Library Review

40,4
Training in Interpersonal Skills
for Librarians and Information
Workers
6 Cephas Odini
Moi University, Kenya

Library Review, Vol. 40 No. 4,
1991, pp. 6-20, © MCB University
Press, 0024-2535
Introduction
Interpersonal skills is a term used to describe a wide range of social and
communicative skills, the most important of which involve:
• Two-way communication skills, for example oral and written, listening
and questioning (particularly important in enquiry work, reference
interviews, etc.).
• Styles of behaviour, particularly emphasising the importance of a positive
response and a confident professional manner, while remaining
approachable and helpful, i.e. personal presentation.
• Leadership and team work.
• General understanding of human behaviour and interpersonal relationships
in terms of interaction with, for example, other staff, internal and external
enquiries within the firm, clients, the general public, suppliers, publishers
and external information sources.
Most human experiences involve interaction or relationships with other persons.
When people interact they are affected by their goals, conflicts, psychological
mechanisms and environment. No one has ever fully explained human interaction
because of its great richness and variety. Indeed, in many ways the more that
is known, the deeper the mystery seems to become.
Nevertheless, when dealing with a whole host of local groups, societies and
individuals of different backgrounds there needs to be a flexible but informed
approach to and treatment of human interaction, which can only be possible
when one possesses good social skills.
"Social skills" is thus a shorthand term for those behaviours which facilitate
human social interaction — both generated responses (e.g. appearing welcoming
and friendly) and perceptions of others (e.g. perceiving that another is anxious,
embarrassed, etc.).
Interpersonal skills are also based on the use of good communication skills,
which involve listening, giving the other person time to consider the question
and the best way to reply, among other things. In fact communication, whether
written or spoken, requires preparation. However experienced one might be,
careful thought is still required for each presentation; for example, what sort
of people make up the audience, what information do they require and what
response is sought by the presenter?
 It is a truism that some people are naturally better able to practise social Interpersonal
and communicative skills than others. In fact some psychologists define people Skills for
as primarilyfield-dependentorfield-independent.Field-dependent people are Librarians
naturally more attentive to social cues than are field-independent people. They
have an interpersonal orientation. Field-independent people have greater skill
in cognitive analysis and structuring but have an impersonal orientation. Field-
dependent people are more likely to avoid expressions of hostility in their
relationships with others. 7
Why Librarians and Information Workers Need Interpersonal Skills
Training
Librarianship, or information work in general, is a social and communicative
profession; a librarian deals with library users, many need to convince authorities,
or to convince or control staff.
His or her role therefore, is based on relationships and continuous communication
with individuals at all levels throughout the organisation, and s/he will be required
to interpret information and pass it on intelligibly to his or her customers through
face-to-face contact. These social and communicative factors cannot be understood
in a vacuum; a theoretical appreciation must be enhanced by real experience,
through a continuous on-the-job training process in interpersonal skills.
Individual librarians need to be able to communicate effectively, not only with
one another, but more specifically with their various client groups.
Communication involves breaking down barriers, one of which may be that caused
by "the image" of a librarian in the user's mind. This may be of an
unapproachable, unhelpful character, surrounded by so many inflexible rules
and regulations as to make the user feel excluded from, and an intruder upon,
the library. The development of good communicative skills through interpersonal
skills training is therefore a long-term investment for anyone involved in library
or information work.
Pleasant, courteous and well-groomed staff members, perceptive of the user's
needs lend an air of assurance which will be reflected not only in the initial
approach of the clientele to the library but also in the continuous use of its
services and facilities.
The case for interpersonal skills training in librarianship, as with any people-
directed profession, seems self-evident, especially in the light of the not
infrequently expressed concern about the quality of entrants to the profession
in many countries. Any employer who expects the library or information studies
schools to produce an expert in dealing with people is likely to be disappointed.
I agree with Argyle[1] when he suggests that "social behaviour" could be
introduced as a subject into the librarianship curriculum. Many professional
training programmes (e.g. for teachers, bank employees, social workers)
incorporate social skills training exercises to better equip trainees to deal with
their client groups, and there is every reason to suppose that librarianship would
benefit from such an approach. However, employers would also still have their
own indispensable contribution to make to the graduate's professional preparation
by providing appropriate training in interpersonal skills in an open-ended training
process which should go on throughout a person's working life.
Library Review Many librarians and information workers do not admit that they require training
40,4 in interpersonal skills. There is also a feeling in some library and information
organisations that interpersonal skills are essentially a matter of an individual's
personality, and beyond the scope of teaching. I think this is unfortunate since
I believe that, whilst it is possible that most librarians are fairly competent in
this respect, it does not necessarily follow that they are conscious of "practising
8 social skills". By increasing an individual's awareness of the dynamics of
interpersonal behaviour it may be possible to improve social performance.
Moreover, in many libraries and information departments, the types of behaviour
problems that result from interpersonal difficulties are various, although in some
cases it may be difficult to recognise their connection with interpersonal relations
in the work situation. All libraries and information workers, therefore, need
to be competent in interpersonal functioning, and their organisations must design
or organise training programmes which respond to real learning needs in
interpersonal skills training.

