Managing the Coexistence of Hierarchical and Collegial Governance Structures

Dual structures of governance, that is, the collegial and the hierarchical, are in place in many university libraries today. The problems from a managerial perspective of managing the coexistence of these governance structures may include accountability, lack of organizational flexibility, time requirements, communication between the structures, some lessening of librarians' interest in the function of line management, the potential for goal conflict, and a lack of appreciation for librarians' position in their bargaining group. While there is no one solution to these problems, it is imperative that university libraries operate in such a manner as to be judged effective or the mandate of the library stands in some danger of being at least partially distributed.