The Influence of Organizational Culture
According to Ruben and De Lisi (2017), the two largest employee groups within the higher education profession are the staff/administrators and the faculty, and each represent a distinct cultural group. Both groups are vital to the academic institution, since they are routinely involved with leadership in planning and decision-making. Differences between the cultures can create challenges for leadership, since cultures and challenges tend to be unique, “including differentiating roles and responsibilities, education and training, incentive and reward structures, and professional backgrounds” (p. 74). Because of this, it is important that leaders understand organizational culture and climate. One’s longevity as a leader will often depend on his or her success at entering and navigating among the many subcultures of higher education.
Instructions
For this assignment, you are placed in a scenario where you have recently been hired as the provost at a local private 4-year liberal arts institution. In preparation for your first meeting with the deans of the multiple degree program areas delivered by the institution, you send out a meeting announcement by way of email, asking for agenda items and requesting confirmation of availability. To your surprise, only a few on the invitation list confirm their availability, and none of them offer agenda items. You find the lackluster response somewhat perplexing and recognize that you will need to plan ahead for how to address it in the upcoming meeting.
In your 3- to 5-page response, begin with a discussion of the type of institution you are the provost of, in terms consistent with the organizational frames identified by Manning (2018). Based on the type of organizational model that you select, please go on to author an informed response to the following questions:
Do you find the limited response from the deans to your email invitation to be problematic? Why or why not? Does the response seem to be a natural extension of the organization’s frame? Do you believe that the classification of the institution (private, 4-year liberal arts) might have an influence on the organization’s culture? In what way?
Considering the prevailing culture of the institution, how might you respond to this situation? What professional characteristics would be important for you to demonstrate in this first meeting? Over time, what strategic actions might you take to help shape the prevailing culture to one that is more consistent with your own expectations as a leader?
In what specific ways can you apply the knowledge you have gained to your higher education career?