Organisation of the Training Programme

Cowley[2] advises that management of the staff training and development process
requires a balance between the aspirations of the individual and the needs of
the organisation. Staff development programmes must therefore be designed
to relate consistently with broad organisational objectives. It is inappropriate
to carry out training which does not relate to future organisational needs,
particularly today, when resources for training are becoming more limited. Staff
development commits money and time and it is therefore necessary to consider
the impact of employees' release from work and the level of finance needed
to support staff development activity.
When designing a programme for interpersonal skills training for librarians
and information workers in my organisation I would not opt for external courses
carried out away from the work area, which I believe would be unnecessarily
expensive. Instead, I would arrange for most of the training to take place within
the organisation except in a very few special circumstances when staff would
be required to go for externally organised courses.
I would appoint someone within the organisation to act as the training manager
and to run the interpersonal skills training programme. Cronin and Martin[3]
recommend that such a person need not be a professional psychologist as long
as the chosen individual is a competent group manager, with a high degree
of enthusiasm and commitment, a thorough understanding of the rationale behind
social skills training, a familiarity with the methods and techniques involved,
and a manifest competence in the area of social skills generally.
The training manager's role will not just be that of an administrator of courses
or a teacher of specific skills, but s/he will also enable people at all levels in
the organisation to meet together, share information and experience and enhance
their abilities to resolve interpersonal problems. Cronin and Martin[3] also
suggest that the training manager needs to perform the following duties:
 • Carry out situational analyses of routine social interactions involving staff, Interpersonal
both professional and non-professional, since these skills are required Skills for
by all staff whatever their academic background or work experience. Librarians
• Identify the principal category of social skills required by library staff
to function successfully in a particular work environment.
• Profile the social skills competence of staff.
• Prepare an introduction for staff to the whole question of social interaction 9
and its practical relevance to librarianship.
• Provide continuous (non-critical) feedback, discuss performance, set
realistic targets and endeavour to sustain motivation.
• Explore the possibility of staff monitoring their own progress and
performance using self-report checklists.
The training manager needs to choose the most appropriate training method
for whatever interpersonal skill is to be learned. However, it will be necessary
for him or her to plan the training very carefully, defining the exact nature of
the interpersonal or social skill to be learned, and stating who will be involved
and what the duration of the training programme will be. The choice of training
method is therefore very important and has to be judged according to the nature
and purpose of the interpersonal skills training programme.
Training Methods
A vast range of training methods can be used to improve the interpersonal skills
of librarians and information workers in an information service setting, some
of which are discussed below.
The Induction Process
According to Webb[4] the induction programme may vary in format from company
to company, but its purpose will be the same — to familiarise the new employee
with:
• The organisation — its different departments and functions.
• The people — putting names to faces and establishing who has
responsibility for what.
• The surroundings — what is where, from the cloakroom to the chairman's
office.
• The job — precisely what the new employee is going to do, why, where
and with whom.
Every new member of staff, irrespective of grade, can benefit from induction
in development of interpersonal skills although the detail and content of a
programme will vary according to the nature of the appointment and the
experience of the appointee.
It is during the induction process that the trainee becomes part of the library
group or information staff socially. At this stage, personal introductions are made
within the department and the new employee will be made to feel part of the
Library Review department as quickly as possible by being given an opportunity to relate to
40,4 others. I have observed in Kenya that some libraries and information organisations
ignore the induction training process for new employees, which I think very
unfortunate, especially as regards the development of interpersonal skills.
In addition to the type of induction process discussed above, it is also important
to arrange a formal induction day whenever there are enough new recruits for
a group programme. This may include all new recruits at whatever level, or
10 may be aimed at certain groups, e.g. new graduate trainees, new managers.
The completion of induction training will, however, not be the end of all training
in interpersonal skills but merely the first step in a training and development
process that will be open ended, or that will go on throughout the individual's
working life in the organisation.

