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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES IN THE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A CASE STUDY

' presented by

EVAN L. MONTAGUE ~

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Ph.D. degree in Educational Adminstration

 

 

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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A CASE STUDY

By

Evan L. Montague

A DISSERTATION
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the degree requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Educational Administration

2004

ABSTRACT

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A CASE STUDY

By
Evan L. Montague

Community colleges are facing a series of critical leadership issues with many
current and potential leaders fast approaching retirement (McClenney, 2001). How do
community colleges develop leadership to meet the challenges ahead? This study focuses
on leadership development and succession planning in a single community college setting
as it relates to the following questions:

1. What processes and practices are used to develop future leaders?

2. What are the tensions between the needs of the individual and the needs of the

organization?

3. What are the challenges of succession planning?

Examination of these questions helps establish what administrative activities
impact leadership development and succession planning. The participant insights
illustrate the need and interest in leadership development planning and practices. The
study also explores how the needs of the larger organization connect or conflict with
those of the individual and reviews the level of formality associated with various
approaches. The research findings mirror many core leadership development and
succession literature themes. Although the participants struggle with the issues presented
in this study, they are able to detail actions with they hope will develop individuals as

leaders and contribute to the long-term strength of the organization.

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this to my spouse, best friend, and strongest supporter, Jennifer.
Her continued support, patience, and love have made all this possible. I would also like
to thank my sons, Ean and Grant, who help me keep all this work, and the really
important things in perspective.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I could not have completed this process without the guidance and support of my
faculty advisor, Dr. Marilyn Amey. Her challenging questions and continued
encouragement helped keep this process out of the realm of “if” and in the focus of
“when” it was going to be completed. I would also like to acknowledge my committee
members for their commitment of time and interest in my study. I would also like to
thank the faculty I have interacted with throughout the program for making this such a
valuable experience.

I have always been a full-time employee first, and a student second. So while I
have been on the scenic route to completing a doctoral program I have been able to work
within a supportive professional environment. I would like to thank my friends,
employers, and valued colleagues who support the ideals of continuing education.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the participants in this study. I can never

thank them enough for their time, interest, and insightful responses for this study.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................... vii
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER 1.

Problem Statement..................... _ _ ....... 1

CHAPTER 2.

Review of the Literature .......................................... -- . - -- ----_3.
Future of Administrative Staffing Needs and Related Leadership Issues ,,,,,, 3
Leadership Development in Educational Settings 5

Leadership development programs. 7
Career paths. _________________ 8
Core competencies.m_ 10
Mentoring; _____ 12
Summary of leadership development in educational settings. ,,,,,,,,,,,, 13

Leadership Development from a Human Resource Frame 14

Succession Planning in Business Settings 16
Common practices._ 16
Challenges. 19
Human resource integration. ______ 20
Career paths. 2]
Summary of business practices, = _ 22

Literature Summary ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 22

CHAPTER 3.

Research Methods ________ = ,,,,,,,,,,,, 24
Organization Structure _____ 28

CHAPTER 4.

Research Findings 32
Case Introduction 32
Central Community College __ 34

Central Community College structure. _____ 35
Career Path _ 37
Career path summary. 43
Leadership Development - Individual Practices 44
Personal leadership development. 45
Core competencies and selection 47
Mentoring ............... 50
Faculty leadership development ,,,,,, 52

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing education and community involvement,“ ________ 57
Summary of leadership development — individual practices ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 58
Leadership Development — Organizational Practices _ 59
Growth assignments and projects. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 61
Interim appointments ............................................. 63
Vacancies and roles. 66
Positional limits and challenges _____ 70
Summary of leadership development— organizational practices ,,,,,, 71
Human Resources Framework __ ,,,,,, 72
Central culture ....................................................................................... 73
Empowerment of staff. ................................... 75
Leadership Succession and the Future .............................................................. 78
Summary... ............................................................................... 81
Chapter 5.
Discussion and Recommendations ............................................................. 83
Dlseusswn of Key F lndlngs ........................................................ 84
Job and task redesign _________________ 87
Growth assignments and empowerment ............................................... 88
Central culture. _ _________ _89
Mentoring . ............................................................................................. 92
Formal and informal education ............................... 93
Core competeneies ..................................................... 94
Career paths ......... 96
F aeulty leadership develOPment .......................................................... 98
Leadership and learning .............................................. 99
Challenges and pressures ......................................... 100
Recommendations for Further Research .................................. 103
Summary ..................................... 105
Appendices ................ 109
Appendix A - Research Questions & Interview Protocol 110
Appendix B — Consent Form 111
Appendlx C Posrt1on Informatlon Quest1onna1re ______ 112
Appendix D — Leadership Development Videos _____ 114
Appendix E — Performance Management System _______ 115
Reference List 121

 

 

vi

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1 - Participant Overview .................................................................................. 38

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure l - Organization Structure - Abbreviated ........................................................ 29

viii

CHAPTER 1.

Problem Statement

Community colleges are facing a series of critical leadership issues. The
estimates are that 45 percent of two-year college presidents will retire in the next six
years and that another 34 percent will retire in the next 7 to 10 years (McClenney, 2001).
Another key concern is that the prospective leaders, community college administrators
one or two levels below the top, are approaching retirement age nearly as fast as the
presidents (Evelyn, 2001). "Thirty-three percent of two-year college presidents estimate
that one fourth or more of their chief administrators will retire in the next five years: 36
percent anticipate that at least one-fourth of their faculty will retire in the next five years
(McClenny, 2001, p. 24)." Amey (1999) indicated that projections for the year 2000
academic workforce present a 40% reduction in senior level faculty due to retirements.
How do community colleges develop leadership prepared to meet the challenges ahead?

At the same time that significant turnover is predicted, the demands on leaders are
increasing. Shults (2001) includes entrepreneurship, an understanding of technology, and
the ability to work with ambiguity as skills needed for new community college leaders.
Other studies have concluded with the need for significant community college
experiences and having status as an “insider” as important factors for success (Cedja,
McKenny, & Burley, 2001). There is concern that all of these issues are coming into
conflict with the predicted out migration of staff from community colleges, causing a
significant leadership gap (AACC, 2001 ). Community colleges as organizations will

need to insure that work continues to take place. There will also be more pressure to

develop individuals as leaders in order to meet those challenges. The question is whether
organizational and individual needs can work in concert given these circumstances.

In order to take a closer look at this question, a single-site case study was
proposed. This research focuses on leadership development and succession planning in
community colleges as they relate to the following questions:

1. What processes and practices are used to develop future leaders?

2. What are the tensions between the needs of the organization and the needs of

the individual?

3. What are the challenges of succession planning?

Examination of these questions helps establish what administrative activities impact
leadership development and succession planning. They also explore how the needs of the
larger organization connect or conflict with those of the individual. Most community
colleges do not have succession and leadership development plans in place but many
have an interest in their development based on struggling to fill positions (Filan, 1999).

A review of administrative practices from a human resources framework will be
considered to examine leadership development and its relationship to succession within a
particular community college setting. This study is a doctoral dissertation and will be
discussed in five chapters which will include: Chapter 1, Problem Statement; Chapter 2,
Review of the Literature; Chapter 3, Research Methods; Chapter 4, Research Findings;

and Chapter 5, Conclusion and Recommendations.

CHAPTER 2.
Review of the Literature
This literature review focuses on the key themes, experiences, and practices used
to prepare administrative leadership in an organization. The first section discusses the
issues with respect to impending retirements and the demands placed on leaders. The next
section discusses leadership development in educational settings. This is followed by a
discussion of organizational approaches using a human resource framework. The final

section reviews succession planning and practices from the business sector.

Future of Administrative Staff'mg Needs & Related Leadership Issues

The future of administrative leadership in community colleges is a key concern
for many within the sector. Community colleges are relatively young institutions and
will be facing increasing pressures over the next few years. The American Association of
Community Colleges (2001) recently completed a national leadership survey. The survey
asked community college presidents some key issues about their status as well as that of
administrative and faculty leadership throughout the organization. One-half of the
community college presidents surveyed planned to retire in the next six years. Thirty-
three percent estimated that one-quarter of their senior administrators will be leaving in
the next five years. Thirty-six percent anticipate that at least one-quarter of their faculty

will retire in the next five years (McClenney, 2001). How are organizations preparing for

these leadership challenges based on retirements of both current and potential
administrative leaders?

