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Editor’s Column: Applying Machiavellian Ideas on Leadership to Libraries

Michael Lorenzen

In the early 16th Century, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince.  In this work, he gave advice to the rulers of Renaissance Italy on how to successfully use power to be great leaders.  The book was well received and in the following five centuries it has been examined and analyzed by philosophers, military men, politicians, and businessmen.  A recent interpretation of Machiavelli was written by Ledeen (1999) in which the author showed how Machiavelli is relevant in the modern world in a variety of settings.

Does Machiavellian Theory Fit Library Leadership?

Not surprisingly, the ideas that Machiavelli argued for can also be applied to leading libraries.  Whether this should be done is another question but clearly Machiavellian ideas can be used in library settings.  As most library managers know, library staff do not fit the stereotypes that patrons ascribe to them.  Wrote Lorenzen (2006), “Despite the neatly organized collections of books in the pleasant building with nicely attired library staff ready to help patrons, conflict is occurring on a daily basis.  There are many sources of conflict including disputes between staff and management, between the library and vendors, between patrons, between patrons and staff, etc.  The library manager is repeatedly required to address concerns that are both serious and minor" (p. 22).

Two library writers have noted the applicability of Machiavelli to libraries.  Maxwell (1992) wrote about how Machiavelli could be used to describe acquisitions librarianship.  She noted that acquisition librarians had to balance four different roles and that by doing one of these roles well it might mean doing another poorly.  She  disclaimed, “Though I am using Machiavelli as my model, that does not mean I am going to suggest murdering the collection development librarian with whom you have had a bad relationship” (p. 113).  But she then follows this up with an understanding of what Machiavelli might have suggested acquisitions librarians do.  She wrote, “I think he would tell us to deal with our problems by spending time reflecting on the power inherent in our position, how that power might be used, and how more power might be gained.  If that sounds harsh and calculating, so be it” (p. 113).
More recently, Forsman (2003) invoked Machiavellian theory as a response to budget cutting.   The author lists ten steps that library leaders can employ when facing money shortfalls.  These include aligning the library with the most powerful figures on campus by placing the library mission inline with stated institutional priorities, making sure that any library budget cut is visible to the people and hurts them in some manner such as reduced hours, and cultivating relationships with the financial folks.   Not all of the listed steps are Machiavellian, but some of them are clearly inspired by how Machiavelli envisioned the use of power.

Ledeen (1999) also makes a strong case for how Machiavelli is relevant to library leadership today.  He wrote, “Machiavelli’s world is populated by people more inclined to do evil than good, whose instincts are distinctly antisocial.  These are your followers and bosses, colleagues and employees, and above all, your competitors and enemies” (p. 186).  Any one who has ever worked in a library knows that antisocial behavior occurs amongst library staff and amongst patrons.  Do these people exhibit the same behaviors that Machiavelli described?  Even though these people are operating in a library, the answer is yes.  As such, it is easy to see how it would be beneficial for library leaders to study Machiavelli.

Basic Machiavellian Concepts

Machiavellian philosophy is complex as Machiavelli covered a lot of ground in The Prince.   Despite this, it is possible to pick up on several important themes in the writing.  These themes as noted by Ledeen (1999) include change and readiness, luck, politics, leadership, and the nature of freedom.   There is also a theme dealing with morality that can be called entering into evil.  All of these themes have some application for library leaders.

Change is constant and Machiavelli believed that leaders would have to react to this fact.  Every victory is followed by new challenges as new enemies emerge to try and grab power.  If a leader wins a war, he must immediately get ready to fight the next war.  Complacency or a belief that major problems have been solved will result in the leader falling.  Further, failing to prepare for the next war may actually make that war occur even sooner as enemies sense the weakness.

Library leaders should understand at least that the world is changing. The way in which libraries have operated has been altered dramatically in the last several decades.  For centuries, the basic operational structure of libraries remained unchanged.  However, the advent of the World Wide Web and the shift of information resources to electronic format has resulted in a revolution in the ways that libraries are operated   This change in the information distribution has been compared (Lorenzen, 2003) to the alteration of the publishing industry by the invention of the Guttenberg Press.   As these changes continue, library leaders must be ready to embrace continued change or become irrelevant.  In this reality, complacency will lead at least to the end of a leader’s reign or worst to the death of a library organization.