Personal Counselling and Coaching On-the-job

This is a highly individualised type of training. The less experienced member
of the team is made to work closely with either a supervisor or experienced
member of staff when dealing with community groups. The trainee's targets
and objectives are planned and discussed with the trainer and results assessed.
Emphasis is placed on the importance of being part of a professional team and
working with each member of that team to observe good professional behaviour
at work, as well as learning how to carry out specific tasks. On-the-job training
can be particularly effective when introducing a newcomer. Prytherch[5] observes
that this kind of training — sometimes known as "sitting next to Nellie" —
is practised universally in all organisations, either consciously or unconsciously.
In interpersonal skills training in particular, it is very important that skills
are taught effectively to the trainee, and the key element involved here is the
quality of the trainer. In a developing country like Kenya, where there is a
shortage of qualified staff in library and information work, it is common to find
that the trainer or the "unit's expert" do not themselves possess good
interpersonal skills and are not good communicators in the first place. If such
a trainer is left entirely on his or her own, s/he is likely to teach wrong things
and, since it is not easy to monitor and assess the effectiveness of this kind
of training, much damage can be done to the trainee so that his or her training
has a negative effect. It is, therefore, very important to supplement the trainer's
efforts and assist him or her, especially in planning for interpersonal skills training
for new colleagues and also in developing a systematic approach to the training
process.

Job Rotation
To improve the interpersonal skills of librarians and information workers in my
organisation I use job rotation in an attempt to broaden employees' experience,
knowledge and skills. Job rotation enables trainees to work with different groups
and individuals, making it possible for their social interpersonal skills in particular
to be enriched and widened by virtue of the breadth of first-hand experience.
Where the range of tasks to be undertaken includes much that is boring and
repetitious, job rotation can also introduce more variety and interest in
interpersonal skills training, and in the work situation in general.
 Job rotation as a method of training in interpersonal skills, however, suffers Interpersonal
from certain limitations. In practical terms, movement around a widely dispersed Skills for
system can create problems of travel and good time-keeping. In Kenya for Librarians
example, the University of Nairobi Librarian encounters a lot of problems when
arranging this kind of training for his library staff. Trainees are asked to move
to Kabete or Kikuyu Campus Libraries which are more than 20 kilometres away
from the main University Campus Library and from their residential areas. This
creates many problems for staff involved in job rotation training, especially as 11
public transport in and around Nairobi is not very reliable.

Interviews
The interview exists as a mechanism through which formal structured
communication concerning a particular problem can take place, with the objective
of solving that problem. Communication in interviews is two-way, with information
being given and sought by both parties — one party assuming the role of
interviewer, the other the role of interviewee.
Interviews are conducted according to various social rules, depending on the
type of interview. However, there are two underlying principles which apply
in all types of interview. The first relates to preparation and the second to good
manners. Participants need to be able to listen to each other patiently and
objectively to exercise tact and discretion, and make decisions based on fact
rather than opinion.
Role-playing interviews in particular may enable individuals to acquire the
appropriate interpersonal skills required in their everyday work. The appraisal
interview is also very important as it provides a vehicle for two-way feedback
which could contribute as much as to the development of the information service
as to that of the individual whose performance is being reviewed. The appraisal
interview also forms the basis for constructive staff relationships. A broad range
of interpersonal, communication and organisational skills (in other words, those
skills which make up the ability to manage people) are needed in interviews,
and these are also the key skills in successful and effective interpersonal
interaction throughout the organisation.

