Running head: INFORMATION LITERACY AND THE IMPACT ON LEADERSHIP

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Information Literacy and the Impact on Leadership Marie Brown Mercadel University of Phoenix

INFORMATION LITERACY AND THE IMPACT ON LEADERS

Information Literacy and the Impact on Leadership A review of current literature indicates compelling research exists to guide leaders to produce sound leadership concepts that support employee growth and productivity. The development of best practices that are implemented according to evidenced-based research that has been evaluated and proven to have a solid foundation can enhance an organizations effort to meet their strategic priorities. Leaders must have the ability to retrieve relevant evidence-based information, and conceptualize it to develop practical solutions that meet the current needs in their field. Russell (2009) states that the cultivation methods of the synthesizing mind has been found to overlap most significantly with the objectives of information literacy (p. 93). Information literacy is a critical component for designing and shaping these methods to address the vision, mission, and culture of the organization. Both the scholarly and the practitioner approach to leadership are required to recruit, train, and attract individuals who possess the necessary level of intelligence to help organizations succeed. To be an effective practitioner, leaders must have the ability to cultivate talent and create a culture that supports independent knowledge free of the confines of a top down management structure. To achieve this, a leader must use the opportunity to seek knowledge regarding the latest trends relative to his or her work, analyze this information and execute the correct methods to affect the desired outcomes. An effective leader continues to seek materials and research that supports their work as a scholar. The roles of the practitioner and scholar are symbiotic. Organizations are reliant on the latest data and research to influence policies and make decisions that impact his or her operational paradigm. The fidelity and integrity of current information is constantly changing. The scholar must understand how to separate opinions from proven research when setting standards that determine how guidelines are developed and

INFORMATION LITERACY AND THE IMPACT ON LEADERS

applied. An extensive inquiry is conducted before policies are implemented on a state and national level. Practitioners of public policy set standards and define the process for executing strategies that have implications on how organizations operate. (Yan-Zhong, 2010) states that the information literacy of senior public servants directly decides the results of informatization construction. Information network is not only a platform to serve the public but also a convenient system to understand public opinion, acquire information, and improve decision making (p. 31). This research indicates that the significance of scholarly research cannot be understated, and emphasizes the value of the scholarship, practice, leader model. To synthesize the information needed and to employ concrete strategies to drive the social, economic, environmental, and humanistic progress of the nation, the scholar will need to understand and analyze the concepts of the research. Considering the graying of todays workforce and the infusion of Generation Yers, it is critical that undergraduate and graduate students grasp the value of research that goes beyond the quick searches of Google Scholar. Turusheva, (2009) found that information competence is defined as a skill of searching, evaluating, and using and distributing all kinds of information, which is developed during whole life (p. 127). As society changes and new operational, technological, and scientific advances are discovered, these discoveries can be applied more effectively if the knowledge base is effectively formulated as a result of an understanding and literacy of the information. Todays workforce is composed of individuals with varying degrees of experience, backgrounds and academic credentials. Despite the economic downturn, positions are more fluid and job seekers have the opportunity to work in nontraditional environments through telecommuting, remote access through the Internet, and flexible work schedules. Leaders of successful organizations understand how to work creatively with these individuals to improve

INFORMATION LITERACY AND THE IMPACT ON LEADERS

their bottom line and to create an atmosphere of engaged productive employees. Buckingham and Coffman (1999) state that talented employees will join companies because of leaders, benefits or training programs but the length of time employees remain will depend on their immediate supervisor( p. 11). If employees are to remain engaged and productive, the leaders of the organization must use current researched-based best practices to create a visionary approach to leadership that will ensure their employees understand and support their vision. Badke (2009) offers that 70% or 80% of all students in higher education seek out Google first for every kind of research (p. 2). This is a clear indication that a disconnection exists between the type of scholarly research needed to move organizations forward and the capacity of future leaders to locate, analyze, and synthesize the types of information required for organizations to reach their strategic priorities. The approach to developing competence in information literacy is not complicated. The path to realizing the successful implementation of the practitioner, leader, scholar model will be determined by the goals of the individual. To lend credibility to the role of practitioner, opinion and personal suppositions must be supported by factual documentation that is researched and deemed to be valid by leaders in the field. The ability to synthesize information is a critical skill that is needed for the practitioner, leader, scholar to succeed.

INFORMATION LITERACY AND THE IMPACT ON LEADERS

References

Badke, W. (2009, Jul-Aug). How we failed the net generation. Online, 33(4):47-49. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (1999). First break all the rules. New York, New York: Simon and Shuster.

Russell, P. (2009, June), Why universities need information literacy now more than ever. Online, Vol. 55(3), 92-94. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com Turusheva, L. (2009, March). Students information competence and its importance for life-long education. Problems of Education in the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com

Yan-zhong, LI., (2010). Public administration schools and institutes had better enhance information literacy training for senior public servants. Journal of US-China Public Administration, Volume 7, 31-34. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com