In addition to the increased demand for administrative leadership, there has also
been considerable discussion of the changing needs and complexity of leadership within
higher education. Bensimon & Neumann (1993, p.1) stated that, “rapid changes in
technology, information, the labor force, and the economy will require future managers to
exercise leadership in an increasingly turbulent environment.” Altbach (1991) added that
increased demands for accountability, fiscal constraints, and increasingly diverse student
populations place increasing pressure on leadership. He indicated that increases in
enrollment in conjunction with position turnover would turn “surpluses of staff to
shortages”. Rothwell (2000) refers to a comparable “chronic crisis of governance”
occurring within business settings. The skills needed of new community college leaders
include more entrepreneurship, an understanding of technology, and the ability to work
with ambiguity (Shults, 2001). During the 1960’s — 1970’s, there was a community
college opened every six days (Underwood & Hammons, 1999). Many of those who
were there from the foundation are leaving. With projected turnover on this scale, it will
take some time to replace the collective knowledge of those exiting (Evelyn, 2001).

Rothwell (2000) refers to loyalty as a “relic of the past” in the business sector.
Many individuals were displaced in the 1990’s due to lay-offs and restructuring, leaving
corporations with similarly constrained labor pools. Often, those most impacted were the
middle level managers who made up traditional pools for executive positions. This
change has resulted in more pressure to plan for succession. “In the past managers had

the luxury of time, time to groom successors, now the pace of change and complexity of

work does not make this possible (Rothwell, 2000, p.xvii).” The issues of pending
retirements and those looking to move and develop with an organization quickly have
really changed the dynamic of succession planning. Succession planning is an answer;
however, below many a corporation’s top two or three positions, succession planning is
often an informal, haphazard exercise where longevity, luck, and being in the proverbial
right place at the right time are how the process occurs (Cembrowski, 1998).

The need for a “leadership pipeline” as a mechanism to meet these demands in
community colleges is an area that is being discussed (AACC, 2001). Key components
of the “leadership pipeline” include:

I. How to identify potential leaders?

2. How to “grow our own” within institutions?
Community colleges do not control the supply and preparation of their own leaders and
rely on university—based graduate preparation or leadership development programs. This
perhaps may be better stated that community colleges do not adequately plan leadership
development for future succession needs. Bimbaum (1992) indicated that higher
education, including community colleges, has been reluctant to pay serious attention to
developing higher education leaders and that there is little research on the subject. These

issues are further explored and developed in the literature review.

Leadership Development in Educational Settings

It is important to note that there is not much literature on succession planning in
higher education and even less specifically focused on community colleges. When it is

mentioned, it is discussed briefly as a part of, or maybe an overall goal of leadership

development. The existing literature focuses heavily on leadership development as a
method of meeting future organizational needs. For this work, I use leadership
development and succession planning as mutually inclusive terms. Succession planning
is not a frequently used term in higher education. Core themes such as “how to identify
potential leaders, or how to grow your own leaders” (AACC, 2001) are commonalities
for both leadership development and succession planning, and make this shared meaning
appropriate. Of equal import is the notion that leadership development is ofien left to
external activities, or training programs outside of an organization. Other areas of
leadership development focus on career paths or lines to certain executive leadership
roles, such as president or chief academic officer. Lastly, leadership is an area in which
there is a lot written, but the concepts remain abstract (Munitz, 1998). In this section of
the literature review, we examine some of the key leadership development practices and
research in higher education.

A reality within higher education, and specifically the community college sector,
is that many who move into management or administrative positions do so without
formal training (Spangler, 1999). Filan (1999) surveyed academic chairs in community
colleges and found that 70 percent of them were provided no formal training. At the
same time, the literature discusses the need for leaders to foster an organizational culture
that focuses on creating opportunities for faculty, staff and students to learn and grow
(Bragg, 2000). The academic chair role is seen as a logical training ground for the next
generation of college leaders based on playing a crucial role as mid-level administrators
as well as faculty-member advocates. Cejda, McKenney, and Burley (2001) point out

that community colleges should recognize their faculty as a pool for potential CAOs.

“The importance of training chairs in the skills needed for the position is more crucial
now than ever before because of the large scale retirements in the ranks of faculty and

chairs that will occur the next decade” (Filan, 1999, p.48).

Leadership development promms.

There are a considerable number of leadership development programs available
for higher educational professionals. Lindholm (1999) and McDade (1991) provide an
overview of a number of leadership programs presently available for leadership
development in higher education and community colleges. McDade (1991) refers to
developmental experiences such as learning the job, learning the institution, building a
network, and enhancing personal leadership skills as some of the core purposes of
leadership development programming. She goes on to state that, “while some institutions
have long recognized the benefits of providing their own on-campus development
opportunities, the concept is just beginning to spread” (McDade, 1991, p. 50). Most
leadership development activities are provided by national institutes, conferences,
conventions, or related workshops. Some examples include the American Association of
Community Colleges (AACC), the Administrative Leadership Institute (ALS), National
Chairs Academy, and Harvard Institute for Educational Management. The Chairs
Academy is another program designed to develop succession and leadership skills. The
Administrative Leadership Institute embraces approaches similar to those discussed. The
American Council on Education sponsors the ACE Fellows program, which is designed
to develop leadership skills in mid-career faculty and administrators as well as a

Department Chairs program (ACE, 1993). North Carolina State University has a program

designed to develop skills for the community college environment. The program is
structured to provide action-learning or reality-based learning. Mentoring is also a strong
component as well as individualized plans developed for participants. A key theme of all
the programs is collegiality and connecting with peers outside of the organization. Other
methods include graduate preparation programs as a development approach. This is often
an area of criticism or concern regarding both graduate preparation and leader
development programs, in that community colleges rely on institutions or organizations

outside of their control to provide future leaders (AACC, 2001).

Career paths.

Career paths are often discussed as another approach to look at leadership
development through a progression of positions. The role of faculty chair was discussed
throughout the literature as one where little leadership development or training is
provided and yet, it is a common stop on the career path to executive leadership positions
such as president and chief academic officer. Lindholm (1999) discusses the need for
training programs for chairs. Despite their experience in overseeing daily operations and
the generally high levels of responsibility they hold for decision- making, more than three
fourths do not advance to high level administrative posts. The study did not make
mention that many individuals may not want to move in to administrative roles. While
much attention has been dedicated to the personal characteristics and professional
abilities that are associated with effective department chair leadership, there has been
surprisingly little from a training and development perspective. This may be because the

training process is largely informal, and therefore, harder to document.

Career lines or paths are another way to review leadership development or
succession within the community college setting. Cejda et a1. (2001) reference individual
and structural approaches as a means to review the career lines in organizations. The
individual perspective places the focus on the candidate’s characteristics alone. The
structural approach attempts to review a series of career paths to the role of the next
position within the organizational context. Cejda et a1. (2001) used the structural
approach, based on a series of career paths, to look at organizational requirements.
Career paths were defined as sequences of related positions in preparation for the role of
the community college president. The structural framework often uses the concept of
internal labor markets (Cejda et al., 2001;Twombly, 1998). Internal labor markets
assume that all employees begin at lower-level positions termed “entry ports”. These
markets then develop as job ladders or career lines and result in minimizing the cost of
training employees as they move up or along the job ladders. This is associated with a
progressive development of knowledge or skill within the organization.

Cohen and March in Peterson (1991) proposed a normative career ladder for the
presidency consisting of the following steps: faculty member, unit chair, dean, provost or
vice president of academic affairs, and then president. Cejda et a1. (2001) studied the
career lines of the chief academic officer (CAO) role within the community college
setting. In their study, they defined a career line as a sequence of at least three positions
and identified a total of eighteen different three-sequence career lines. The most frequent
entry point as a community college faculty member was reported by 51.1% of the
respondents; entering in a chair role was next. The chief academic officers studied held

an average of three community college positions prior to achieving their role. Prior to

assuming this role, the sample had an average of 11.9 years of experience working within
two-year colleges. Although the career paths model showed trends, there was
considerable variability with the paths across the sample.

The Cejda et al. (2001) research has a number of implications and ties directly
back to the needs of individuals and organizations. Their study made it clear that the best
path to the CA0 position was to enter the community college labor market in the ranks of
faculty. A history of community college experience in multiple roles was noted as
valuable. In addition, the amount of administrative experience appeared to influence the
movement to the chief academic officer position. Administrative experience is often a
requirement for entry to a position, as well as a determinant for further advancement. In
order to meet their goals, organizations must ensure that pools of trained individuals are
ready to assume leadership roles. Cejda et al.’s (2001) recommendations support this by
encouraging community colleges to realize that their faculty is a pool of potential CAOs
and that institutional and collaborative approaches to leadership development are
important in identifying and training well-qualified individuals to fill CAO vacancies.
These findings point out that there is a significant gap in relating leadership development
to overall institutional needs. Using internal labor markets is a way to look at positions
as a path to succession, but it does not necessarily show the desired competencies and

experiences required for leadership positions within community colleges.

