Critical Article review

FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
MARA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

MASTERS IN LIBRARY SCIENCE
(IM 772)

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN LIBRARIES
(MLS 723)

Critical/ Article Analysis:
A case for succession planning: how academic libraries are responding to the

need to prepare a future leaders

Prepared by:
Aryanti binti Ahmad (2017809334)

GROUP:
M772 (PART TIME)

Prepared for:
Mr. Mohd Zaihan bin Hussin

October 2018

A case for succession planning: how academic libraries are responding to the
need to prepare a future leaders

Aryanti binti Ahmad
(2017809334)

Faculty of Information Management
MARA University of Technology
Shah Alam

October 2018

BLIOGRAPHY

Quinn Galbraith, Sara D. Smith, Ben Walker, (2012) "A case for succession planning:
How academic libraries are responding to the need to prepare future leaders",
Library Management, Vol. 33 Issue: 4/5,pp.221-240,
https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121211242272

INTRODUCTION

The paper entitled “A case for succession planning: how academic libraries are
responding to the need to prepare future leaders’’ was written by Quinn Galibraith, Sara
D. Smith and Ben Walker. This paper was published on 2012 in Library Management,
volume 33, issue number 4/5, pp. 221-240. Quinn Galbraith working as Human
Resources Training and Development Manager at Brigham Young University he holds a
Master in Management and Human Resources and Master in Library Science. Sara D.
Smith was graduated from Brigham Young University. She has been published several
articles regarding on library administration topics. Ben Walker working as Head of the
Education Library at the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries. He
completed the Association of Research Libraries’ Research Library Leadership Fellows
program in 2010.

The authors discussed on succession planning or known as replacement
planning should be implemented in an organizations as well as academic libraries.
Furthermore, succession and development planning should be fits in the library needs
and culture and environment. Succession planning involves training and developing a
potential staff to be replaced in the future positions as a leader. It includes a process of
identifying and assessing talent internal employee for key leadership positions.
Employees with high potential are the library’s future leader and holders of the key
position.

In this paper, the authors focus on academic libraries management, which is
members of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in terms of establish a succession
planning. Members of ARL may not incorporate with the principles of succession
planning that creating by their library.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The author stated that academic library should have a proper planned of
succession planning in terms of developing internal employees. Different approach of
succession planning will give different results of the outcome and give an impact to the
management of library. Succession planning should be considered in several levels: it
includes a plans in developing a leadership skills among employees in the library. It
consider as “bench strength”, a process of differentiate and creating an employees who
already have a leadership skills and who already need an additional leadership
responsibilities. Besides that, succession plans include identifying a high potential
candidate who perform leadership skills and prepare for future vacancies. Other
succession planning that library can implement is preparing a few employee with
specific leadership skills. Some of the succession planning that prepared by library will
give an impact to employee performance which is, some candidates will feel frustrating
if they are not chosen for the development planning or current leader will disappoint if
potential candidate leaves an organization. Effective succession planning will avoid
university management to hire an external candidate. Most academic libraries only
focus on their daily task rather that leadership development process. But some of the
employee has a potential to be a leader by grooming them with specific leadership
skills. Most of university management will hire an external candidate to be a leader in
academic library rather than internal candidates because lack of leadership skill among
current employees. However, succession planning will give benefit in preparing internal
candidates with additional leadership skills that needed by the management.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the article are:

1. To discuss about the importance of succession planning in library

2. To identify a succession planning principles

3. To identify the gap between importance of succession planning principles and
the implementation of the principle

LITERATURE REVIEW

The researchers have obtained a related literature about the topics. The
researchers should review more articles that related with the progression of succession
planning implementing in academic libraries. It addressed that many past researchers
already identify a problem in implementing of succession planning but either an
advances suggest by researches has been taken by management or not has been an
issue. Most of previous researchers agreed that hiring external candidate is costly
rather than hire internal employees. Some researchers identified three steps in
succession planning and development process mapping which is identify and access
talent; create succession plans and create and implement individual development plans.

The past researchers has proposed several steps that can be taken by library in
develop a succession planning to creating an individual talent profiles consists of
knowledge, skills and abilities. Competencies and skills are related; sometimes the
attitude and value are the foundation for behavior and performance.

Based on past researcher has been proposed a cohort based on the program
that called Research Library Leadership Fellows (RLLF) that has been successes in
three ways; large research institutions already implement a succession planning
through leadership development; foster a talent leaders and future leader understand
the current leader role and ready to take over the positon.\

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The researchers conduct a survey to English-speaking academic libraries with
human resource manager or staff members in ARL institutions. Only 112 out of 125
ARL institutions were chosen to participate in the survey. The respondents who respond
the survey is about 34 respondents that approximately 30.4 percent. Although the
survey is completed by a human resource manager, it represents the information of
librarian in institutions. The survey consisted of 25 questions, which included open-
ended, multiple choice and Likert-scale questions. The researchers built a survey using
Qualtrics Survey Software. The survey include a questions regarding the ages of library
leaders, hiring practices (internally or externally candidates), opinions about the
importance and practice of specific succession planning principles.

FINDINGS

The result of survey shows that 88 percent of respondent stated that libraries did
not practice any form of succession planning. The succession planning principles
include integrating succession planning into strategic goals or initiatives, providing on-
the-job leadership opportunities, providing job-specific training and providing formal
managerial or leadership training. There is a gap between how well the principle is
practiced and how important to practice the principles. Currently, library provides
training for employee/staff but they didn’t practice established succession planning.
Libraries also not effectively utilize succession planning in development of leadership
skills among internal staff. Some ARL institutions assume that succession planning is
not a priority in their long term planning.

Other findings show that succession planning is an important aspect for library to
fill the position of retirement leader. The average of retirement age in university librarian
is 60 years. The result shows that senior administrative positions at ARL libraries who
will retire are occupied by senior employee in organization.

Other survey result is related to hiring internal or external candidates for
leadership position. The highest percent shows that respondents indicate that hiring
external candidates will give fresh idea or view from their previous experience and
internal candidates who have enough skills and qualifies to fill the position usually often
do not apply the vacant position.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The authors suggest that library should make succession planning is a priority
and include in their strategic goals. Library also should implement a development
programs for internal employees. Besides that, library should hiring internal candidates
to replace a leader’s position. It is because internal candidates already familiar with the
organization goals and objective and future leaders have enough leadership skills to do
the managerial duties. Library need to groom their internal candidates with managerial
and leadership skills in developing a professional staff rather than perform their daily
routine task.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The research conducted by authors is importance for library or university
management in implementing a succession planning in preparing a future leader.
Library need to hiring a right people with managerial and leadership skills to manage the
library operations. Succession planning is a process to develop competencies of
employees in terms of a process of adaptability for managing situations, an ability to
understand and identifying current problems and also an ability to work collaboratively
with others to achieve organization goals and objectives.

LIMITATION OF STUDY

The scope of study only focuses on academic libraries management in preparing
future leaders. Other than that, the authors only focus on the importance of succession
planning other than identify a challenges and barriers in implementing of succession
planning in academic libraries. Authors also need to review the previous article that
focus on successful implementation of succession planning that has been practice by
other organization or library in world. The research should suggest a development
program that library can take in grooming internal staff.

CONCLUSION

The research provides knowledge about the importance of implementing a
succession planning in library in preparing future leaders. It also gives an overview of
practicing a succession planning in library and also the opinion of academic libraries
staff about implementation of succession planning in library.

The authors using APA citation style in the references section. The sources
commonly related with the context of the article. Authors also using a table to give a
brief summary for each critical factor discussed. There should be a continuous research
survey in other types of libraries to get a greater impact and feedback.