Developing Interactive Skills (DIS) Method

As the title implies, the overall objective of this training method is to develop
interactive skills. Individuals are put into groups of six to eight people and
provided with a succession of tasks which they are expected to plan and perform
within a given time limit. The trainer's role is to help the group to reach an
awareness of how their capacity to co-operate effectively is the principal limitation
of their performance.
As a first step in studying and attempting to control the behaviour of training
groups, a means of recording and categorising behaviour is devised which is
both appropriate to the needs of the training and intelligible to the participants.
This is based upon the key activities of "giving behaviours" compared to
"seeking behaviours". The behaviour analysis system provides a means for
collecting information which is processed and interpreted by the research staff
Library Review before being fed back to members by the trainers. Each individual is discussed
40,4 by the trainers, paying particular attention to behaviour inhibiting effective group
performance. The training groups are then reconvened by their trainers and
given group and individual feedback on behaviour patterns and performance,
with suggestions about areas where members could change or improve their
performance. Participants are then encouraged to experiment with different
behaviour problems and to monitor their performance by periodically examining
12 behaviour analysis results.
In an attempt to make the group situation more relevant to all individuals
at all times, the concept of mixing groups throughout the course is developed.
Using behaviour analysis information, groups are reconstituted periodically so
that group activities and problems become more relevant to individual needs
within each group. By using groups on the basis of total contribution levels,
for example by putting together all low contributors in one group, predictable
changes in individual contribution levels take place within that group.
However, the problem with this kind of training method is that it can conflict
with organisational values in certain areas. Course members' assessment of
the relevance of the training to their jobs, for example, usually shows a
corresponding result, with members from these areas tending to give lower
ratings for relevance.
Most of the formal evaluation in this training programme is concerned with
measuring changes in trainees' behaviour within the training situation. However,
an evaluation of post-training changes in behaviour carried out by Rackham and
Morgan[6] revealed that this training method usually greatly improves skills
in handling people, and it has certainly improved the interpersonal skills of
librarians and information workers in my own organisation.

Laboratory Training — the "T-Group"

A major device for learning is the "T-Group". Such a group usually consists
of six to twelve individuals who meet regularly in the presence of a skilled trainer
for a number of sessions. These meetings may take place over days, weeks
or even months.
The essential feature of the T-Group is that it has no specific agenda, no
definite structure or organisation and no agreed procedures. The task of the
group, initially, is tofillthe vacuum created by the lack of these familiar elements,
and to study the way members behave as the group develops. Attention is
focused on the here and now situation and an environment is created in which
the participants may change both behaviour and attitudes by means of increased
emotional and intellectual awareness. The training is not structured in a
conventional manner. Opportunities are provided for individuals to decide what
they want to talk about, what kinds of problems they wish to deal with, and
what means they want to use in reaching their goals. No one tells them what
they ought to talk about.
As group members concern themselves with the problems caused by the
lack of direction, they begin to act in characteristic ways: some people remain
silent, some are aggressive, some tend consistently to initiate discussions, and
some attempt to structure the proceedings in other ways. With the aid of a Interpersonal
staff member, these approaches can become focal points for discussion and Skills for
analysis. The staff member or trainer draws attention to the events and behaviour Librarians
in the group by occasional interventions in the form of tentative interpretations
which s/he considers will provide useful data for study.
The trainer in a T-group has a vital role to play and the group's effectiveness
will depend to a great extent on the skill and experience he or she possesses.
The trainer should avoid a leadership role in favour of a non-directive, assisting 13
position. S/he attempts to help members to learn from an examination of their
own behaviour in the group situation and will continually encourage attention
to be focused on personal emotions and group dynamics. S/he will try to promote
objective, non-evaluative communication between members of the group. This
feedback, which is an essential aspect of the T-group when it is received in
a non-defensive manner, helps the participant to emerge from training with a
greater self-insight and sensitivity, a fuller understanding of and ability to deal
with interpersonal situations, and an increased ability to give and receive frank
and unrestricted communication, and to work with others in an atmosphere
of trust.
The goals are therefore learning about the self, the self in relation to others,
group and inter-group phenomena and larger dimensions of organisations and
communities. The problem with the laboratory training method is that, since
it takes six to twelve people to constitute a T-group, normal services would
be interfered with, especially in small libraries and information departments
where there may not be a very large staff. For example, it would be very difficult
to arrange for this training method in most Kenyan libraries which usually have
about ten members of staff.