This is also true internally in a library where library employees, by a variety of methods, are constantly attempting to grab power.  This is done at the expense of other library staff and sometimes at the expense of the administration.  Fights over resources, positions, and policies can all be seen in this light as employees jockey to improve the standing or themselves or their respective departments.  When it appears that some victory has been achieved by the library administration (perhaps via a staff reorganization, personnel changes, grievance victory, etc.), it is important for library leaders to remain on guard and prepare for the next challenge.  If there is complacency, problems will almost certainly arise again as the process begins anew in the library.

Luck is another important theme that Machiavelli touches upon.  No matter how well plans are laid out, fortune can strike and destroy everything.  Fortune can also come through and give victory when defeat seemed certain.  Examples include bad weather which closes a library an hour before a fire destroyed it,  a stock not discarded by a library board due to faulty communication equipment (winning or losing a fortune in the process), and a stray bullet from the street that ricochets off a wall killing a child in a library.

Despite this recognition of the whims of fate, Machiavelli does not advocate waiting for it to hit.  People are not helpless in the face of good or bad luck.  Ledeen (1999) wrote, “But Machiavelli is adamant that you should not be fatalistic.  First, luck favors the intrepid, and if you master the game and pursue the proper goals with all your powers, you are more likely to gain the support of fortune than is the lazy lout who just waits for something good to happen” (p. 51).  Library leader’s need to know what is happening in their environment and plan many contingencies so that they are less at the mercy of fate.

Politics is another theme that Machiavelli writes a great deal about.  To many, this is probably the topic for which Machiavelli is best known.  In many ways, what he writes about politics echoes what he wrote about change.  He believes that people will not normally do the right thing.  People will naturally seek to do what is best for them even if this does not benefit the country or organization as a whole.  Leaders must compel people to do the right things.  And this takes a lot of hard work from a leader.  Failure to take this fact into account will result in the leader falling to others who are looking out for their own best interests.

This is a very important insight for library leaders.   No matter how good a library staff is, the leader must constantly pay attention to what the staff is doing.  Even with the best of intentions, staff members will individually and collectively seek to advance their own agendas and look to their own needs.  The leader must continually put the good of the library ahead of the good of individuals and departments.  This must be done by compelling the library staff to do the right thing.  If this is not done, the leader will eventually fall.

Another theme that Machiavelli explored was how leaders should rule.  Ledeen (1999) gave this concept the second largest chapter in his book.  Wrote Ledeen, “The usual Machiavellian paradox: compulsion – or necessity, as he terms it – makes men noble, and enables them to remain free, while abundant choice is dangerous, leads to chaos, and leaves men at the mercy of their enemies”  (p. 112, 113.)

The best way to get people to do the right thing in the face of this statement is strong discipline.  Negative actions must be quickly and publicly punished.  Positive actions must be quickly and openly rewarded.  Machiavelli notes three tools of discipline which include arms, laws, and religion.  At the same time, the leader must also be free of corruption.  The people should be able to see their leader as a person of virtue as he imposes discipline.  Ledeen noted, “Both virtue and corruption flow from the top down” (p. 155).

Again, this would appear to have some relevance for the library.   Staff members without clear goals are more likely to get into trouble.  The leader must limit the choices of library staff and present them with a common goal.  Discipline is then needed to enforce these goals.  Laws can be seen as the policies that a library develops.  Arms can be seen as the ability of a library leader’s ability to enforce these policies. Clearly, the library leader must also lead in a way that appears to be free of corruption so that virtuous ideals flow through the library.

Another Machiavellian theme that Ledeen (1999) explores is freedom.  Despite what might be assumed by most about Machiavelli, he valued freedom.  However, he believed that it was difficult, if not impossible, for a people to remain free without strong rulers.  Hence, leaders must be quick to enforce discipline to allow the people to remain free.  Virtuous dictators who look out for the common good help the people remain free while weak leaders who seek consensus rather than discipline, ultimately fail and lead their followers to a loss of freedom.

If a leader allows his people to act freely within certain guidelines, everyone will benefit as the collective knowledge and experience of all can be brought to bear for the common good.  However, in cultures that have had little freedom, this might be hard to implement.  Ledeen (1999) noted, “But no matter how strong the old traditions of liberty, it is hard for people to learn to make their own decisions after they have become accustomed to act only when directed to do so”  (p. 146, 147).

It is easy to see how this can be applied to a library.  While a leader must maintain order by keeping staff directed towards a common goal, he can also get the best out of a staff by allowing them freedom.  As long as their actions are advancing towards the agreed upon goal, the leader should allow them the freedom to get there as skills allow.  The collective experience of a staff will probably help a library reach its goals faster than if the leader micromanages every aspect of staff action.