Core competencies.
Other researchers (Bragg, 2000; AACC, 2001) have focused on individual

competencies or factors that relate to successful leadership. McFarline, Crittenden, and

10

Ebbers (1999) completed a study reviewing the individual background factors common
among outstanding community college presidents. The core question of this research
was, “What makes some community college presidents outstanding to their peers and
what factors contribute to their development as outstanding leaders (1999, p. 19)?” The
following factors were found to relate to outstanding presidents: completion of a terminal
degree, study of higher education and community college leadership, scholarly publishing
and presentations, preparation as an agent of change, status as a community college
insider, following non-traditional paths to the presidency, participating as a protége’ in a
mentor-protege relationship, using peer relationships-networks, and knowledge of
contemporary technology (McFarline et al., 1999). The core of these factors rests with
the individual. How do individuals prepare themselves for, and stay current in their
leadership positions? This survey found that many rely on self-study and have had a
basis of community college experience to build upon.

Bragg (2000) reviews six core knowledge areas that community college leaders
must possess. In this framework she states that community college leaders can create
opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to learn and grow. This includes initial
preparation and on-going professional development experiences. Leaders must
understand the mission, philosophy, and history of the education sector and institution.
The leader must have a learner-centered orientation. This places them and those they
lead in both the role of teacher and student. The leader must have a strong understanding
of instructional leadership and information on educational technologies. The leader must
focus on institutional accountability and learner assessment. They must also be prepared

as an administrator and understand budget, planning, and staffing needs. Senge (1990)

11

discusses a more subtle type of leadership for the learning organization where, "leaders
are designers, stewards, and teachers (p. 340)." This supports a learner-centered

approach to leadership development.

Mentoring.

Mentoring, coaching, and peer networks are often noted as methods of developing
leaders in education. Hopkins-Thompson (2000) looked at how new principals and other
jobs changers from urban and rural districts in North Carolina and Mississippi used
mentoring as a means to develop leaders. Mentoring was defined as an intense personal
relationship in which a senior person oversees the career development of a less-
experienced person. The key is pairing the individual with the appropriate mentor.
Mentoring is best carried out from a learner-centered approach by tailoring the activities
to the needs of the individual. The study found that mentoring and coaching were both
important components to leadership development and that these efforts can improve both
mentor and protégé performance. Participating as a protégé in a mentor-protege
relationship was found to be a common factor of outstanding community college
presidents (McFarline, et al., 1999). Valeua (1999) reviewed a mentoring program within
the California community college system that linked administrators with those wanting to
be leaders in higher education. The mentor was a developer of talent by providing

special assignments and opportunities for the protégé over the course of a year.

12

Summary of leadership development in educational settings.

Community college leadership development opportunities are available and
elements of good leadership development programs have existed for quite some time.
What is lacking is a comprehensive and meaningful integration of individual and
organizational goals. Professional development must be linked to state and national
efforts as well as to the local level (Bragg, 2000). While some see the roles of faculty
chairs as a logical group for succession (Filan, 1999), others have found that the role has
become a holding pattern and not a line for advancement (Gillett-Karam, 1999). Most
community colleges do not have succession and leadership development plans in place
but many have an interest in their development (F ilan, 1999). The size and complexity of
community colleges mean that there are usually a number of positions lefl vacant or filled
on an acting or interim basis (Spangler, 1999). This works to undermine organizational
stability and effectiveness (Bragg, 2000; F ilan, 1999). The problem of finding managers
with fresh ideas and the necessary leadership skills remains a key concern (V aleau,

1999)

When reviewing the issues of leadership development in the community college, a
certain irony about the educational process comes forward. A student is faced with a
formal set of class options to achieve a goal. The course, major, and vocation are formal
structures designed to develop the student intellectually and educationally. The student
must complete a certain number of credits or course requirements to graduate, succeed, or
to meet their respective goal. The process is much less clear when it comes to leadership
development. Institutions are creating formal programmatic structures for their students,

so why then is it so difficult to do the same type of planning for succession? One answer

13

is that there are numerous paths to succession, however internal labor markets indicate
that there are some related positions, or paths to that end. Leadership development and
succession are largely left to informal methods and networks and as such are individually

based within the community college setting.

Leadership Development from a Human Resource Frame

The human resource frame gives us a way of placing leadership development and
succession planning in an organizational perspective. Bolrnan and Deal (1991) present
human resource frame assumptions that: organizations exist to serve human needs rather
than the reverse, and that people and organizations need each other; organizations need
ideas, energy, and talent; people need careers, salaries, and opportunities. These
constructs are directly related to the themes of leadership development and succession
planning. The comprehensive nature of the ideal, integrated succession plan presented in
the corporate sector literature meets both organizational and individual needs. This is at
the core of the human resource frame, emphasizing the fit between the individual and the
organization. From a human resource management perspective, "strong companies are
clear about the kinds of people they want and hire only those who fit” (Bolman and Deal,
1991, p.123). In addition, Bolrnan and Deal (1991) found that highly successful
corporations almost never hired a chief executive from outside. This framework treats
the workforce as an investment rather than a cost.

The human resource frame looks at work from a more participative organizational
perspective. Examples include organizational theories Y and Z that incorporate job or

task enrichment as a method of increasing employee satisfaction and production (Bolman

l4

& Deal, 1991). Morgan (1997) indicates that organizational structures, leadership styles,
and the structure of work can be modified to create "enriched" jobs that motivate and
foster creativity and employee capacity. This can be compared to the flexible or stretch
assignments discussed in the business literature. The human resource frame also reviews
the advantages to promoting from within the organization. These include: encouraging
both organizations and employees to invest time and resources in upgrading skills,
providing a powerful performance incentive, increasing trust and loyalty, capitalizing on
the knowledge and skills of veteran employees, and reducing serious errors (Bolman &
Deal, 1991). The human resource frame embraces a type of leadership that fosters
empowerment of employees. Is this model appropriate for higher education as it pertains
to leadership development and succession practice?

There are some distinguishing characteristics of academic organizations that make
them stand apart somewhat from their business counterparts. Baldridge, Curtis, Ekcer,
and Riley in Peterson (1991) discuss these characteristics of academic organizations.
Colleges often have vague and ambiguous goals that lead to uncertainty and conflict.
Colleges are people-processing institutions with less tangible results. They also deal with
problematic technology working with clients of disparate needs and cannot employ a one-
size fits all approach. Finally, they are ofien characterized by formal and informal
practices and have a strong focus on interpersonal relationships. Multiple frameworks
could be used to explain certain constructs of an institution; however, leadership
development places the individual and their role within an organization as central,

making the human resource framework a useful methodology. The human resource

15

frame provides a unifying theme for looking at leadership development in the community

college setting.

Succession Planning in Business Settings

The term succession planning is used and receives more attention as a business
construct. The ways in which succession planning is employed varies throughout the
corporate sector. It may be something as informal as a back up plan, to something as
comprehensive as an organization-wide human resources approach. One of Fayol’s
(Rothwell, 2000) fourteen points of management is “the stability of tenure of personnel.”
The goals of succession planning are to maintain stability and flexibility within an
organization. Rothwell (2000) surveyed a number of billion dollar companies and
“management succession” was rated as the third most important issue. The companies
felt that they needed to have the right people in the right places of the organization for
success. There was also a concern over the number of available candidates due to
retirements and the backlash from the 1990’s restructuring period. Lastly, there was a
concern that succession planning was often haphazard and unplanned. Managers tended
to reproduce themselves, selecting individuals with similar character traits, what has been

referred to as homosocial reproduction (Rothwell, 2000).

Common practices.

Succession planning is the method in which an organization prepares both
individuals and structures for short and long term human resource needs. Eastman (1995)

completed an extensive review of succession planning literature and identified common

16

business applications. A review of these common business practices finds that they focus
on a more integrated, organizational approach with shared accountability for both leaders
and individuals. One of the central themes to overall succession planning includes the
visible support from the CEO and management by creating a plan that is shared or
“owned” by line management and supported by the staff. There must be shared
accountability for a plan, and clearly defined roles for both management and employee.
The succession plan must also be simple and tailored to meet specific organizational
needs. The plan should be needs driven by both internal and external benchmarks. The
succession plan must be flexible and linked to the strategic business plan or mission of
the organization (Eastman, 1995).

