The powers of consortia: scaling capacity, learning, innovation and influence

Lorcan

Dempsey,

OCLC

@LorcanD

THE POWERS

OF

CONSORTIA: scaling capacity,

learning,

innovation and

influence

JULAC 50th

Anniversary

Conference (5 – 6 December 2017)

The University of

Hong Kong

Then and now …

Library Defined by library

operations/metrics

(collection, reference, …)

Defined by university

needs

(research support, student

success, community

engagement).

Organization Bureaucracy:

Well understood goals,

perfect the means.

Enterprise:

Changing goals, reallocate

the means.

Expertise Subject, process Partner in research and

learning, creation, …

Systems Back office Workflow, digital

scholarship, shared

systems

Space Configured around

collections

Configured around user

experiences

Collections Just in case;

Central;

Institutional;

Consumption.

Facilitated (just in time);

One service among others;

Collective;

Creation.

Harvard Business Review (1999)

CORE COMPONENTS OF A FIRM

Customer

Relationship

Management

Product

Innovation

Infrastructure

Back office capacities thatsupport day-to-day operations:• “Routinized” workflows• Economies of scale important

Develop new products andservices and bring them tomarket:• Speed/flexibility important

Attracting and building relationships with customers:• Service-oriented, customization• Economies of scope important

Engagement Innovation

InfrastructureInfrastructure

• Physical inventory

• Storage

• Systems infrastructure

• Repository

Service development

• Resources and services to

support evolving research

and learning workflows.

• Integrated D2D of print and

electronic resources.

• Digital services for scholarly

and cultural communities

Engagement

• Targeted research support

• Student success and retention

• Community focus and

development

• Refocusing space

Library …

Locally assembled collections. The place to go.

Engagement Innovation

Infrastructure

Strong institutional focus:Local value and differentiation

Consortial focus:Scale capacity for efficiency and impact in

service infrastructure

Joint focus:Scale innovation and learning to support

changing libraries. Institutionalization of innovation

Balancing library &consortial roles

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Scaling

capacity Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Negotiation and licensing

Shared ILS

Shared digital infrastructure

Shared PrintCollections

Shared discovery to delivery of library collections

Shared ILS

Shared Research Data Management

Shared PrintCollections

Remember …

Scaling capacity

Scaling capacity

Scaling

capacity

Scale here has advantages

of Impact and Efficiency• Shared negotiation/licensing

• Shared library systems platform

• Shared digital infrastructure

• Shared collections

• Shared expertise

Powers of consortia

Scaling

capacity

Powers of consortia

Soft power of

consortia

Trust

Personal relations

History

Proximity

Facilitates learning and

innovation

Scale advantages

of Impact and Efficiency• Shared negotiation/licensing

• Shared library systems platform

• Shared digital infrastructure

• Shared collections

• Shared expertise

Scaling capacity

… shared vision …… history of collaboration and cooperation …… transformation … rapid developments … … declining or limited resources …… existing collaborative initiatives …

Soft powers

Deepening shared infrastructure

• Library services platform

• Research data management

• Digital collections

Operationalising the collective

collection

• Coordinated approach to:

• Shared print

• Resource sharing

• Digitization

Leveraging the network

• Nurturing communities of practice:

scaling learning and innovation

• Exploring sharing expertise

Scaling

capacity:

some trends

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Advocacy:

National policy

Professional interests

Advocacy:

Special interests

Scaling

influence

Greater need to influence the

environment in which libraries

work

• Understanding

• Funding

• Value

Advocate for library user interests

in complex information environment

• Copyright legislation

• Publishing models

• National information policies

• Surveillance, privacy, …

Leveraging the network

• Nurturing communities of practice:

scaling learning and innovation

• Exploring sharing expertise

• Incubation

Scaling

influence:

some trends

“When the rate of change inside an organization becomes slower than the

rate of change outside, the end is near.”

Jack Welch

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/185636-if-the-rate-of-change-on-the-outside-exceeds-the

“When the rate of change inside an organization becomes slower than the

rate of change outside, the end is near.”

Jack Welch

Scaling capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation Scaling influence

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/185636-if-the-rate-of-change-on-the-outside-exceeds-the

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learningScaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

In rapidly changing environments, it’s important to realize that tacit knowledge trumps explicit knowledge. …

Tacit knowledge becomes accessible through shared practice. …

By working together, we also develop deeper, trust-based relationships that create a safer environment for us to explore new insights with others in our group that we have a hard time expressing to ourselves.

John Hagel

Learning:

• Central focus of some consortia/groups.

• Important focus for many others. • An explicit and central role in

facilitating networks, communities of practice, leadership development and peer learning …

Scaling

learning

We achieve our aims through advocacy, workforce

development, capacity-building and partnership.

.. use the meetings

as an opportunity

to share ideas on a

particular aspect

of networked

information and to

incubate new

initiatives.

ACRL develops programs,

products and services to help

academic and research

librarians learn, innovate and

lead within the academic

community

Learning:

Soft power of existing

networks

Scaling

learning

… networking

… discuss direction

… 'pool uncertainty’

… shared practices

… communities of practice

… peer learning

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation Scaling

influence

• Novelties: The choice of Gold as a color for the iPhone; the naming of a

version of Android as “Kit Kat”; coining a new word.

• Creations: The fall collection of a fashion designer; a new movie; a blog post.

• Inventions: Anything described by a patent; The secret formula for Coca Cola.

• Innovations: The iPhone pricing model; Google’s revenue model; The Ford

production system; Wal-Mart’s store design; Amazon’s logistics.

http://www.asymco.com/2014/04/16/innoveracy-misunderstanding-innovation/

For universities this means spending less time on unproven strategies.

Supporting the transition from

bureaucracy to enterprise

• Scaling learning and innovation

becomes central

• Prepare for big challenges

Innovation is system wide

• Innovation has to be fixed in practice

• Institutional innovation and innovation

in collaboration are key

Scaling

Learning &

Innovation:

some trends A purposeful but emergent

approach has to be designed

• Formal approach but also soft

powers …

Scoping(Right)

Scaling Sourcing

Scoping

What does it make sense to do?

What does it make sense not to do?

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

What does it make sense to do?

What does it make sense not to do?

Scaling

capacity Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Very different types of skill/resource

ScopingMobilize consortial networks

Scoping(right)

Scaling Sourcing

(Right)

Scaling

At what level should an activity

take place?

Consortial activity is about ‘right

scaling’

Shared print Research data

Scoping Scaling Sourcing

Sourcing

How should a service be provided?

Balance between

control and efficiency?

Mission?

Public provision Collaborative

sourcing

Third party provision

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Scaling

capacity

Scaling

learning

Scaling

innovation

Scaling

influence

Libraries need to

collaborate

to create impact

and efficiency.

Libraries need to

collaboratively

advocate for user

and library interests

in an increasingly

complicated

environment.

Libraries need to more actively

mobilise their networks

of shared practice to address

grand challenges as research

and learning behaviors change

in a network environment.

The consortial challenge

Lorcan

Dempsey,

OCLC

@LorcanD

THE POWERS

OF

CONSORTIA: scaling capacity,

learning,

innovation and

influence

Thank

you!