LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLE: A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES IN GHANA

Abstract

This is a study on the leadership and management style of University Libraries in Ghana. It looks at the conflict situation in these libraries and how to manage them through succession planning. When vacancies for the post of Head Librarian occurred, persons appointed to act were never confirmed in preference to ‘’outsiders’’ resulting in disagreements, and loss of some experienced professionals. University Libraries, therefore, need a succession plan, and a conflict resolution mechanism to select qualified candidates and deal with conflict situations in the libraries. The social survey method and purposeful sampling were used for the study. Opinions were gathered through a structured, open-ended questionnaire distributed to 160 senior members and senior staff of four public university libraries in Ghana. After analyzing the data gathered from respondents, and related literature, it was found out that, a healthy competition based on qualification, competence and cooperation amongst core staff, could produce an acceptable and capable candidate to lead and manage the libraries. It is, therefore, recommended that, University Libraries must develop a well-crafted and tested succession planning programme to select and groom potential staff to fill existing vacancies to implement the agenda of the library.