A human resource approach looks at integrating organizational and individual
needs to meet, develop, and plan for staffing requirements. The succession plan evolves
from a thorough human resources review of processes, incorporating significant
professional development opportunities. The succession plan is based upon well-
developed competencies and objective assessments of candidates. The plan identifies key
positions and job requirements and matches those to possible candidates. Specific
information about the general managerial relationships and information about the specific
job criteria for a position are essential for successful plans (Eastman, 1995). The
succession plan encourages employee input and should be connected to individual
development plans. One of these approaches may include developmental or flexible job
assignments. These are two- to three-year assignments in different areas of an

organization to both prepare and challenge individuals to develop as leaders. The

17

succession plan is part of a broader management development effort and a human
resources connection is essential.

Cm‘tis and Russel (1993) found that 70 percent of Fortune 500 firms considered
succession planning a priority. Developmental strategies for succession planning
activities exist throughout both the corporate and public sectors. For example, Citicorp
generally tries to put high potential workers into jobs they are no more than 68-70 percent
qualified for (Clark & Lyness, 1991). These are called "stretch assignments". The
assumption is that those selected already have the core skills that are essential to their
success. Citicorp also continues to reexamine their approaches to make sure that
coaching and feedback are regularly given to high potential staff. Oklahoma's
department of corrections tries to promote from within whenever possible and encourages
movement across divisional lines (Friedman, 1990). New executives embark on a
“learning journey” for their first two or three weeks to participate in extensive interviews
with key people throughout the organization to create a series of networks. In General
Electric, corporate executives are held accountable for the development of managerial
talent by employing a comprehensive system of organization, staffing, and
accomplishment reviews (Friedman & LeVino, 1984). One of the keys is to design
opportunities to work on real business problems (Rhodes, 1984). With the pace of
change and changing needs of managers, it is important to keep their focus on current
business issues. A plan that incorporates developmental work assignments gives high
potential workers the opportunity to grow within an organization. Hall (1986) discusses

eliminating “fast tracks” to create developmental opportunities for a larger group of staff.

18

He recommends developing employees first, and then selecting high potential candidates

post development activities to experience success (Hall, 1986).

Challenges.

Hall (1986) refers to a number of challenges or dilemmas facing succession
planning. One of the first is lifting the shroud of secrecy. Since succession plans are
often informal, they operate in an air of secrecy. The process should be open and
encourage a bottom up strategy. Often succession plans are divorced from business
strategy so they do little to advance the organization’s goals and are ofien not broad
enough to meet organizational needs. Another weakness is that leaders often choose
individuals who are most like themselves to participate in succession planning programs.
This may keep the leadership focus narrow and reproduce the organizational social
structures. Top executives also spend much of their time identifying high performing
staff, but do not emphasize professional development. A related area of concern is that
there is insufficient follow-up on developmental activities. There is often more attention
paid to assessing potential successors than to the development and outcomes of these
candidates. Succession plans can also result in negative consequences. Managers
realizing they are on the fast track may decide to play it safe. The plan may also result in
“executive immaturity” since the executive feels that everything is done for them. The
Achilles heel of many succession plans is that they lack purpose and philosophy (Mahler

& Drotter, 1986).

19

Human resource integpation.

An integrated human resource approach to succession planning is the key to
organizational success. The literature discussed the importance of this integration and
this section will review a number of approaches. The level of human resource integration
depends on the level of formalization in the organization. It is important to realize that
succession planning must be linked to overall professional development activities and
policies (Eastman, 1995). These policies must be linked in order to meet organizational
and individual employee needs. Rhodes (1984) refers to four approaches to succession
planning related to human resource integration. The first is informal and carried out on a
case-by-case basis. The second is decentralized. Certain areas of the organization, based
on market issues such as demand for a given skill set, may have plans in place. The next
is centralized where there may be leadership or executive support of the plan. Finally a
fully integrated, formalized approach works to connect the succession plan with overall
organizational policies and practices. Sahl (1987) uses a scale to look at the level of
formalization to a plan. Level one is the most informal process and level five is totally
integrated. For example, level one may include having a series of back-up charts, which
tell you who in the organization can fill in for a given function or role. By comparison,
level five includes a totally integrated personnel approach that looks at all aspects of
succession planning linking developmental assignments, promotions, and compensation.
Succession planning cannot stand alone. Human resource planning and integration is
essential to assess a mix of internal development and external postings. Individual

development plans or strategies must also be in place to assess staff.

20

The level of human resource integration presents a number of positive outcomes
for the organization. Hirsh (2000) indicates that succession planning provides for a
number of organizational benefits. The first is improved job filling. There is a readily
available and identified pool of qualified candidates for positions. The succession plan
incorporates the active development of long-term successors and should help insure
organizational stability. The succession planning process allows an organization to audit
itself, assess where there are critical needs and where there are areas that may be cut.
Lastly, succession planning fosters a corporate culture by relating actual work back to

organizational goals and individual desire for advancement.

Career paths.

Some have looked at succession planning differently through a series of career
paths. "Career paths need not be only upward and linear, but can involve eight
directions, including lateral moves and temporarily moving down to a job with less
responsibility in order to learn new skills” (Stevens, 1996, p.2). This better prepares the
individual candidate for multiple roles and allows the organization a more flexible or
adaptable staff member for succession. There is still a belief of being in the right place at
the right time within succession planning. The key theme to success is being in an
environment that is fulfilling and offers learning. "Managers perceived their success of
their careers in having diverse experiences, personal attributes, and being in the right
place at the right time” (Cembrowski, 1998, p.1). The literature discussed being open to
opportunities in order to gain skills within the organization. There is not always a logical

path to career advancement. This is similar to the variations in career paths and

21

experiences in the higher education literature. Harrison (1989) discusses the shared
responsibility of both the employer and employee with respect to succession planning and
individual development. This emphasis is crucial given the changing nature of work and
types of jobs. This is especially relevant given the demands placed on higher education
in response to doing more with less. Individuals may be asked to work on areas across
the organization to meet critical needs which in turn may lead to further leadership and

career advancement.

Summag of business practices.

In summary, filling corporate leadership vacancies comes down to two basic
options: hire from outside or promote from within. The literature suggests that
succession plans should consider the areas of staffing, orientation, evaluation, and
development. The guidelines for succession planning should be based on the
organizational needs and should be stated specifically. The plan should be linked or tied
directly to other human resource development activities and tailored to meet the culture
of the organization. The plan should be structured with long-term approaches and have
short-term pay-offs. An organization should design multiple approaches to leadership
development and succession planning and should ensure top management support

(Eastman, 1995; Rothwell, 2000).

Literature Summag

The business literature presented a more formalized model of succession planning

within organizational structures than that found in the postsecondary literature. Ideally,

22

the development of high potential staff is done as part of a comprehensive plan to meet
corporate business strategy and long-term organizational strength. The use of temporary
or stretch assignments is a key way to develop leaders with flexible skills in real-world,
business situations. The educational sector places more emphasis on external
professional development and training opportunities. The focus is more on developing
individual leadership skills as opposed to the needs of the larger organization. Mentoring
is a method used to develop those interested in leadership opportunities in both business
and education. Educational leadership development emphasizes collegial and
collaborative approaches. Education and business are common with respect to taking an
individual, learner-centered approach to leadership development paying attention to the
construct of career paths, which is in line with the tenets underlying a human resource
perspective of organizational functioning. When reviewing leadership development in
community colleges, there is an apparent lack of a comprehensive or integrated approach
balancing individual and organizational needs, leaving considerable gaps in the literature.
The human resource fi‘ame gives us a lens for viewing leadership development within the

organizational setting.

23

CHAPTER 3.
Research Methods

This qualitative study focuses on the process and phenomenon of leadership
development practices in the community college setting. The core research questions are:

1. What processes and practices are used to develop future leaders?

2. What are the tensions between the needs of the organization and the needs of

the individual?

3. What are the challenges of succession planning?
A single site case study of a commrmity college in Michigan was used to fully explore
and understand leadership development processes within the organizational context. I
decided to use an exemplar (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994) in hopes that it would increase the
likelihood of collecting data to inform the research base. Prior survey research looking at
leadership development lefi considerable gaps and the case study approach affords a
more comprehensive look at leadership development. The extant literature focuses on
leadership development programming as primarily external to an organization; or on
career paths or lines which center more on structural or individual approaches. The case
study approach allowed an in-depth analysis of both the individual and organizational
factors of leadership development processes and perspectives within the community
college setting. Marshall and Rossman (1999) refer to qualitative methods as having
strength when looking at complex processes, real organizational constructs, and when all
the variables are yet to be defined. The case study method recognizes the need to explore

the phenomenon of leadership development within the institutional context (Denzin &

24

Lincoln, 1994). Thus it seemed most appropriate to capture both individual and
organizational issues of succession planning.