Coverdale Training
This is an approach which, built upon group training, was developed by Ralph
Coverdale[7], an industrial psychologist who devised his own methods of planned
behaviour improvement.
The method is essentially a form of personal self-development through
concentrating on teamwork. For five days at a stretch, the participants spend
most of their time in syndicates. They are encouraged to discipline themselves
to achieve a set task within a set time, with a "coach" feeding in the tuition,
for instance about the expediency of adopting a systematic approach. Being
systematic in setting objectives, gathering information, planning action and review
is the cornerstone of the approach.
The techniques are designed to provide a system whereby people can learn
from actual experience rather than listening to lectures, and thus develop skills
in putting their knowledge to practical use, particularly those social skills which
are relevant to co-operation with other people. This training method is quite
suitable in library and information departments where there is a well qualified
trainer who is capable of devising a systematic approach to setting objectives
and establishing an overall purpose; without such a person there would be
problems in administering it.
Library Review Role Playing and Role Negotiation
40,4 Role playing, as a training method, was developed in the 1930s. Participants
act out a particular role, which is structured to a certain extent but which allows
for the spontaneous development of responses. The technique is often used
to examine interpersonal relationships or change attitudes. The success or
otherwise of role-playing exercises will depend on the willingness of participants
to live through the role and to act in a convincing fashion. Traditionally, it is
14 expected that role playing in interviewing will involve someone playing a hard
uncomprising personality — a role which perhaps does not come easily to the
typical librarian of popular imagination.
Harrison[8] has indicated that it is possible to improve interpersonal
relationships through structured negotiations. His approach is to encourage
people to bring out into the open the things they feel the other person should
do more of, do less of, or keep doing. Though the approach is structured, it
nevertheless deals with real issues. Harrison[8] calls the approach "Role
Negotiation" and it is designed so that people can begin to openly negotiate
the behaviour they would like to see from others. It is a two-way exchange
and provides a basis for improving problem solving within relationships. As
Harrison says, resolving conflict successfully at the interpersonal level can only
be done by first tackling the ever-present issue of power and influence among
members. Role negotiation does this and provides a sound and effective base
upon which to build more satisfying relationships.
Role negotiation is an interesting approach, but more research is needed to
identify what effect it does have and how such a method can be used. However,
it again represents a way in which training can be used as a practical tool to
help solve organisation differences and problems.

Confrontation Meeting
One of the most widely known approaches is Beckhard's "confrontation
meeting"[9]. He developed this approach to enable a large number of people
in an organisation to meet for a period of about one day to discuss major areas
for improvement and to work on a strategy for action. A typical approach is
to start at 9 o'clock in the morning and the stages identified by Beckhard[9]
are as follows:
• Climate setting — where the top manager outlines the purpose of the
meeting, and sets the scene so that people can participate.
• Gathering information — participants are asked to work in groups and
identify the key issues which need to be tackled if organisational
improvement is to occur.
• Information sharing — information is then shared, usually by placing the
data on wall charts.
• Priority setting and planning — the action required to improve the areas
identified to be considered.
• Organisation planning — top management indicates how they feel
priorities should be put into action in the executive system.
 • Follow up — top management indicates how the ideas developed will Interpersonal
in fact be implemented. Skills for
This is a very quick way to enable a number of people to understand the problems Librarians
of the organisation, particularly those related to social behaviour, and to become
committed to doing something about it.
Value Clarification 15
Our characteristics as human beings influence our values, which represent our
own personal morality. Values may often be based on how we generally regard
the human person. Values do affect our interpersonal dealings and professional
efforts and sometimes they are a rival to logic, for decisions may be based on
values rather than on strictly objective data.
Training sessions where staff have values clarified may help change their
negative views about racial minorities, the economically deprived, the
handicapped, and those from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. However,
the problem with this training method is that it is very difficult to change people's
values, just as it is difficult to change their attitudes and habits.
Sessional Observations and Self-Instruction
In many cases we learn a new skill from a combination of instruction and
observation. Eventually, we are instructed by someone else, then we repeat
the process giving instructions to ourselves, and finally we complete the activity
"automatically" without consciously thinking of the instructions. We can apply
a similar process of observation, instruction, self-instruction, and automatic
ability to the learning of interpersonal skills as well.
Observation plays a very important role in all learning situations. Any learner
meeting a new situation opens her/himself up to it, tries to take in and senses
everything s/he can about it, thinks about it, grapples with it boldly, imaginatively
and resourcefully, and if s/he fails to master it, looks without shame or fear
at the mistake and learns what s/he can from it.
However, the training manager should not just remain passive and expect
staff to observe and learn good interpersonal skills. S/he has to bear in mind
the fact that people learn best when they are interested in what they are learning.
Where there is no satisfaction to reward performance there is little interest;
where there is little interest both learning and performance are poor. The learner
should be involved in the learning process and should be shown how learning
objectives are related — how one thing leads to another. S/he should be able
to build on what is already known, in such a way that the next step becomes
a challenge rather than a threat.

