Timişoara
25
The Central Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest
10
The Library of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest
10
The Library of the “Dunărea de Jos” University in Galaţi.
10
There was a satisfactory reply rate of 82.5% (from the total of 80 questionnaires distributed, 66 were completed). Staff completing the questionnaire were aged between 22 and 56 years with the majority (57%) aged between 25 and 38 years old. Their length of service was between 4 months and 25 years with the majority (70%) having between 2 and 13 years length of employment in libraries, and 91% having graduated from an LIS program (undergraduate, postgraduate or master's program).
KEY FINDINGS
FROM THE
SURVEY
The first question asked about the employees' perception of their library policy concerning the staff and the organizational development. Their responses show that 70% of the participants in this study perceived the priority for their institution as part of organizational development being one orientated towards continuous professional development. Fifteen per cent of respondents remarked on the fact that hiring staff with higher education qualifications in the LIS field constitutes one of the priorities for the institutions where they work. The knowledge and understanding of their organization's policies shown by the respondents is critical to their participation in building the future strategy of the organization, and helps in achieving the objectives that the organization has. The fact that the majority think that the library considers continuous professional development of staff to be of most importance, motivates them in increasing their speciality knowledge and makes them more active professionally. Participants were asked to characterize in three words the managerial style in their organization; 38% of the participants characterized it as being one that creates a stimulating climate. Phrases and words such as: open for change, dynamic, democratic, consultative, efficient, flexible, communicative, competitive climate were used. Conversely, 27% characterized their organization's managerial style adversely, as being authoritative and they used terms such as: rigid, chaotic, dictatorial, bureaucratic, non-communicative, disorganized and reticent to change. A further 18% felt the managerial style was random, flexible but not transparent, and perfectible. These varying perceptions show that in many Romanian libraries elements that characterized the pre1990 period still persist and that major changes have not taken place at the management level in all institutions. But the fact that the participants in this study think
that things can be improved and that they perceive the managerial style as being improvable is important and encouraging. According to Little, Quintas and Ray, creativity, innovation and the promotion of these elements is the aspect that makes the difference amongst organizations in the context of the knowledge-based economy.9 In the case of the libraries included in this research, 71% of the employees who completed the questionnaire considered their organisation to be creative and offered as examples the introduction of new services for users, new projects, and the adaptation of services and staff to the necessary changes required by the electronic environment, etc. However 29% of the participants consider that innovation and creativity are not encouraged in their organization, and that there is no receptivity for new ideas. Other reasons given for lack of change and innovation were a lack of technological equipment and financial resources. Concerning the way that staff performance is encouraged in their organization, 36% of the participants in this study responded that this was by material reward, 18% by advancement in career, 12% by supporting staff participation in conferences and workshops. On the other hand, 18% considered performance was insufficiently rewarded or not encouraged at all. The work environment plays an important role in creating an adequate organizational culture for achieving the organization objectives and for the development of knowledge management practices. Asked about their work environment and what they think this encourages, 21% of the participants considered that it was one that encouraged the development of communities of practice and organizational learning, 11% mentioned knowledge sharing, 9% mentioned communication and 5% teamwork. In all contemporary organizations continuing education through professional training courses or workshops has great importance.6,10 Libraries are no exception, especially as in their case the pace and the volume of changes which they have to deal with is doubled by the complexity which satisfying the information needs and requests of users through up to date products and services involves and by the great competition they face from other organizations involved in the information transfer industry. In these conditions, the results of the study showed that the Romanian libraries involved in this research had dealt very well with the challenge of providing continuous professional education for their staff. A significant 63% of respondents declared that their organization encouraged them to participate in conferences and other LIS events; 52% responded that they participated in such events on their own initiative, and 70% said that the organization sends them to such activities. In addition 71% noted that their institutions initiated their own professional training activities. These high percentages show that these libraries understand very well the importance of trained staff with up to date knowledge. The fact that these libraries themselves initiate such actions shows their desire to include as large a number as possible of employees in continuing professional development. Staff willingness to share their knowledge and professional experience with their colleagues is one of the most important elements that prove that an organization has an adequate, favourable culture that can support the implementation of the knowledge management process.11–13 In the case of our research, 89% of the participants declared their willingness to share knowledge and professional experience. Among the reasons mentioned were: teamwork (18%), exchange of experience (12%), professional co-operation (17%), increase of efficiency (14%), stimulation of communication (6%). Asked about their organization's willingness to change, the majority of participants (79%) again responded positively, giving as examples fast adaptation to new technologies, the continuous improvement of services, materials and human resources. Only 21% gave a negative answer mentioning that the legal framework and the lack of receptivity for change in their organization were serious obstacles to change.