Central Community College was selected using an expert nomination process
when looking for community colleges that met certain criteria in consultation with the
Director of Postsecondary Services for the Michigan Department of Career Development.
The criteria focused on three key elements. The site is an active participant in the
“League for the Innovation in the Community College” organization. Because of the
agenda of the League, it is possible that colleges participating in the League use more
innovative leadership development approaches. The second criterion centered on the
tenure and composition of key administrative staff. According to the Director, there was
considerable stability in the organization, although there had also been some recent
changes that would make it a good site. The President of Central Community College
was promoted fiom within and was hired as a vice president with the understanding that
if he did well, he would become the president. The campus has a new Senior Vice
President and has had some trouble maintaining some dean’s positions. The goal in
selecting a study site was to look at a diverse leadership base including a variety of
factors such as professional age and gender. Prior research on career paths and lines has
focused on individuals having considerable tenure within the community college system,
“the founding fathers”. This research attempted to identify a site known to have a more
diverse cadre of professionals in the field to understand the ways in which various
administrators understand and employ leadership development processes. The final
criterion was selecting a site known for participating in significant leadership

development activities.

25

A purposeful sampling approach as noted in Creswell (1998) was utilized to work
with an institution known for their participation in leadership development activities
within the community college sector. The literature indicates that leadership
development and succession planning in community colleges is of considerable concern
throughout the country. This research focused on a Michigan institution to provide a
geographic lens on the issue for the region. A site was selected to provide the greatest
potential for access to gain insight into current practices. The selected institution is also a
single campus college rather than part of a branch or multi-campus system. This kept the
focus contained within the core campus environment. Employing an institution that is
known to have innovative approaches was most revealing for this research. A case
analysis within the state helps bridge current literature and research gaps.

The focus of the actual case study data collection was semi-structured interviews
with six key administrators throughout the institution. The positions in this study
included three executive level positions which reported directly to the president. These
positions included the Senior Vice President, Vice President of Business and Finance,
and the Executive Director of Administrative Services. The research then focused on
three administrative staff within the next layer of the organization, which included the
Dean of Teaching and Learning, the Dean of Student and Educational Services, and the
Director of Admissions and Records. Leaders in these roles were chosen based on the
assumption that they would have an understanding of institutional factors relative to
leadership development. The goal was to focus on key academic, student affairs, and
business roles to determine the process of leadership development throughout the

organization. I consulted the Michigan Community College Directory for 2002 to look

26

for positions and contact information beginning with the Vice President, Chief Academic
Officer, and Chief Student Affairs Officer positions. I was granted access to these
individuals given their roles within the organization. This cross-section of
administrative units provided a good overview of leadership development practices and
needs.

The participants in the study were representative of three major units of the
College and selected based on their role within the organization. The participants
included three senior level positions that report directly to the president and three
functional positions that work more directly with daily operations from each of these
areas. When discussing the participants, I used pseudonyms in order to protect
participant confidentiality. The job titles, areas of responsibilities, and reporting structure
for the participants are as follows:

Ms. Sarah Simpson, Dean of Student & Educationgl Services - Provides

leadership for the core student service functions including: Admissions &

Records, Assessment & Testing, Career and Employment Services, Counseling,

Financial Aid and Registration, Multicultural Services, and Disability Services.

This position reports to the Vice President for Student and Educational Services.

Mr. Dave Douglas, Director of Admissions & Records- Coordinates all college

recruiting, admissions, records, and veteran services functions. This position

reports to the Dean of Student and Educational Resources.

Dr. Wilmg White, Senior Vice President — Provides leadership for all the

academic units of the College and serves as second in command of the institution.

27

This position was hired to bring academic and student affairs functions together,
and reports directly to the President.

Mr. John Gade, Dean of Teaching & Leaming- Coordinates all the work of the
academic divisions and the functions of the chairs. This position reports to the
Senior Vice President.

Ms. Beth Beal. Vice President for Finance — Leads the controller, physical plant,
and business services functions. This position reports directly to the president.
Dr. Georgflones, Executive Director of Administrative Services - Leads the
htunan resources, planning, general counsel, institutional research, and
information technology contract administration units. This position reports

directly to the President.

Opganization Structure

The following section provides an abbreviated overview of the Central
Community College organizational structure. The reporting relationships are noted in
Figure l. The shaded boxes represent those individuals interviewed for the study. The
dean’s positions at Central are more functional roles that work on operational issues with
their departments. It is also important to mention the role and position of the “faculty and
staff senate” on the chart and reinforce the role this structure plays in college decision
making processes. This will be elaborated on in the research findings. The Vice
President of Educational Resources has been slated to retire for each of the past two years

and attempts to schedule and interview for this study were not successful.

28

Figure 1

Board of anstees

 

 

President

 

 

 

 

—- Faculty & Staff Senate

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vice President of
Educational Resources

 

 

 

 

 

   

Organization Structure - Abbreviated

The primary data collection method consisted of two-hour, semi-structured
interviews. The design of the interview came from the literature and an understanding of
community colleges in order to assess the current processes being used by individuals
and the organization. The questions were framed more from a community college
context and designed to gain insight into the background of the individual participant.
The questions get at the core activities, perceptions, and requirements of leadership

development. A pilot study was conducted in order to test the research questions as well

29

as the content of the protocol. The research questions and the interview protocol are
referenced as Appendix A. The researcher also consulted documents such as
organizational charts and other institutional profile information prior to conducting
campus interviews. This involved extensive use of the World Wide Web, college
catalogs, and related human resource documents. Conducting this document review
assisted the researcher in placing units and individuals in the larger organizational
context.

The primary data collection (in-depth interviews) occurred on-site at Central
Community College (CCC) and appropriate human subjects and research permission was
obtained from both CCC and Michigan State University. The participant consent form is
included as Appendix B. The method followed the protocol for qualitative case study
inquiry and narrative construction (Creswell, 1998). The interviews were audio taped
and field notes were taken. The interview was transcribed verbatim and practices were
clustered along the core literature themes. Stake (in Creswell, 1998) recommends a
triangulation process for member checking which includes sharing rough drafts of writing
with individuals as well as utilizing a “critique checklist” (p. 213) for evaluating the case
study. The transcriptions were used to create written drafts and were shared with
individual participants for their comments and reviewed as a member check in this study.
All data were held as confidential and were shared only with the individual participant
and the researcher’s faculty advisor. The data were stored in a locked location only
accessible to the researcher.

The data were used to create a profile of each leader, and then to form a case

study of leadership development and succession planning factors for the larger setting. A

30

substantive case report was constructed to fully describe the process and the core themes.
As noted, pseudonyms were used to keep the identities of the participants and the
participant institution confidential. The core goal was to look at the factors that
influenced leadership development and succession planning within the community
college setting. This was done to determine if these factors were similar across
individuals and throughout the various administrative units within the institution. This
analysis provided a unique opportunity to explore the constructs of leadership
development practices beyond individual and traditional administrative wits and across
institutional segments.

This study does present some limitations. Leadership development and
succession practices are of interest to all the participants; however, it was difficult for
some to articulate extensive responses based on their experiences and/or activities. The
participant responses and therefore, the data are somewhat limited in these cases. The
small, non-random sample size and the process of selecting a school through an expert
nomination process may have resulted in an institutional choice based on factors other
than leadership development. For example, some institutions are better known than
others on the basis of reputation unrelated to leadership development or other mitigating
factors. In addition, a nomination process may present schools that have significant
differences in settings, constraints, or core institutional criteria. The research is based on
individual interviews and as such, differences in demographic or background
characteristics could be a shortcoming. Working with specific position holders is also a
limitation because it limits institutional data to a limited number of perspectives. As

such, the findings cannot be generalized to the larger community college population.

31

Chapter 4.
Research Findings
This qualitative study looks at the phenomenon of leadership development practices

within the Central Community College setting. The in-depth interviews and review of
institutional documentation have provided insights into the overall processes employed
by the institution. It is a subject that many participants of the study were interested in and
yet, it was sometimes difficult for them to articulate individual and institutional practices.
The practices discussed within the case germinated from the largely informal actions
described by the participants. The core research questions for the study were as follows:

1. What processes and practices are used to develop future leaders?

2. What are the tensions between the needs of the organization and the needs of

the individual?

3. What are the challenges of succession planning?
These questions will be explored in this chapter around core leadership development

themes taken from the data and summaries of the research findings.

