Identifying leadership potential in library staff : a comparison between the stated beliefs and practices of library managers and the research literature

Abstract

In order to develop a strong leadership base in the library profession, it is important that managers are able to identify people who are capable of being effective leaders in the future. The study investigated how library managers identify leadership potential, and compared the stated beliefs and practices of the managers with the cross-field literature about identifying leadership potential. Interviews were conducted with selected managers working in public and academic libraries in Canterbury, New Zealand. The literature recommends putting effort into attracting and recruiting staff with leadership potential, and identifying, encouraging and rewarding potential leaders at an early stage in their career. The results of the study indicated that there was not yet a strong focus on recruiting and identifying potential leaders in libraries. However most managers were aware of the types of changes that could be made to the organisational structure and the culture of libraries to aid in the identification of potential leaders, and a few managers had implemented changes in these areas. The criteria that library managers used to identify potential leaders corresponded fairly closely to the criteria indicated in the cross-field literature, which included emotional intelligence and the qualities of transformational leaders. In addition, some managers were beginning to experiment with a wider range of selection methods, and were rigorously assessing candidates on predetermined criteria, as recommended by the literature.