Selecting an Appropriate Change Management Model for Iranian Academic Libraries Using MADM Methods

Abstract

Today's life is not insulated from different kinds of “change.” Change is also experienced in organizations as a somehow daily process. Academic libraries are organizations which need to be active in confrontation with “change” because of their essential role in education and research. These libraries could be more successful in meeting users' information needs, if they manage change in a planned manner. In this regard, Iranian academic libraries are not exceptional. They are faced with pressures from their internal and external environments, which make it essential for them to respond and implement necessary changes. In order to assist these libraries in overcoming challenges stemming from change and improving the change management capacity in libraries, this article aims to select an appropriate change management model for Iranian academic libraries. After reviewing the literature, finding and selecting basic change models including Kotter's Change Model, Penfold's Information Services Framework for Managing Change, and Curzon's Cycle of Change, a research questionnaire was designed and answered by a group of experts using the consensus method. The results were analyzed by Multiple Attribute Decision Making (MADM) techniques including Technique for Order- Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Simple Additive Weighting Method (SAWM). Penfold's Information Services Framework for Managing Change received the highest scores from the application of both techniques. It is concluded that Penfold's Information Services Framework for Managing Change could be applied as an appropriate change model in the context of Iranian academic libraries.