| assignment: Respond to colleague with two additional strategies a leader should apply to address the change presente Reactive Change Reactive change is change initiated in a college or university because it is made necessary by external forces. This type of change is usually beyond the institution’s control. According to Buller (2015), when a leader is confronted with an external threat or crises, it is essential that he or she deals with the threat “in a timely manner, and in a way that is effective, creative, and appropriate” (p. 158). My professional experience with reactive change came when I was a professor at Howard University, a private, historically black, research university in Washington, D.C. Although I did not actively participate in the reactive change management incident highlighted below, I personally observed how the university president responded to an unexpected economic crisis. In 2012-2014, Howard University faced severe financial problems due to federal budget cuts as a result of the new sequestration law which mandated a 5 percent across the board reduction in federal funding. Stuart (2013, p.1) reported that Howard’s $200 million federal appropriations were cut by $2 million in 2013 and by an anticipated $25 million in 2014. In spite of this critical threat to the well-being of the institution, the university president continued his autocratic, hierarchical, top-down leadership style, and did not reach out to the faculty, staff, and other stakeholders for their suggestions on a way forward. In other words, he did not build a culture of innovation to resolve the problem. The president and his executive assistants arbitrarily laid out a budget savings plan that included limited closure of the university during spring break, layoffs and furloughs, reduction of salaries for some faculty and staff, a temporary suspension of contributions to the university’s employee savings plan, a restructuring of the university’s healthcare benefits, elimination of some degree offerings, and a 12 percent increase in undergraduate tuition. At the same time, the university was implementing a series of budget cuts; the president awarded approximately $1 million in bonuses to members of his senior leadership staff. In October 2013, the president was forced to resign by the university board of trustees. Trachtenberg (2013) highlighted the following six themes that may derail a college or university president: (1) ethical lapses, (2) poor interpersonal skills, (3) inability to lead constituencies, (4) difficulty adapting to institutional culture, (5) failure to meet business objectives, and (6) board shortcomings” (p. xi). Proactive Change Proactive change involves the identification and exploitation of opportunities, and in taking preemptory action against potential threats and crises. In order to avoid potential problems before the occur, the institution must identify what is causing the threat, devise a strategy that avoids it, and shift direction to a new, safer course (Buller, 2015). One of my professional experiences with proactive change occurred when I was employed as a professor at Howard University. When I arrived at the university, many colleges and departments of the university had attempted to upgrade the level of technology available to their instructors and students, but there is no master plan or corporate strategy to improve technology on a university-wide basis. Faculty members had the “academic freedom” to use whichever technology vendors they desired. Within the same academic department, there were instances where two professors were teaching sections of the same course, but the technology was not interoperable between the two courses. This piecemeal approach to the technology problem resulted in narrowly focused, conflicting computer programs and virtual courses in various departments, with little interoperability of hardware or software between the various colleges and departments of the university. The challenge for Howard University was to develop and implement an institutional strategy in which technology was used to advance the entire institution’s goals from quality education to efficient, cost-effective delivery of education. The dean of faculty directed me to lead a technology committee made up of representatives from all departments in the college. Our primary goal was to obtain by-in from all university stakeholders in order to develop a comprehensive technology plan. To achieve our goal, I created a culture of innovation in which everyone working on the project felt that their suggestions were considered, and their work was valued and rewarded. The change strategy I used in this undertaking was scenario planning, where members of the technology committee examined the worst-case, the most – likely, and the best-case scenarios. The final technology plan was approved by the dean and faculty senate and forwarded to the university president with a recommendation for implementation. Interactive Change Buller (2015) defines interactive change as, “changes that are needed because of internal rather than external factors” (p. 157). My profession experience with leading interactive change came when I was an adjunct faculty member at a local university. On my first day of classes, I had a meeting with the dean of faculty who made it clear that my job was to teach two courses in Russian Foreign Policy, and not to get involved in faculty governance issues or college politics. After this meeting, the dean accompanied me to my classroom, handed me a copy of the course syllabus, and wished me well in my teaching endeavors. I immediately got the impression that part-time faculty were “invisible” and were not integrated into the academic culture of the institution, in spite of the fact that hiring part-time faculty was advantageous to the college because many of them were experts in their professional fields and brought valuable, practical experience to the classroom. After meeting privately with many of the other adjuncts, I found we all had similar observations about how badly the college treated its adjunct and part-time faculty. There was a general consensus among the adjuncts of dissatisfaction with faculty orientation, mentoring, professional development opportunities, pay, and advancement opportunities at the college. Next, I requested another meeting with the dean to convey the concerns of adjuncts about their shabby treatment at the college. To change this perception, I proposed that the college organize an institution-wide working group comprised of full time faculty, adjuncts, administrators, and students to explore ways to integrate adjuncts fully into the college community. The dean enthusiastically accepted my proposal and obtained the support of the faculty senate and the college president. By collaborating with stakeholders throughout the college, and receiving support and by-in from all college constituencies, the working group developed an adjunct faculty handbook, a one-week adjunct faculty orientation program, a mentoring program for new instructors, and increased opportunities for adjuncts to attend professional development courses. One of the tools used in instituting interactive change at the college concerning the treatment of adjuncts was the strategic compass. Buller (2015) outlined the four steps of the strategic compass as follows: (1) what can we do best, (2) what do our strengths tell us about who we really are; (3) what does this identity say about where we should direct our resources; and how do we develop a culture of innovation that extends but doesn’t alter this identity (Buller, 2015, pp. 123-124). References Buller, J. L. (2015). Change leadership in higher education: A practical guide to academic transformation. San Francisco, Ca: Jossey-Bass. Stuart, R. (2013). Analysis: Howard university heading in harms’s way? Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Retrieved April 6, 2016 from diverseeducation.com/article/54238. Trachtenberg, S. J. (2013). Presidencies derailed: Why university leaders fail and how to prevent it. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. |
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