Videos and Films

Many standard films, television programmes, audio-visual or textual material
may be recorded on video disc and played on a television screen. Video can
therefore be used in interpersonal skills training and, of course, in many other
types of training as well.
Library Review The manual frame access feature of the video disc enables trainees to view
40,4 a demonstration of an interpersonal or social skill first in normal motion, then
in various degrees of slow motion to see the critical attributes. Video discs
therefore increase the quality and/or decrease the costs of training. If necessary,
trainees may stop on a single frame and view the frozen motion for as long
as they wish, or they can examine a series of frames one at a time. Research
has shown that repetition of a demonstration can improve the learning of skills.
16 At a higher level of capability, it is possible to merge the unique capabilities
of the book, television and the computer into one integrated mediumforvideo
information presentation. This makes it possible for the larger memory of the
microcomputer to be used to store a large number of trainees' programmes
and their response data.
One of the most exciting applications implemented at this level is interactive
simulations. Simulations allow the representation of a complex real phenomenon
or system by a simplified but realistic model.
Video disc and computer programs could be prepared for on-the-job training
in interpersonal skills. Through interactive computer programs trainees are able
to manipulate various aspects of the model and determine the consequences
of such manipulations. Manipulation of real phenomena is usually expensive
and time consuming but, through simulations, this may be reduced markedly.
Speeding up or compressing time simulations allows trainees to view and
manipulate phenomena which may occur too quickly or too slowly in the real
world; time compression also allows trainees to manipulate several variables
and see their effects in a very short period, which would be impossible in real
time.
The sophistication and realism of simulations can be greatly increased through
the integration of the visual and sound capabilities of the video disc and the
processing and dynamic graphics capabilities of the microcomputer.
The major problem with videos for teaching interpersonal skills is that though
technical features are excellent, trainers and trainees have little experience of
them, and no knowledge of how to use them. In fact, interactive programmes
(those that challenge the viewer to answer questions and to show mastery of
a subject) scarcely exist outside experimental production centres.

The Transfer of Learning Problem

It is very important that, whatever interpersonal skills are learned by any of
the training methods discussed previously, they be transferred to the work
situation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
In a research programme on the effect of management training, for example,
Vandenput[10] found there are several factors which inhibit individuals from
transferring their learning from the training situation to the work situation —
and I believe the factors stated below apply to the transfer of interpersonal skills
as well.
• Ineffective relations between the trainee and other groups or units in
the organisation.
• Ineffective influence-making relations, making it difficult for the trainee
to influence other people.
 • Other people's rigidity and conservatism in the organisation. Interpersonal
• Inappropriate organisational structures. Skills for
• Ineffective relations between the trainee and his or her superiors. Librarians
• The organisation's environment acting upon the trainee.
• The working conditions surrounding the trainee's job.
• The lack of (perceived) relevance of the training for the trainee's work. 17
It is clear also from his research that the factors encouraging people to apply
their learning are:
• A job giving an opportunity for teamwork.
• Support from an innovation-minded staff group.
• Top-level support for training.
• High wage rates.
• Openness between people.
• A situation where the trained person is seen as more valuable by his
or her boss.

