Movers and Shakers

An article in Library Journal was recently published about informational professionals that were doing innovative things and has dubbed them "Movers and shakers". One such person is Michael Sullivan. He appears to be doing it all and he does have some different points of view (theories) about how he manages his organizations. He is a library director, storyteller, competitive chess player, poet, speaker, author, and former children's librarian who continues to work with the kids in his community. Mr. Sullivan operates at all levels in his organizations from top management (strategic decision making) to middle management (internal structural arrangements) to lower level management (day to day operational activities.)
When he began his library career at 23 years of age, he did not have any formal training and lacked the MLS degree. He was in charge of running a small library that was in dire straits. The library board figured he couldn't do any more harm then had already been done. This is where he used the trial and error decision making process. He made some unorthodox decisions that ended up working. After that he went and got his MLS. He states that he still likes taking risks.
Now, I wonder if he has had a class in organization theory and is using the rational decision-making process in his organizations. If he is, he will find himself moving cautiously with a succession of limited small decisions that fit together over time into a full soluction or plan of action. Actually, I cannot see him doing that. What I think he probably won't use is the action rationality for organizational decision making. This is a theory using postive expectations of motivation and commitment. Analyzing a few alternatives (only those that have a good chance of being accepted) and considering only the positive consequences of the favored alternative.
He still is a risk taker and now he has generated controversy because he believes that librarians have missed the bus in terms of what the customer really wants. We, as librarians, tend to think of what the customer needs not what he wants and that is why the Internet has become so popular. People look upon it as a communications tool, while we look at it as a reference tool. He states that the library needs to be seen as a community center and gathering place.
What all of this makes me wonder about is that with all the different theories we have been learning about does it comes down to this? No matter what type of decision making process you use for your organization, you need to put the desires of the customer first and be willing to take risks.
What do you think?
Joy