To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. (Mark Twain)

 Specific means that the goal must be described as specifically as possible. As a strategic goal, however, it should still be related to the broader strategic missions.

 Measurable indicates that we should be able to measure the goal. There are, however, some pitfalls about measuring, which I describe below.

 Achievable is related to the level of ambition and the resources required. Too low an ambition level is not motivating, and too high a level can make people give up beforehand.

 Realistic has to do with the preconditions for achieving the goal. Do we have the required competence and resources?

 Time-related goals are more likely to be achieved than goals without a specific deadline.

 x% of the LIS function’s primary target group will experience the benefits of our service A (‘A’ stands for a strategic service).

 x% of the new research and development projects during the year is supported by information services (information research or information resources) delivered or provided by the LIS function.

 x% of the sellers will appreciate a simplification of their work to share their knowledge and develop their marketing plans, by using the competitive intelligence tool B, prepared by the LIS function.

 to focus: gather all the forces and agree on what to achieve and where we are heading;

 to take initiatives: provide the opportunity for the employees to take their own initiatives to achieve the goals;

 to control activities: to plan, direct and manage the work, both internally and externally;

 to assess resource needs and to develop the resources;

 to evaluate: have we succeeded or not? Inform about the performance of the business. Adjust the resources as necessary.³

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. (Albert Einstein)

 Is the business of value for the parent organisation and, if so, in what way?

 Which parts of the business are the most beneficial?

 How well does the business or parts of it meet the needs of the primary target groups?

 Are our strategic goals fulfilled?

Methods for measurement and evaluation

There is a variety of methods to measure, follow up and evaluate businesses and to present the results. Many of the methods are based on subjective estimates and judgements which may be difficult to accept in the organisation. However, it is absolutely necessary to use even such methods to obtain meaningful results. The methods must be adapted to the issues and the goals of the business. In many workplaces there are defined methodologies and templates for evaluation which are to be used by the entire organisation. It is important to understand this methodology: how it works, what it is supposed to measure and evaluate, and its advantages and disadvantages. There is great benefit in using the same model as the rest of the organisation and, if it feels inadequate, we can complement it with our own measurements and methods and find ways to present them as well.

To obtain the parameters that are important to measure and evaluate, we can establish a value profile.⁴ The value profile identifies the criteria that the key stakeholders (for example the funders and the users) consider to be valuable in their contact with or view of the LIS function. What services and other features do they appreciate when they contribute financially or use LIS services? The results from various stakeholders’ value profiles should be put together and analysed to obtain the parameters that are of sufficient strategic importance to be part of a generic value profile. Quite a few of these kinds of study have been made for investigating the users, but far fewer for investigating other important stakeholders such as funders.

Below are some examples of common quantitative and qualitative methods and ways of presenting the result:

In order to make the presentations of the results from measurements and evaluations more interesting and concrete, it could be advantageous to use short stories where the respondents describe their experiences in their own words. This method, known as storytelling, is a way to capture the reader’s attention. Storytelling used for strategic issues has the effect of drawing the reader’s interest in the wanted direction.

Case: return on investment for a discovery solution

Quantitative calculations of value and cost for the LIS business are difficult. The cost can be calculated, but there could be ‘hidden’ costs – for example for the managing of information resources outside the LIS function – which should not be forgotten. The value, however, is much more difficult to calculate. We can use the price of the service if it was bought in the market as a value and we can base our calculations on an estimated value. This estimation is then the weak link in the chain because it is subjective (but it can give a false appearance of objectivity). In this fictional case researchers were asked to estimate their eventual productivity increase by using a purchased discovery solution. The researchers estimated that their productivity increase was 1.5 per cent on average. A man-year is, in this example, 1,600 hours and thus the annual productivity increase was 24 hours per researcher. The ratio for staff cost (for researchers) was £60 per hour, and the annual productivity increase per researcher was £1,440. The annual subscription cost of the discovery solution was £55,000. In this case, at least 39 researchers had to use the discovery service to give a positive return on investment.

Pitfalls and tips

I will address some of the pitfalls that many of us experience when we measure and evaluate our business. I also have some tips on how to deal with the pitfalls (see Table 6.1).

You have to run around with a book in your hand and a wild look in your eyes for it to be considered work! It is about time to change that view.

How do you work with business development and planning?

The library is a department within ‘Learning and Support’ here in Arvika. Learning and Support covers pre-school childcare, school, adult education, social services, support and service to disabled (LSS), recreation, libraries, and the municipal school of music. Each area formulates a three-year business plan which is revised each year. We use the model of balanced scorecards. The scorecards have four perspectives: 1) citizens, users and customers; 2) employees and ways of working; 3) growth, regeneration and development; 4) economy. The starting point for working on the business plan is the business ratios, key indicators, the strategies and the strategic goals that the municipal council has decided for the four perspectives. At the library we then break them down into objectives, indicators and activities for our own business. Moreover, we include any additional major changes, such as expected budget restrictions.

