A behaviour study of how academic library employees approach their jobs and manage change

 Ronan Cox (@ronancox2) - Business Librarian, Dublin City University.

Introduction

You may remember I posted a piece back in early December 2020 asking for assistance completing a short survey as part of my dissertation on the MSc in Work and Organisational Behaviour. The context for my research was the ever-changing world of work and an investigation into how academic library employees, despite facing shifting job demands, can deal with these changes in order to remain aligned and engaged with their jobs. 

This research direction was chosen for two reasons. Firstly, my work and studies coincided with Covid-19 and I could not ignore the huge impact it had on us as individuals and employees. Secondly, I saw it as a good opportunity to try and understand how employees interact with their workplace and why we approach and manage our jobs in the way that we do.

Many of you kindly answered the call and I am delighted to now share some insights and observations. I have put together a short summary which can be accessed here. While this research focuses on academic library employees, I believe the research and findings will resonate with individuals working in any type of library. So, please feel free to share with your colleagues!

In summation, academic library employees tend to exhibit strong levels of personal growth which results in individuals proactively developing their job over time in a variety of ways. This results in a better sense of psychological well-being at work for the employee, a greater ability to manage change, and a likelihood of becoming involved in additional projects or tasks to further self-development.

This research may be of interest to employees who seek to better understand why they approach work in the way they do. Employers might use this research as a basis for recognising the different personality types present in their teams and how to manage these for the benefit of both the individual and the library.

Should anyone wish to obtain a copy of the full dissertation, please do not hesitate to get in touch directly.