November 2010 551
Asked if they could rapidly identify and/or contact people who could help them in solving a professional problem 79% also answered positively, showing that collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing are aspects that characterize the organizational culture in the libraries included in this study. Finally, with reference to the values promoted by their organizational culture, the results show that participants listed performance (21%), professionalism (21%), efficiency (21%), teamwork (12%), communication (12%), competition (12%), and innovation (5%), all key elements for supporting the implementation of the knowledge management process in an organization. In summary, the results of this research show both common aspects with what can be found in libraries from other countries, and unique aspects, specific to Romania and which come from the historical and development related conditions through which Romanian libraries have passed. Given the critical role that organizational culture plays in the development of knowledge management practices, the results of our study show that fairly favourable conditions for a future implementation of new models of managerial processes incorporating good knowledge management practice can be found in our libraries.
STRATEGIC MODEL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN ROMANIAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES Based on the situation of these large Romanian academic libraries, the conditions that we found in these institutions, added to the experience of other institutions and countries identified in our review of the literature, in 2006 we designed a strategic model based on some proposals which could be the starting point for implementation of knowledge management in Romanian academic libraries.8 The model refers, in brief, to the following elements of successful knowledge management in the institution: • Knowledge and expertise which are based on professional activities such as knowledge organization and preservation, information search, retrieval and dissemination, the creation of information products and services with added value which constitute essential organizational assets of libraries. • Human resource management (including aspects such as communication, organizational learning, knowledge sharing, communities of practice, organizational culture) is a fundamental element for the knowledge management process. • Technology also plays a key role in the creation of a culture and of an infrastructure that stimulates and supports the access to knowledge and its sharing. • Networks such as the partnerships with other public or private organizations represent a solution for extended access to knowledge, for more creative uses and for increased quality of the products and services which libraries offer to their users. • The creation of a knowledge manager position appreciably increases the chances of success in the implementation of this new function in libraries. In addition an organizational culture open to change, one which encourages learning, creativity and quality; in which obtaining new abilities and knowledge is a permanent process, should be developed. There must be investments in human capital and in the professional development of the employees. The development of a better communication strategy, which would provide a coherent context for systems and people in the organization are steps that must be followed at all cost. Communities of practice, communication, and the exchange of ideas must be encouraged. Employees' attitudes towards the general policy of the organization, leadership motivating people to share and use knowledge, encouragement of employee involvement
552 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
in building strategies and future directions are very important for all organisations wanting to develop better knowledge management practices, and to participate in the knowledge society.
CONCLUSIONS Romania has moved a long way since the collapse of the former regime. It is on its way to becoming a knowledge based economy and that should lead to changes in libraries and information services. The KM function is key to the continuing viability of libraries, and the development of new services which are more responsive to user needs. Staff in the institutions that participated in this study appear to be motivated and ready to grasp the challenge, and our research has shown that there is a likelihood that implementation of the knowledge management function in Romanian academic libraries will lead to: – an increase of these organizations' abilities to learn, identify and use knowledge from internal and external sources in their processes and activities, – the generation of new knowledge, – the development of new procedures and practices for the optimisation of knowledge sharing and integration in organizations. A knowledge management programme adapted to the specific conditions in the Romanian libraries and information services, once put in practice, can lead to the improvement of their performances and a secure position for these institutions on the global knowledge market.
