Self-managing work teams and their external leadership A primer for library administrators

Purpose - This paper seeks to review the history, development and utilization of self-managing work teams (SMWTs) in business and library work environments. Design/methodology/approach - Based on a review of both the relevant management and library literature, this paper broadens the library literature related to SMWTs with the objective of finding relevant insights applicable to the management of SMWTs in the library environment. Findings - The paper finds that the use of appropriately designed and implemented SMWTs has the potential to increase employee productivity and workplace satisfaction while reducing absenteeism and employee turnover. Organizational democracy and managerial support are the primary drivers of successful SMWTs. However, the use of SMWTs by library administrators appears to be underutilized. Research limitations/implications - While the organizational and administrative benefits associated with the use of SMWTs are clear, the reasons why library administrators have not used this tool more frequently remains obscure. Additional research is required to understand the factors both personal and institutional - that lead library administrators to either adopt or reject innovative managerial tools and techniques generally and SMWTs specifically. Originality/value - This paper provides an important review of the library and management literature related to the use of SMWTs. The information is presented with the objective of increasing awareness, debate and additional research on the application of SMWTs in the library environment.