Why Interpersonal Skills are Important in Managing Information

Organisations.
Interpersonal skills are very important in managing an information organisation.
As discussed in the second part of the introduction to this article, information
work is a people-directed profession involving social and communicative
interactions in which interpersonal skills play a very important role.
Interpersonal skills lead to great organisational development. Beckhard[ll]
defines organisational development as a planned, organisation-wide effort,
managed from the top to increase organisational effectiveness and health through
planned interventions in the organisation's processes using behavioural science
knowledge. There is a basic assumption that, if people can share information
and learn how to use it in an interpersonal as well as technical way, then work
will be done more effectively. Clearly, therefore, organisation development is
a process of influence and, in this, interpersonal skills training has a major role
to play.
Interpersonal skills lead to better customer care. Developing social and
communicative skills through interpersonal skills training makes it possible to
have library or information department staff who are welcoming, approachable,
helpful and able to serve their customers with a smile and to communicate
effectively with them, leaving customers satisfied and encouraged to come back
again in case of any future need for the information service.
In many organisations conflict underlies or accompanies much human
interaction; some degree of it is typical. However, in severe cases it destroys
successful interaction. Interpersonal skills help to reduce unnecessary conflicts
in an organisation. An individual with good social skills, self-respect and sense
of dignity will have respect for the rights of others. S/he will not only trust
his or her own nature, but will recognise the trustworthiness of all human nature.
Library Review In some information organisations, customers come from a vast range of social,
40,4 educational and economic backgrounds. Only interpersonal skills can enable
information workers in such organisations to become competent to deal with
special groups, for example racial minorities, the handicapped, the economically
deprived etc. Social skills training not only leads to an increase in social
confidence and competence, but also to an increase in an individual's ability
to "diagnose" the needs of clients. Information workers become better able
18 to function socially, thereby leading to greater job satisfaction and improved
client relations.
When individuals in an information organisation possess good interpersonal
skills they are more likely to be united and to co-operate with one another,
creating a team spirit in the performance of their duties. Since "unity is
strength", they will be better able to offer good information services to their
clients.
Training in interpersonal skills allows the most expensive resource of the
organisation, the staff, to become and remain cost effective through their ability
to exploit and present available information to clients in the best way possible,
and thereby improve the quality of service. Interpersonal skills aid management
staff to recruit staff through interviewing. The skills help them to get the best
out of the employment interviews, and are also central to effective staff
management in which the performance review or appraisal interview plays a
considerable part. Good interpersonal skills help to improve the communication
process within the organisation, and this has several advantages — for example,
in breaking down barriers which may otherwise exist and which separate various
individuals thus preventing them from creating the team spirit discussed above.
Meetings usually play a very important role in the management of
organisations. In some meetings staff may be required to negotiate or justify
expenditure and budgets to a committee and so forth. This requires considerable
powers of communication and persuasion with a great degree of diplomacy. Such
powers cannot be developed without good training in interpersonal skills. It
is only through the possession of such skills that an individual will be able to
understand and respond effectively; or, in other words, will be able to develop
conversation control, and therefore become more competent in meetings of
any kind.
The quality and usefulness of a library or information service is not just a
reflection of the material available, or the way in which it is arranged. To the
user, the initial response to a request for information, the manner in which
the information is sought, and thefinalpresentation of the results are the criteria
by which the service or the entire library or information department is measured.
The staff represent the service, and act as the key to its potential. It is therefore
very important that they should possess good social and communicative skills
to redefine and project a good image of their library or information unit.

Conclusion
It is most unfortunate that interpersonal skills training does not receive the
attention it deserves, both in library and information schools and in libraries
and information service organisations. Perhaps the reason for this is that social Interpersonal
skills training programmes are sometimes mistakenly equated with group therapy Skills for
and viewed with suspicion. Librarians
It is, however, important for the parties concerned to realise that social skills
training is not an attempt to change or shape an individual's personality, nor
is it an attempt to take away the individuality of the professionals; rather, it
is a straightforward behaviour strategy designed to make individuals better able
to function socially. 19
I therefore strongly recommend that all library and information studies schools
should include interpersonal skills in their curriculum, and that every employer
should provide open-ended training in interpersonal skills for his or her staff,
using some of the several training methods discussed in this article.

References
1. Argyle, M., The Psychology of Interpersonal Behaviour, Penguin, 1978.
2. Cowley, J., Personnel Management in Libraries, Clive Bingley, London, 1982.
3. Cronin, B. and Martin, I., "Social Skills Training in Librarianship'', Journal ofLibrarianship,
Vol. 15 No. 2, 1983.
4. Webb, S.P., Personnel Development in Information Work, Aslib, London, 1986.
5. Prytherch, R.(Ed.), Staff Training in Libraries, Gower, Hants, 1986.
6. Rackham, N. and Morgan, T., Behaviour Analysis in Training, McGraw-Hill, New York,
1976.
7. Coverdale, R., Thought — A Frame for Teamwork Training Partnerships, London, 1968.
8. Harrison, R., "Where Power Conflicts Trigger Team Spirit", European Business, 1972.
9. Beckhard, R., "The Confrontation Meeting", Harvard Business Review, Vol. 45 No. 2, 1967.
10. Vandenput, M., "The Transfer of Training", Journal of European Training, Vol. 3 No.
3, 1973.
11. Beckhard, R., Organisation Development: Strategies and Models, Addison Wesley, 1969.

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