NOTES
AND
REFERENCES
1. Prusak, Laurence (1996) ‘Introduction to series—Why Knowledge, Why Now?’, in Paul S. Myers (ed) Knowledge Management and Organizational Design, pp. IX. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann. 2. Johannsen, Carl Gustav. (2000) ‘Total Quality Management in a Knowledge Management Perspective’, Journal of Documentation vol. 56, no. 1, p. 42–44. 3. Koenig, Michael E. D. (2001) ‘Knowledge Management, User Education, and Librarianship’, 67th IFLA Council and General Conference Papers, Boston, http://archive.ifla.org/IV/ifla67/papers/085-99e.pdf. 4. White, Tatiana (2004) ‘Knowledge Management in an Academic Library’, World Library and Information Congress: 70th IFLA General Conference and Council Programme and Proceedings, 22-27 August 2004, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (CD-OM). 5. Sydänmaanlakka, Pentti (2002) An Intelligent Organization. Integrating Performance, Competence and Knowledge Management. Oxford: Capstone. 6. Sanchez, Ron. (2001) Knowledge Management and Organizational Competence. New York: Oxford University Press. 7. Sanchez, R.; Heene, A. (eds) (1997) Strategic Learning and Knowledge Management. Chichesters: John Wiley. 8. Porumbeanu, Octavia-Luciana (2006) Managementul cunoaşterii şi structurile infodocumentare. Bucureşti: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti. 9. Little, Stephen; Paul Quintas, and Ray, Tim (eds.) (2002) Managing Knowledge. An Essential Reader. London: The Open University and Sage Publications. 10. Stehr, Nico. (2001) ‘A world made of knowledge’, Deutschland, no.1, February/March p. 40–44. 11. Davenport, Thomas D.; Prusak, Laurence. (1998) Working Knowledge. How Organizations Manage What They Know. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 12. Michel, Jean. (2001) ‘Le knowledge management, entre effet de monde et (ré)invention de la roue…’, Documentaliste. Sciences de l'information vol. 38, no. 3-4, p. 177. 13. Webb, Sylvia P. (1998) Knowledge Management: linchpin of change. Some practical guidelines. London: Aslib.
INTRODUCTION For libraries and information services, as for other types of organizations, one of the most useful solutions that can be adopted in order to survive and to be successful in a society dominated by knowledge, is to implement a knowledge management process. This is especially true of countries like Romania, with a rapidly developing economy, following the collapse of the post-war communist regime. Within this context, a study was undertaken over several years in a number of large Romanian academic libraries, investigating whether a favourable climate for effective knowledge management could be identified. Based on this research, mainly comprising two separate surveys, the particular characteristics of the organizational culture in these structures were analyzed. Most of the participants in this study familiar with the knowledge management process and open to the idea of knowledge sharing and with many of them characterizing the managerial style in their organizations as being one that creates a stimulating climate, the next step in the development strategy of these libraries should be the effective implementation of the knowledge management function. Technological changes and global competition, together with other aspects that characterize the knowledge-based economy, push organizations to transform their structures and implement new managerial processes that can help them become more flexible and thereby stimulate innovation and performance. As Prusak outlines, the main sources of competitive advantage for an organization are represented by the organization's learning capacity and by the knowledge assets they possess.1 In this context, knowledge management (KM) has become a fundamental process for all types of organizations in our society although KM initiatives may vary from one organization to another. Experts have not yet reached agreement on areas such as knowledge management content, scope or priorities at this time, although there is agreement that every organization should concentrate on its ability to create, transfer, integrate and exploit knowledge assets. Libraries, along with other types of organizations, are currently facing a massive process of transformation and scrutiny of their functioning model. Libraries are being forced to adapt to changing conditions in the
Octavia-Luciana Porumbeanu is Lecturer, LIS Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, Romania
