Library Management

Purpose – Which comes first – quality or change? Managing change is inherent in organisational quality enhancement. Managing organisational change and managing organisational quality go hand-in-hand. This paper seeks to look into quality enhancement initiatives to achieve organisational fitness for purpose.

Design/methodology/approach – This discussion focuses first on organisational quality – what quality means, why it is important and the means for achieving quality. The focus then shifts to effective management of organisational change including the nature of change and the high failure rate of change initiatives. Many models, approaches and prescriptions for understanding, and effectively managing, change are available. Two are discussed here: Kotter's eight-step model of change and Doppelt's seven-point “wheel of change”. Commonalities and differences of the two approaches are examined and pointers to “green” and “red” lights for change managers are highlighted. A large-scale organisational reform program at La Trobe University (Australia) provides a case study of complex change in progress. Kotter and Doppelt's frameworks are used to reflect on aspects of that organisation's experience of working with change.

Findings – The discussion concludes by returning to the theme expressed in the title of this paper – quality and change go hand-in-hand. Libraries and librarians operating in an environment of rapid and complex change should add to their managerial “toolkits” an understanding of the intersecting issues of organisational quality and organisational change, and a proactive approach to managing both.

Originality/value – Managers and leaders seeking to make change and achieve organisational quality may be well served by keeping these basic green and red lights as markers and check points along the path to reaching change and/or quality objectives.