Diffusing Organizational Change through Service Design and Iterative Assessment

Abstract

In 2016, the University of Michigan Library (U-M Library) began the process of transforming physical and virtual spaces to serve the emerging needs of our research community and taking care to ensure that, whatever form our buildings and web presence take, it will follow the function and intent of our services. The U-M Library is a large, complex library with nearly 500 staff and librarians, millions of collections, and hundreds of unique services. Although the library has a decentralized organizational structure, the benefits of such a structure include the ability for departments to be nimble, responsive, and find creative solutions that are more personalized and that take advantage of unique expertise. However, when each division, department, and unit can act independently, it can be a real challenge to move forward large, important, library-wide initiatives. Implementing large-scale change that directly impacts the culture and physical space, as well as conducting meaningful assessment, becomes a complicated endeavor.