marketplace of information and to become more and more competitive in order to be able to deal with continuous change and changes in the requirements of users. Libraries have proved over time that, despite their image as socio-cultural organizations that find adapting to change more difficult, they have, throughout their history, demonstrated a great openness to change, adapting to new paradigms on several occasions. Thus, their evolution over time has been from the being organizations specialized in the conservation of written cultural and scientific heritage to open, flexible organizations, relating to their users and specializing in information dissemination in a wide range of formats. The changes that took place in Romania post 1990, encompassing a change in the political regime as well as the economy, generated transformation at both the organizational level and more specifically at the cultural level in libraries. All of these changes were directed towards increased performance and the quality of services and products provided. However, Romanian libraries are still in a transitional phase marked by many further transformations which aim to bypass the effects of a long period when there was no management, in the true sense of the word, of these institutions. This period was characterised by the absence of library and information science (LIS) specialists, of professional managers, a lack of financial resources, high staff turnover and the absence of equipment. An organisational culture adequate for the specific needs of a knowledge-based society and economy could help Romanian libraries survive through increasing efficiency, improving the quality of information products and user services and through creating the necessary conditions for the implementation of new managerial processes. Knowledge management is one of these processes.
THE CONCEPT
OF
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
The concept of knowledge management is not well defined according to several experts, and there is no unanimously accepted definition.2,3 In general, it can be said it is a process that promotes knowledge and expertise in organizations and their strategic development. One useful definition by White defines it as “a process of creating, storing, sharing and re-using organizational knowledge (know-how) to enable an organization to achieve its goals and objectives.”4 Sydänmaanlakka considers that the starting point is represented by the organization's strategy and objectives together with its information technology systems, learning systems and human resource management. In addition, this is within an organizational culture that values, contributes
The Journal of Academic Librarianship, Volume 36, Number 6, pages 549–552
November 2010 549
to and supports knowledge sharing and development and which includes continuous learning, knowledge exchange and informal communication.5 This is also the approach favoured by Sanchez.6
– their embracing of creativity, innovation, performance, communication, change, collaboration and continuous professional development amongst other elements.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
The survey sample: For this study we chose five large representative academic libraries in Romania. They are from three different areas of the country, three from Bucharest, one from Moldavia and one from Banat, and serve an extended community of users but are still very different libraries in terms of staff, users etc. By choosing these libraries we aimed to obtain as complete and representative a picture as possible of the current situation in Romanian academic libraries.
The success of an organization depends a lot on its culture, which in turn influences the employees' attitudes and behaviour.7 In the context of the discussion on the process of knowledge management implementation, the change of culture at organizational level has an extremely important place. The existence of a favourable environment for communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing and transfer as well as easy identification of the organization's knowledge assets is essential for this approach and facilitates it. If libraries and other information services are to survive in the contemporary information market place, the creation of a culture oriented towards performance, which appreciates and encourages communication, collaboration and that rewards creativity and new ideas is essential. This also has to be a culture oriented towards people, employees and users, one which meets their information needs and one of permanent change, oriented towards learning and continuous professional training and one that stimulates knowledge sharing and development. Thus, a knowledge and learning-oriented culture would facilitate the implementation and development of knowledge management systems, which are extremely important for organizations such as libraries. In the specific context of Romanian libraries, in the post 1990 era, identification and analysis of the characteristic elements of their culture did not receive any special attention over the last few years despite the fact that one of the priorities clearly recognized by most of those involved in this field was the cultural change needed in the organizations themselves. And if there is to be a change of organizational culture in Romanian libraries, there needs to be recognition of certain aspects which will lead to the implementation of change in the entire organization, a different management style, and the involvement of employees in the development of the new culture, as well as a new attitude towards knowledge management.