Case Introduction

The Dean of Student and Educational Services, Sarah Simpson was reflecting on
how she would handle the loss of a key staff member within one of her units. Dean
Simpson walked me through a process she would use to evaluate the position. “The
director is leaving in May, so should we link Career Services with another area of student
services?” A vacancy such as this triggers a critical review of the role the person played

in the unit, which is supported by a review of their position information questionnaire, or

32

job description. The position information questionnaire (PIQ) is a different framework
for a job description that details criteria such as communication, innovation, creativity,
problem solving, and the core functions of the position. A sample of the PIQ form is
included as Appendix C. This is the more formal requirement of the process. In addition
to the PIQ Dean Simpson then said she would ask herself questions such as, “Is there
another office, or more specifically another person in student services who may be able to
provide leadership for this area?” “Do we need to rehire for that position?” The leaders
interviewed for this study took into account organizational needs as well as individuals
with potential to fill those needs at Central Community College. The identification of
potential leaders was often left to more informal methods. Many of the participants
discussed a sense of creativity and opportunity in reviewing vacancies in relationship to
the needs of the organization. Yet, in many cases, the results of this creativity, seemed to
focus on or result in keeping the work or vacancy internal to the organization.

There was also the theme of how people pull together to get work done when a
vacancy is created and that presenting the status quo by asking to rehire for the same
position is almost suspect. One participant referred to this as the “Central [College]
way”. The process leads to a very internally focused approach on how individuals are
selected and recognized as having leadership potential. Dean Simpson did not have
answers to all of the questions she was asking yet, but she was clearly looking at ways to
address this upcoming vacancy. These approaches and tensions will be fully explored as
it relates to the data and human resources theory.

This vignette provides an introduction to the data found at Central Community

College. I will review the perceptions and practices regarding leadership development

33

from the individual and organizational perspectives beginning with an overview of the
Central Community College setting. The research findings will begin with a discussion
of each participant’s professional journey, or career path followed by their own personal
approach to leadership development. Next I will discuss how individuals are selected for
leadership opportunities based on the core competencies or qualities that participants seek
out in future leaders. The findings will also be related to the themes found in the
literature review such as leadership development, human resources, and organizational
approaches. There are a number of tensions that will be explored throughout the case.
These include formal and informal approaches, individual and organizational practices
and the internal focus of Central in selecting and developing future leaders. The chapter
will close by describing these tensions and relate the findings to the larger issues of

succession.

Central Community Collggc

The site selected for this study is Central Community College. Central
Community College enrollment in the Fall Semester of 2002 was just under 10,000
students. The campus is located in a county with a population of 110,000. The
workforce of the college has been fairly stable and most employee groups are non-
unionized. The faculty are currently working without a contract. Central hired a total of
sixteen positions; in 2001, seven male and nine female. Three of the hires were Black,
one Hispanic, and twelve were White. The College’s total full-time and part-time
employment in 2001 was 966 employees with 444 men and 522 women. It should be

noted that Central Community College is in the process of implementing 105 cost saving

34

measures, including the elimination of 23 positions and a pay freeze in order to offset a
$1.5 million reduction in state funding for next year, according to a recent newspaper
article. Budget reduction discussions and planning were underway during the time of the
participant interviews in anticipation of state cuts. This included the elimination of
associate dean positions, which were seen as a development track to upper

administration. Most of the approximately 28 retirements in recent history have been in

the ranks of faculty.

Central Community Collpge structure.

Central Community College is a state chartered institution and is governed by an
elected board of trustees. It functions under a shared governance model whereby a large
component of the responsibilities and decision making rest with the faculty senate.
Although shared governance is not unique to higher education, it is not found as
frequently in the community college environment. This structure at Central Community
College is guided by a quote noted within their senate constitution by Joseph J oubert that
states, “It is better to debate a question without settling it, than to settle a question without
debating it.” Shared governance is noted in the college values docmnent with the
following statement, “Our trust in shared governance compels us and our students to
contribute to the evolution of College policies and operating procedures.” The faculty
senate, as well as the underlying committee structure, are elected bodies consisting of a
faculty core, administrators, and student membership. Presently the support staff are not
included in the shared governance system and they are requesting to join. Some of the

research participants, as well as their staff members have been elected senator, senate

35

president, committee member, or chair of a committee. The core committee structure
includes the following elected groups to provide input back to the senate and executive
council.

Administrative & Professional Staff Committee (APSC) - The function of this group is to
provide communication and a forum for issues directly affecting administrative and
professional staff.

Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) - The function of this committee is to represent and
pursue any faculty interest that may be relevant. The group also chairs faculty meetings
and acts as a liaison between the faculty and other functional bodies of the college.

College Calendar Committee (CCC) — The committee develops the College calendar for
future years and publishes a desk calendar annually. The group also coordinates the
academic calendar for the senate for three years in advance that is presented to the Board
of Trustees for approval.

Human Resources Committee (HRC) — This group assesses the human relations climate
at the College and provides knowledge and education on issues of racial, ethnic, gender
and other inter-group relations with a goal of being proactive.

Library Information Center Committee (LICC) - This committee is responsible for
recommending Senate policies to ensure that the resources and services provided by the
Center meet the learning needs of the students, faculty, and staff.

Senate Publications Committee (SPC) - This committee provides continuity in the
process of updating all Senate/College policies, procedures, and guidelines contained in
the Senate Handbook or Procedures Manual by reviewing all written drafts of proposed
policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure consistency of style.

College Projects Committee (CPC) - This committee encourages and assists members of
the College community in seeking resources, designing projects, and formulating
proposals for special programs contributing to the objectives of the College. The
Committee considers innovative projects for support on an annual basis.

Student/Senate Relations Committee (SSRC) — This committee identifies areas of

concern to faculty, staff and students, and initiates action for investigation and
recommendation.

This overview of the shared governance and committee structure is important given that

this was often noted as a way for developing faculty and staff as leaders in the Central

36

Community College structure. The committees most referenced for staff engagement
were election to the senate itself as well as the Administrative and Professional Staff
Committee (APSC). The APSC was cited as a way for administrative staff to get their
issues voiced at Central. Some participants referred to the “power” committees on
campus such as APSC, SPC, the CCC, as well as being elected a senator, and actively

sought out those roles for either themselves, or encouraged their staff to participate.

Career Path

The participants were all asked to discuss their professional journey and relate
how they arrived at their current position. The literature discussed the construct of career
paths or lines to specific positions. These were defined as a set of positions that lead to a
future position. The literature also discussed the nature of internal and external labor
markets. It is clear from the participant responses that the institution has had a largely
internal focus in filling positions. The stability and tenure of staff within the organization
was noted by their length of service in higher education and more specifically at Central.
The tenure of those who participated in this study ranged from as little as 22 months to a
maximum of 33 years. A brief overview of the tenure, career path, and educational
background of the participants is included in Table l. The years participants spent in
higher education varied from 6.5 years to 40 years including both administrative and non-
administrative time. The path to Central Community College was fairly similar for many
of the participants. They had heard about the community college movement, or of an

opportunity within a community college, and came to check it out, then never left.

37

The biographic sketch or leadership profile for each participant notes their career

lines or journey to their current position as well as related educational experiences. The

participants spent a fair amount of time discussing their educational credentials or

background. In fact, two of the participants are Central College graduates. In this section

I will review the career path for each of the participants. Most of the participants spent

time discussing this as a key part of their professional journey.

Table 1 — Participant Overview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years at Central Career Path Education

33 Teacher, Math & Science at High School & Junior High levels 3.3.
Internship in Counseling Department - Central M.A
Counselor - Central M.S.
Chair of Counseling Department —Central L.P.C
Dean of Enrollment Management - Central
Dean of Student & Educational Services — Central
Teaches Psychology Course - Central

22 months Data Entry & Data Processing — County Public School B.A.
Research assistant/analyst. then coordinator — County Public School M.S.
Director of Planning & Institutional Effectiveness & Grants — County PhD.
Public School (Certificate
Associate VP of Academic Affairs - Private College in Office
Senior Vice President — Central Technology)

26 years Staff Position in the Scheduling Office- Central A.A. (from
Coordinator of Scheduling Office - Central Central
Director of Instructional Support Services —Central B.A.
Assistant Registrar —Central M.S.A.
Director of Registration & Records - Central
Director of Admissions & Records —Central

33 years Teaching Position - Small community college 8.8.
English Instructor - Large University. MA
English faculty member - Small women’s liberal arts college
English Instructor - Central
Division Chair of English - Central
Interim Dean of the Faculty — Central
Dean of Teaching & Learning —Central

6.5 years Big eight account firm - public accounting and industry accounting A.A. (from
Controller — K-12 School System Central)
Director of Finance — K-12 School System B.A.,
Vice President for Finance & Management- Central M.A.

