Library middle managers operate at the intersection of multiple, often competing expectations. They answer upward to senior leadership, support and guide frontline staff, respond to patron needs, and collaborate with campus or community partners. This constant shifting of focus and priorities and buffering of competing needs creates conditions ripe for cognitive exhaustion, where managers must rapidly toggle between conflicting demands and emotional tones. Over time, the cumulative strain of these rapid pivots contributes to pivot fatigue, an exhaustion born from perpetual change, shifting directives, and the pressure to always remain adaptable.
This presentation will define and introduce the framework of change exhaustion, emotional whiplash, and pivot fatigue, specifically within library middle management roles and discuss their implications for leadership and staff support. In addition, it will explore how organizational structures, expectations, and dysfunction exacerbate these challenges and contribute to the pivot fatigue cycle. The presenters will also share practical tips and coping strategies to support middle managers who find themselves stuck in the pivot fatigue cycle.