THE ROMANIAN STUDY In the context of the transition to a knowledge society and the implementation of a knowledge management strategy in an increasing number of organizations, an initial study was undertaken in Romanian academic libraries on the theme of knowledge management and the organizational culture in these institutions.8 That 2004 study, the first ever in Romania on the theme of knowledge management in the library/information services domain, revealed that a culture of knowledge sharing amongst respondents, all of whom were staff in large Romanian libraries, did not yet exist. However, the study identified some elements that could support the creation of such a culture over the next few years. Most of the participants in the study considered the implementation of a knowledge management strategy by their organizations as necessary and beneficial. A first step in adopting this new managerial concept was the fact that they were familiar with concept, had a fairly good perception of what knowledge management represents, and were open to the idea of knowledge sharing. Starting from this base, we decided in December 2006 to undertake a study aimed at analysing the elements that characterize the organizational culture in Romanian large academic libraries by evaluating the librarian's perception of: – the organizational culture in the institution where they work; – the values promoted by this culture; – their policies concerning staff, and organizational development; – their managerial style; – knowledge sharing;
550 The Journal of Academic Librarianship
The Central University Library “Carol I” of the University of Bucharest This Library was established in 1895 and was the first large academic library in Romania to introduce an integrated automated system (VUBIS) in 1994; it has provided access to the Internet for the users since 1995. It has more than 1,800,000 items, and over 27,000 periodical titles. It has more than 30,000 registered users, with around 500,000 regular visitors per year. It has 14 branches (faculty libraries). The library staff consisted in 2006 of 328 persons, 261 working as librarians with a range of qualifications based on short- or long-term education programs.
The Central University Library “Eugen Todoran” of the University of Timişoara The Library was established in 1948 and in 1995 purchased the ALEPH library automation software; since 1997 the whole computer network of the library is connected to the Internet. The library has 16 branches, and the Library staff consists of 121 persons, 82 being librarians, all with professional training, either undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in LIS. It has almost 1,000,000 library items with over 7,000 periodical titles. It serves over 25,000 users.
The Central Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest The Central Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest is the most renowned Romanian medical library. It was established in 1857 simultaneously with the National School of Medicine and Pharmacy. The Library serves users from the whole university with 96 branch libraries spread all over Bucharest. The main library currently has 366,546 book titles, 5,531 periodical titles and approximately 27,000 other documents in open access. There are more than 10,000 active users of the library (7,567 students, 1496 teaching staff and 957 physicians).The Library has provided access to electronic information resources since 1999. There are 10 computers with access to the Internet. The staff of the library consists of 47 persons, 41 of whom are librarians.
The Library of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest The Library dates from approximately 1868. In 2004 it implemented the ALEPH 500 system and since 2005 has offered its users computers connected to the Internet. It has approximately 1,500,000 library items (books, periodicals, special collections, standards, audiovisual materials) and 6,633 periodical titles. It has more than 13,000 registered users, again with around 500,000 visitors per year. It has 17 branches. The library staff consists of 38 persons, 35 being librarians.
The Library of the “Dunărea de Jos” University in Galaţi The Library was established in 1974 and began the automation process in 1999, using the integrated library system TINLIB. Since 2000
it has offered users connection to Internet. It has more than 450,000 registered library items and more than 5,000 users. It has 3 branches. The Library staff consisted in 2006 of 24 persons, 22 being librarians.
METHODS
OF
DATA COLLECTION
A questionnaire consisting of 10 questions was used for the 2006/ 2007 survey. Eighty questionnaires were randomly distributed to the library staff in the five libraries:
Number of questionnaires
Library The Central University Library “Carol I” of the University of Bucharest
25
The Central University Library “Eugen Todoran” of the University of Timişoara
25
The Central Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest
10
The Library of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest
10
The Library of the “Dunărea de Jos” University in Galaţi.