C.P.A.

30 years Research associate- Central 8.8.
Interim Director of Research & Development - Central M.S.
Director of Institutional Research - Central PILD.

 

Executive Director of Administrative Services - Central

 

 

Ms. Sarah Simpson, the Dean of Student and Educational Services has been

at Central Community College for approximately 33 years. She began at the institution

38

 

 

 

 

with an internship in the counseling department in 1970. She became chair of that
department in 1974 and was the youngest member on staff. This leadership role was
pivotal in her leadership development. Ms. Simpson was counseling chair until 1988
when she became the Dean for Enrollment Services. According to Sarah, this role was a
good fit given her background in student services and her interest in data. Four years
later, this position became the Dean of Enrollment Management to work more with data.
She was not required to apply for this new position. In 1997, the College reorganized and
consolidated down from three deans to one. From this, Sarah became the Dean of
Student and Educational Services, her present position.

Dean Simpson’s early work experiences included teaching at both the high school
and middle school levels. It was during this period that she gained some valuable
experiences in teaching and coaching girls. She really enjoyed connecting with students
on a personal basis. This helped her focus her interest in working with students and
education. It also led her to think about counseling as an area of interest for her career.
She had begun a master’s degree in chemistry when she decided that connecting with
students on a more individual basis was of interest. She shifted her focus to gaining a
master’s degree in counseling and later supplemented this with a master’s degree in
psychology to fill in some inadequacies in her counseling studies.

Dr. Wilma White, the Senior Vice President, has been at Central Community
College for 22 months. The Senior Vice President role includes academic affairs and
may later incorporate student affairs. This is an open question for Dr. White as she
continues to evaluate the condition of the campus. She indicated that it is also an open

question for the institution because there are strong feelings about academic and student

39

 

 

affairs merging. She felt that the merger was not something supported by most of the
faculty. In addition, the Vice President of Educational Resources, who currently leads
student affairs, was expected to retire the previous year and he still has not left. This idea
will be more fully developed in a later section. Dr. White came from a private institution
where she served as the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. In her role at the
private college she managed everything from traditional student service units, to study
abroad programs, and libraries.

Other work experience included 15 years in a county public school system, which
involved community college programming. Dr. White continued to progress through
roles at the county public schools starting in data entry support, moving to computer
technician, research assistant, research analyst, and then a coordinator. After this
progression she became the Director of Planning, Institutional Effectiveness, and Grants.
Dr. White then went on to share that she feels that once you get to the director level, it is
hard to stay at an institution because of limited mobility. In fact, she left the county
public schools system to move out of state to pursue other opportunities and Ma her
education and career. She also has experience teaching graduate students in management
courses. Dr. White’s educational background includes an undergraduate degree in dance
and art history. Upon graduation, she pursued a certificate in office technology and
started working for a firm making computer chips. The firm went out of business and she
started working in education. She has completed both a master’s and doctoral degrees.

Mr. Dave Douglas, the Director of Admissions and Records, has worked at
Central Commtmity College for 26 years and has experienced considerable growth

through a number of positions. He started with the college under a federal grant program

40

in a staff position working in the scheduling office. He has had experience in and held
the following positions: Director of Instructional Support Services, Assistant Registrar,
Director of Records and Registrar, and Director of Admissions. His current role is
Director of Admissions, Records, and Veterans. Mr. Douglas pointed out that he did not
have to interview for any of these position changes. He was willing to attempt to take on
further responsibility when it seemed to have a fit. Mr. Douglas has a bachelor’s degree
in political science and completed this prior to starting at Central Community College.
Before beginning a graduate degree, he took some courses at Central in accounting and
business, and received an associate’s degree. He later went on to complete a master’s
degree.

Mr. John Gade, the Dean of Teaching and Learning has been with Central
Community College for 33 years and has worked in higher education for 40 years. He
came to Central Community College in 1970 after extensive teaching experiences in the
community college, selective liberal arts college, and university settings. Dean Gade
arrived at Central and started teaching with the rank of Assistant Professor. He taught as
a full-time English instructor until 1977. He then became the faculty chair of the English
department. Dean Gade felt this role would be fascinating since his 14 years of teaching
experience gave him a lot to say about university policy. This is a role he held from 1977
until 1995. In the history of Central Community College, only one person has served
longer as a department chair. In 1995, Mr. Gade’s boss came to him and said, “It is over,
you can no longer serve as faculty chair.” Dean Gade had planned to serve out two more
terms and retire. He has never quite understood this decision, so he went back to

teaching for five years.

41

Mr. Gade applied for dean and vice president positions at Central during this five
year period. Each of these attempts failed and external candidates were hired. It is Dean
Gade's opinion that these were short term candidates who were not too successful. In
2000, late in the academic year, he was a candidate for and became the interim Dean of
Faculty. He felt that he was highly supported by his peers and his core responsibilities
were to act as a transition between the retiring vice president and her successor (Dr.
White). He got the job on a permanent basis, which is now titled the Dean of Teaching
and Learning. Dean Gade has both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in English. He also
did doctoral study prior to coming to Central Community College.

Ms. Beth Beal, the Vice President for Business & Finance is a relative
newcomer to Central Community College, with six and a half years of tenure. She
supervises all of the business, finance, and facilities units. Prior to joining Central
Community College, Ms. Beal worked within the local school district system in financial
management roles such as controller and director of finance. She has experience working
as a certified public accountant (CPA) in one of the big eight accounting firms. Her
focus was on public accounting. She also has management experience in industry. Ms.
Beal is a Central Community College graduate. She then transferred to complete her
bachelor’s degree and holds a CPA.

Dr. Jones, the Executive Director of Administrative Services has been with
Central Community College for 30 years. In his current role he supervises legal, human
resources, secretary to the board of trustees, and strategic planning. Dr. Jones started at
the College in 1973 as a research associate. He came to check out what commrmity

colleges were all about, after accompanying his faculty chair to Central for a campus

42

visit. In 1980, he became the Interim Director of Research and Development and when
his predecessor did not return, he became the director. Over the years, he continued to
pick up functions. His current position was created over time based on his skill sets and
the needs of the organization. According to Dr. Jones, his present title, Executive
Director of Administrative Services, “means nothing to those outside of the college
because it does not give a clue to what I do at the College.” Dr. Jones discussed that
Central Community College has a pretty good way of recognizing people beyond the
confines of their current position. This is how he prefaced the fact that he has had so
many functions added to his role based on his individual skill-sets and in large part, why
his position is so unique as compared to other institutions. Dr. Jones completed a
doctoral degree prior to coming to Central Community College. His only previous
position in higher education before coming to Central was as a graduate assistant. He has
also done some teaching at Central Community College but stopped about ten years ago

based on the time constraints and demands of his role.

Career path summapy.
The path to Central Community College varied for these administrators, but there

were some recurrent issues discussed within the data. For example, the role that
education played for many of the participants seems central. Each of the participants
talked very readily about where they went to school as part of their professional journey.
In fact, this was often the first area they discussed prior to their professional paths.
Education is something they know, so it is easy to discuss. In some ways, it almost

comes to a means and ends question, in that additional education is a precursor to their

43

next role. The other common factor of the participants was their willingness to try new
functions, or roles. Each of the individuals appears to have gone through a series of
roles, or positions prior to their current position. Some of these occurred external to the
organization, but for many, the roles were presented within the Central College
environment. Often, the internal roles were assumed without a formal interview process.
Examples of position and responsibility growth will be further discussed in this chapter.
Lastly, comments made by Dr. White and Dean Gade refer to the limits placed within a

given position or role. This issue of positional limits will be explored later in the chapter.

Leadership Development - Individual Practices

The terms leadership development and professional development are used as
mutually inclusive terms in this study. This was voiced in the participant responses and
echoed in the literature review. This section will review approaches participants
described as individually-based. Although practices are identified within this category,
there may be overlap with larger organizational processes discussed later in this chapter.
The classification reflects the predominate focus emphasized by the participants in
discussing each approach. The individual focus will be used when the practice is largely
centered on the individual and their development. This section begins with a review of
the personal leadership development approaches employed by the participants. There
will then be a discussion of the core competencies and characteristics of individuals and
how they are identified for opportunities. The various leadership development
approaches employed in working with those individuals will also be discussed. Other

areas that will be reviewed include: mentoring, faculty leadership development, and

44

continuing education and community involvement. It is important to note that, throughout
the discussion, the degree of formality in any given approach varied widely throughout

the case.