Further, a new library leader will have to assess the ability of a library staff to act freely in working towards the goals of the library.  If a staff is used to dealing with a dictatorial power structure, they may not know how to make choices.  They will not trust the new library leader and it will be difficult to get staff members to take chances.  Conversely, if a staff has had a freer environment, it will be easier for the leader to get significant contributions from library staff.

Entering into Evil

Perhaps the most powerful theme that Machiavelli postulates is the concept of entering into evil.  In fact, it can be argued that it is the cusp of Machiavellian though set forth in The Prince.  It also is an idea fraught with moral peril, which frightens off many from Machiavelli’s message.   At times, a leader must commit evil acts for the common good.  Further, failing to do this will actually result in a greater evil.

This is a controversial idea.  It is one that many today and in the past could not accept.  Machiavelli recognized this and thought it was why it was difficult to find good leaders.  Ledeen (1999) wrote in summary,   “The problem is to find a suitable leader, a good man willing to enter into evil to accomplish good ends.  Such men are in short supply; good men shy from evil, and evil men are not interested in good ends” (p. 178).

A good modern example of entering into evil is the case of President Harry Truman and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Truman knew that dropping the atomic bomb on these cities would kill hundreds of thousands of non-combatants including children.  Based on the heavy causalities on Iwo Jima and Okinawa (coupled with Kamikaze planes), he also knew that a continuation of the war with an invasion of Japan would cost an estimated one million allied causalities plus countless more Japanese.  With this in mind, Truman entered into evil and ordered the bombs to be dropped.  By doing so, he created a greater good as Japan surrendered and the Second World War ended.

Machiavelli also believed that once evil is entered into, the leader must exit it as quickly as possible.  As noted before, leaders are to be moral and virtuous figures.  They must only enter into evil when necessary to advance the greater good and then leave evil behind.  President Truman did this as well.  He promptly sat about the task of rebuilding Japan, feeding starving children, and reconstructing the Japanese government into a peaceful democracy.

How does one enter into evil in a library as a leader?  Should it be done?  If one wants to apply Machiavelli in a library setting, it would be hard to ignore this concept as it is so central to The Prince.  Clearly, much of the evil that Machiavelli envisioned (murder, war, imprisonment, torture, etc.) are not options for library leaders.  As such, this has to be looked at a little more metaphorically.  What would constitute entering into evil for a library leader who obeyed all the laws at the same time?

One example might be to terminate a disruptive employee by not renewing a contract or denying tenure.  If the employee was productive and did a good job, it would be unfair (and hence an act of entering into evil) to remove him from his job for being disruptive.  However, if the removal restores harmony to the library, it may well be justified.  Another evil act that might be justified for the greater good is to lie to a vendor who is peddling an expensive product that is needed.  The library leader can lie and claim that he will not purchase the product unless the price is lowered substantially even if he intends to purchase the product regardless of price.

Entering into evil is fraught with peril.  The library leader should only do so in a manner that is careful and reflective.  A good phrase might be as Kierkegaard called “fear and trembling.”  And once the library leader is in the presence of evil, he must leave it as soon as he can.  Determining what is an evil act in a library, and when it should be contemplated for the greater good, it is a tricky matter but one that every library leader will have to face repeatedly in a career.

Conclusion

Machiavelli is still relevant today.  Although five centuries have past since it was written, The Prince remains a well regarded work of literature that contains practical advice.  Machiavelli has been misunderstood by many. As such, many attribute negative connotations to his management advice.  Despite this, Machiavelli has a lot to offer library leaders who are willing to place the advice into the context of modern library management.

References

Forsman, R. B. (2003).  Machiavelli and me: Strategies for sidestepping the budget axe during  tough times. Colorado libraries, 29(3), 9-11.

Kierkegaard, S. (1954). Fear and trembling. Garden City, New York: Doubleday.

Ledeen, M. A. (1999).  Machiavelli on modern leadership. New York:  St. Martin’s Press.

Lorenzen, M. (2003). Teaching and learning on the Web. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(1), 3.

Lorenzen, M. (2006).  Strategic planning for academic library instructional programming. Illinois Libraries 86(2): 22-29.

Machiavelli, N. (1964). The Prince. New York: St. Martin Press.

Maxwell, J. (1992). Whether it is better to be loved or feared: Acquisitions librarianship as Machiavelli might have described it. Library acquisitions, 16(2), 113-17.

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