10
There was a satisfactory reply rate of 82.5% (from the total of 80 questionnaires distributed, 66 were completed). Staff completing the questionnaire were aged between 22 and 56 years with the majority (57%) aged between 25 and 38 years old. Their length of service was between 4 months and 25 years with the majority (70%) having between 2 and 13 years length of employment in libraries, and 91% having graduated from an LIS program (undergraduate, postgraduate or master's program).
KEY FINDINGS
FROM THE
SURVEY
The first question asked about the employees' perception of their library policy concerning the staff and the organizational development. Their responses show that 70% of the participants in this study perceived the priority for their institution as part of organizational development being one orientated towards continuous professional development. Fifteen per cent of respondents remarked on the fact that hiring staff with higher education qualifications in the LIS field constitutes one of the priorities for the institutions where they work. The knowledge and understanding of their organization's policies shown by the respondents is critical to their participation in building the future strategy of the organization, and helps in achieving the objectives that the organization has. The fact that the majority think that the library considers continuous professional development of staff to be of most importance, motivates them in increasing their speciality knowledge and makes them more active professionally. Participants were asked to characterize in three words the managerial style in their organization; 38% of the participants characterized it as being one that creates a stimulating climate. Phrases and words such as: open for change, dynamic, democratic, consultative, efficient, flexible, communicative, competitive climate were used. Conversely, 27% characterized their organization's managerial style adversely, as being authoritative and they used terms such as: rigid, chaotic, dictatorial, bureaucratic, non-communicative, disorganized and reticent to change. A further 18% felt the managerial style was random, flexible but not transparent, and perfectible. These varying perceptions show that in many Romanian libraries elements that characterized the pre1990 period still persist and that major changes have not taken place at the management level in all institutions. But the fact that the participants in this study think
that things can be improved and that they perceive the managerial style as being improvable is important and encouraging. According to Little, Quintas and Ray, creativity, innovation and the promotion of these elements is the aspect that makes the difference amongst organizations in the context of the knowledge-based economy.9 In the case of the libraries included in this research, 71% of the employees who completed the questionnaire considered their organisation to be creative and offered as examples the introduction of new services for users, new projects, and the adaptation of services and staff to the necessary changes required by the electronic environment, etc. However 29% of the participants consider that innovation and creativity are not encouraged in their organization, and that there is no receptivity for new ideas. Other reasons given for lack of change and innovation were a lack of technological equipment and financial resources. Concerning the way that staff performance is encouraged in their organization, 36% of the participants in this study responded that this was by material reward, 18% by advancement in career, 12% by supporting staff participation in conferences and workshops. On the other hand, 18% considered performance was insufficiently rewarded or not encouraged at all. The work environment plays an important role in creating an adequate organizational culture for achieving the organization objectives and for the development of knowledge management practices. Asked about their work environment and what they think this encourages, 21% of the participants considered that it was one that encouraged the development of communities of practice and organizational learning, 11% mentioned knowledge sharing, 9% mentioned communication and 5% teamwork. In all contemporary organizations continuing education through professional training courses or workshops has great importance.6,10 Libraries are no exception, especially as in their case the pace and the volume of changes which they have to deal with is doubled by the complexity which satisfying the information needs and requests of users through up to date products and services involves and by the great competition they face from other organizations involved in the information transfer industry. In these conditions, the results of the study showed that the Romanian libraries involved in this research had dealt very well with the challenge of providing continuous professional education for their staff. A significant 63% of respondents declared that their organization encouraged them to participate in conferences and other LIS events; 52% responded that they participated in such events on their own initiative, and 70% said that the organization sends them to such activities. In addition 71% noted that their institutions initiated their own professional training activities. These high percentages show that these libraries understand very well the importance of trained staff with up to date knowledge. The fact that these libraries themselves initiate such actions shows their desire to include as large a number as possible of employees in continuing professional development. Staff willingness to share their knowledge and professional experience with their colleagues is one of the most important elements that prove that an organization has an adequate, favourable culture that can support the implementation of the knowledge management process.11–13 In the case of our research, 89% of the participants declared their willingness to share knowledge and professional experience. Among the reasons mentioned were: teamwork (18%), exchange of experience (12%), professional co-operation (17%), increase of efficiency (14%), stimulation of communication (6%). Asked about their organization's willingness to change, the majority of participants (79%) again responded positively, giving as examples fast adaptation to new technologies, the continuous improvement of services, materials and human resources. Only 21% gave a negative answer mentioning that the legal framework and the lack of receptivity for change in their organization were serious obstacles to change.
