Library in Clackamas County (LINCC)

Writing the Book on the Human Side of Change Management

Libraries in Clackamas County (LINCC) operates as a logistics and coordinating organization, enriching the community by sharing resources across 13 member libraries across the region. In 2017, the consortium invested $1.9 million in an RFID-enabled system that would allow self-checkout, boost efficiency and increase security for patrons and employees alike.

Renewed Efficiency
LINCC’s leadership recognized that a relatively straightforward operational change–such as replacing barcodes with electromagnetic tracking tags–can transform the roles and relationships of the people it touches. To ensure an effective, positive rollout of its new RFID system, the group brought on Coraggio to help support staff, plan communications for the transition and assist leadership in navigating the people side of change.

Reading the Organization
We evaluated competencies and challenges among the individual libraries, their employees and the 401,000 patrons they serve. We deployed assessments based on Prosci’s research-backed methodology that allowed us to review change readiness and impact on these stakeholders and catalogue metrics like change resistance and tech literacy. In-person exercises helped members of a planning committee self-rank their abilities and understand the scope and scale of the change.

With a deeper understanding of how people would be affected by the move to RFID, we worked alongside library representatives to design a change management plan that included recommendations for communication, training and coaching.

Reserving Skills and Building Resources
The RFID Change Management Plan included a coaching guide that described different levels of sponsorship and responsibility for the library leadership who would be introducing, managing and reinforcing change with their employees. Authentic, personal engagement would cascade from senior leadership to frontline staff, and patience and consistency would be critical during this chapter.

We also created a unique video series to build understanding and change competencies for the frontline sponsors of the project. These “activators” learned how to counter mental and emotional resistance and received support in practical teaching methods to train the libraries’ 250 employees on the new tool. A timeline also outlined outreach to the community.

In Circulation
Coraggio equipped LINCC and its members to take ownership of their change management processes. Though we checked in periodically during and after the rollout, the libraries were largely self-sufficient; the plan had ensured that LINCC’s representatives were prepared to engage with their stakeholders. By accounting for the people in addition to the technical specifications of the RFID rollout, the consortium experienced a smoother and more effective transition.

“ Coraggio gave us the tools we needed to survey both staff and library users, assess their readiness for the new technology, and create targeted communication plans to deliver messages about the project. The team was both amazing to work with and exceeded my expectations in terms of customizing their approach to meet the exact needs of our libraries. ”

— Melissa Kelly, Chairperson LINCC Implementation Committee