In the beginning many people thought that it was difficult and cumbersome to work with the balanced scorecards, and we have only done it twice so it is still a relatively new way of working. I think that we are starting to get used to it now and can see the benefits. They can, for example, be used as a prioritisation tool to see which activities are suitable.

There is a continuous operational follow-up according to a fixed schedule. Every 14 days, the managers at Learning and Support have follow-ups with the politicians in the Committee of Learning and Support. Budget implementation is an agenda item each month. We at the library report statistics and collaborative projects once a year.

There is a lot of talk about the mission of libraries. Some people argue that politicians should stand up and define this mission, but this is unlikely to happen. There are political decisions in the overall business plan – but the politicians may very well go in and look at details in the plan,too!

Do you have any example of a plan that was successfully implemented?

The media plan. Work on the media plan was a major project that went really well. Inspiration came from the Library in Sigtuna, which had already made a media plan. A staff member from the library was invited to Arvika and she explained to all staff for half a day how to make such a plan. Then we had discussions based on the method of de Bono’s hats⁶ over the desirable turnover ratio of 4.⁷ Each working team took care of the result of the discussions, analysed it and came up with a plan for how to work with media in their area during the coming year. (We have four working teams: Fiction, Children’s books, Non-fiction 1, and Non-fiction 2.)

Besides the fact that the result was good, it was also a process that contributed to competence development, not the least to learn how to use Excel properly! In addition, the media plan changed the traditional view of what should be found on the shelves.

From where do you get inspiration and ideas for business development?

One of the greatest responsibilities you have as a leader is to follow what is happening around you and to translate this into how it affects your business. I scan the business environment, read blogs, articles, newsletters, etc. Earlier it was enough to read the dominant library magazine, but this is not the case anymore; library debates are conducted at many different venues. Keeping up to date and understanding how newly gained information and knowledge can contribute to business development is hard work.

I also get valuable input from my position in the management team of ‘Learning and Support’. From this I find out what is happening in the city and municipality, such as activities for children and young people, alcohol and drug issues, Swedish for immigrants, income support, social activities, high school, and much more. All of this gives me a deep understanding of what is happening in the municipality, but also information about new laws and knowledge of the development of the whole society. This is a very positive activity to add to the library’s projects. Instead of sitting in one’s own little cultural corner, one is given the opportunity to hear and to see what is going on, which not only creates an understanding of others’ activities but also creates opportunities for cooperation. To be a member of the management team gives one new ideas as well as the opportunity to plant and to discuss one’s own ideas.

What are your top tips for engaging employees in change management?

It is important that I know myself and my own way of working and thinking about how to act: when I proceed too fast, when I should discuss and anchor in different ways than I usually do. I have had support in my leadership by a good coach.

Everybody must be given the opportunity to take part in what is happening. I try to disseminate what I find out – either to all staff if it is of general interest, or to any of our teams. We also discuss important events outside our own world at our regular meetings. Every 14 days we have a meeting where we discuss an interesting journal article about library development or change management, etc., which I or any member of staff has picked out.

It is also important to open up for participation and to create an atmosphere in which people feel they can have an influence. The teams are involved in working with the business plan. Each team discusses and formulates the activities required to achieve the goals of the scorecard. A good example is the work on the media plan.

Relating to the balanced scorecards is incredibly important: the scorecard perspectives, the goals, the visions. Basically everything you do must be linked in one way or another to the perspectives in the scorecard. To make this visible to employees is among the most important things to do as a leader.

It is also important to not let minor things bind you, get stuck to them and forget your vision. You should convey things in a positive way so it does not become incomprehensible, difficult and strange. We used to sigh over the work with the scorecards. A common comment was: ‘And when do we work, then?’ You have to run around with a book in your hand and a wild look in your eyes for it to be considered work! It is about time to change that view.

How do you deal with new ideas that come from the staff?

I would like to get more ideas than I do and that the ideas should be more carefully prepared. I usually ask the person coming with the idea to make a rough plan for how to implement it. If it is a more refined plan you can always start by testing it on a small scale. If it is working well you can continue, otherwise you must drop it. It is important that the staff member discusses with me what they want to develop, just as I discuss my plans with them.

What are the biggest challenges for business development?

The cooperation between the public libraries in the country, for example to work on a shared library catalogue, is a challenge but also a necessity.

Economic conditions are also challenging; we do not know where the economic situation is heading. You can develop many things without big costs, but at a certain point you reach the pain threshold where you are either standing still or have to set some very tough priorities.

Getting the whole staff on track in the change process is a huge challenge, to get the employees to feel a desire and an ambition to move forward. It is difficult because individuals are at different stages and their will to change varies. The challenge is to get everyone to understand that change is a constant state. The simplest for the short term is to only manage what already exists, but it is not good enough and, besides, is pretty boring.

What are your top tips for working with business development?