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Asked if they could rapidly identify and/or contact people who could help them in solving a professional problem 79% also answered positively, showing that collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing are aspects that characterize the organizational culture in the libraries included in this study. Finally, with reference to the values promoted by their organizational culture, the results show that participants listed performance (21%), professionalism (21%), efficiency (21%), teamwork (12%), communication (12%), competition (12%), and innovation (5%), all key elements for supporting the implementation of the knowledge management process in an organization. In summary, the results of this research show both common aspects with what can be found in libraries from other countries, and unique aspects, specific to Romania and which come from the historical and development related conditions through which Romanian libraries have passed. Given the critical role that organizational culture plays in the development of knowledge management practices, the results of our study show that fairly favourable conditions for a future implementation of new models of managerial processes incorporating good knowledge management practice can be found in our libraries.
STRATEGIC MODEL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN ROMANIAN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES Based on the situation of these large Romanian academic libraries, the conditions that we found in these institutions, added to the experience of other institutions and countries identified in our review of the literature, in 2006 we designed a strategic model based on some proposals which could be the starting point for implementation of knowledge management in Romanian academic libraries.8 The model refers, in brief, to the following elements of successful knowledge management in the institution: • Knowledge and expertise which are based on professional activities such as knowledge organization and preservation, information search, retrieval and dissemination, the creation of information products and services with added value which constitute essential organizational assets of libraries. • Human resource management (including aspects such as communication, organizational learning, knowledge sharing, communities of practice, organizational culture) is a fundamental element for the knowledge management process. • Technology also plays a key role in the creation of a culture and of an infrastructure that stimulates and supports the access to knowledge and its sharing. • Networks such as the partnerships with other public or private organizations represent a solution for extended access to knowledge, for more creative uses and for increased quality of the products and services which libraries offer to their users. • The creation of a knowledge manager position appreciably increases the chances of success in the implementation of this new function in libraries. In addition an organizational culture open to change, one which encourages learning, creativity and quality; in which obtaining new abilities and knowledge is a permanent process, should be developed. There must be investments in human capital and in the professional development of the employees. The development of a better communication strategy, which would provide a coherent context for systems and people in the organization are steps that must be followed at all cost. Communities of practice, communication, and the exchange of ideas must be encouraged. Employees' attitudes towards the general policy of the organization, leadership motivating people to share and use knowledge, encouragement of employee involvement
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in building strategies and future directions are very important for all organisations wanting to develop better knowledge management practices, and to participate in the knowledge society.
CONCLUSIONS Romania has moved a long way since the collapse of the former regime. It is on its way to becoming a knowledge based economy and that should lead to changes in libraries and information services. The KM function is key to the continuing viability of libraries, and the development of new services which are more responsive to user needs. Staff in the institutions that participated in this study appear to be motivated and ready to grasp the challenge, and our research has shown that there is a likelihood that implementation of the knowledge management function in Romanian academic libraries will lead to: – an increase of these organizations' abilities to learn, identify and use knowledge from internal and external sources in their processes and activities, – the generation of new knowledge, – the development of new procedures and practices for the optimisation of knowledge sharing and integration in organizations. A knowledge management programme adapted to the specific conditions in the Romanian libraries and information services, once put in practice, can lead to the improvement of their performances and a secure position for these institutions on the global knowledge market.
NOTES
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REFERENCES
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