Personal leadership development.

How individuals choose to foster leadership development in others may be related
to practices in which they are or have been personally involved. By way of introducing
individual approaches to leadership development, therefore, this section discusses how
the participants view their own leadership development. The participants were asked to
reflect on how they continue to develop as leaders in their profession and within the
College. All of the participants were quick to point out that Central Community College
does not have a formal leadership development plan. Many had an interest in seeing one
developed; however, they said I would be hard pressed to find anything in writing at
Central regarding a formal plan. There was a sense that leadership development varied
by the situation and need of the individual and organization. There was also the sense
that some leaders are better at this development than others. It would be difficult to
create a formal, written plan given the information presented by the participants.

In asking the participants about their own leadership development and future
professional plans, all participants voiced approaches that supported their desire to stay
current and develop in their respective fields. Mr. Gade, Dean of Teaching and Learning,
wants to have a solid understanding of all teaching and learning theory and practice. Ms.
Beal, the Vice President for Business and Finance, has a desire to stay on top of all

accounting and business practices and trends and goes on to state, “that I always want to

45

keep myself marketable”. Dr. White, the Senior Vice President, is very engaged in
accreditation training and seeks out training which supports this continued growth. Dr.
White and Dean Gade discussed the need to understand the Worldwide Instructional
Delivery System (WIDS), a state supported technology program designed to assist in
teaching. They were interested in how WIDS would impact and assist their faculty and
actively worked with the state association to stay informed on the program and the
applications within Central. Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and Records,
discussed his leadership development in the context of state and national professional
associations that assist him in staying current in his field. Primarily, this was in the form
of attending a national or state conference. He indicated that he has been active with a
group of community college admission directors throughout the state.

Although I pressed the participants regarding leadership, or professional
development activities, they turned the question more to a focus on the areas they have an
interest in and need to know for their current roles. My general sense from many of the
respondents is that they read journals and attend workshops to stay abreast of the critical
issues in their field. This is what they equated to their own leadership development.
When asked further about their activities, the comments turned to a focus on professional
organizations or seminars.

When it came to looking at leadership development the participants made
virtually no reference to activities that were focused on their individual career
development. In fact, none of the participants voiced pressing career aspirations beyond
their current role. The only two that discussed possible career or position changes were

Dr. White, the Senior Vice President and Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and

46

Records. Dr. White indicated that she might be interested in becoming a college
president in the next five years, and Mr. Douglas said that if Central Community College
continued associate dean positions, he might have an interest in one of those roles. Dean
Simpson and Dean Gade both said they would not actively look for something, but if a
position or request came along, they might consider it. Their responses suggested that if
there was an institutional need that they could fill, they would step forward. For the most
tenured in the group, leadership development often became a discussion about how they
did not have any plans to further their professional career. Dean Gade said, “It is almost
impractical to think about leadership development. As a dean, I have gone as far as I can
go.” Many of the participants wanted to move beyond this question and talk about how

they can prepare others within Central to develop as leaders.

Core competencies and selection.

One of the aspects common in leadership development circles is the idea of
identifying and cultivating prospective leaders, yet how this occurs is often ambiguous.
As part of this study, it was important to try and ascertain how senior leaders at Central
Commtmity College went about identifying those individuals they would choose to
groom as future leaders of the college. The participants struggled with describing the
attributes or competencies that they recognize from individuals who are ready to advance,
and rarely spoke about the identification process itself. It was hard to sometimes get past
basic platitudes in order to get to concrete examples of what they looked for in future
leaders. The lack of established criteria may in itself be part of the issue in developing

firture leaders. The participant comments were more focused on highly visible and

47

 

possibly less tangible characteristics and actions of potential leaders rather than focused
outcomes or tasks. Dean Simpson summarized the basic approach to recognizing those
with the required skills as, “some of it is just gut, and given the right set of circumstances
somebody shines.” The core competencies as discussed in this section will reference the
areas noted as important predictors by the participants.

The most cited quality was having a positive attitude. Many participants stated
that they would hire someone with the attitude and aptitude over someone with a vast
amount of experience. The issue of attitude also came up in discussions regarding
individuals on staff who are constant complainers. In one instance, Mr. Douglas referred
to a staff member who constantly complains about her tasks and functions. She wonders
why she is not provided opportunities for growth, or new functions. Once someone is
labeled as a complainer, they continue to be passed over for other opportunities. As a
point of comparison, he also mentioned other staff members who go above and beyond
their duties and have very positive attitudes. Mr. Douglas stated that “my doers get a lot
more opportunities.” Dr. Jones, who coordinates human resources, discussed selecting
individuals in two ways which were in contrast. He looks at past behavior and
performance as well as attitude. Dr. Jones said he looks at an individual’s past behavior
(actual work performed, not what they say they did) because “past behavior is the best
predictor of future performance.” Dr. Jones also recommends hiring for attitude over
extensive experience and stated that, “I never hire for experience; I always hire for
potential.”

Ms. Simpson, the Dean of Educational Resources, uses questions like, “Does the

person complete things on deadline? Do they do what they say they are going to do, and

48

follow through on projects and tasks?” There is also a general sense of “trusting your
gut” or just knowing when you have someone who is good. This was described by a
number of the participants. Dean Gade talked about looking for someone who has a good
sense of the whole and understands how firings fit together at the College. He went on to
state that he looks for individuals who “do not talk from, or act from a narrow view and
can see how their academic position fits in to the larger whole. “ Dean Simpson watches
how individuals in her organization interact with others. “Do they have good
communication skills, and do others respond to them?” She looks for informal
leadership, or leadership that rests with the individual within respective settings. Dr.
Jones allows and encourages individuals to grow as fast as they can grow. An example is
a new staff member who was hired to work with grants. The person came in with little
grant experience. Dr. Jones worked with the individual on a couple of initial programs
and the new staff member was a quick study. Based on the staff member’s initiative and
ability to understand the programmatic and institutional requirements, the individual was
soon coordinating all grants, new and continuing.

Dr. Jones reflected on his experiences in leading human resources, feeling that he
has made very few hiring mistakes throughout his career by trusting his instincts and
looking at the “fit” of an individual for a position. One example where he admitted to
being wrong was when it came to Ms. Beal, the Vice President for Business and Finance.
He said that Ms. Beal “is one I had my eyes closed on.” He thought that her K-12
experience would not apply to the needs of Central. Dr. Jones’ spouse encouraged him to
talk to her and he said, “Boy was I wrong. She has been a great fit.” In another example,

he discussed how a staff member in their institutional technology department seemed to

49

struggle and was not performing well. The staff member left the College and years later,
she now manages Central’s IT support contract for an external vendor. Dr. Jones said
that she was given the right environment and experiences beyond the College that
allowed her to “shine”. This points out the fact that recognizing potential is not always
based on all the elements that could lead to success. How individuals within the Central
organization learn the requirements for being selected as a leader is also a question. Dean
Simpson talked about how this can be a struggle. She described one of her staff members
who often gets discounted because they are curt, or seen as prickly. Dean Simpson feels
that sometimes these individuals are discounted too quickly rather than taking the time to
work and develop them. Individuals are sometimes selected, or overlooked based on
factors other than leadership qualities, such as how well they are liked or known. The
informality of the selection process leaves those looking for leadership development

opportunities at a potential disadvantage.

Mentoring.

Mentoring was discussed as a leadership development approach employed by a
number of the participants in growing future leaders. The individual approaches to
mentoring varied from having someone working on a project as a formal assignment, to
being available for questions and feedback. The participants that discussed mentoring
considered it from a perspective of an open dialogue with staff, almost as a coach or
guide. Dean Simpson, the Dean of Educational Resources, reflected on the fact that she
would not have been a good mentor ten years ago. She was too driven and focused on

her daily tasks. She felt that sometimes people (including herself) in their forties view

50

people in their twenties as threats, and work more to protect their area of responsibility
rather than to train or mentor other staff . Given the reorganization of roles and the
collapsing of three deans positions to one, there may have been a feeling that sharing
work and tasks might somehow diminish the importance of her role. Dean Simpson now
feels that she is a very good mentor. She shared the fact that she is now busier than ever
and that change is constant. She discussed how mentoring is important for the
development of others, but at the same time also referred to this as an approach to
meeting key college needs. At the time of the interviews, Dean Simpson was working to
prepare a few individuals within the division for future leadership roles. One of the key
examples of her efforts included taking staff from within organizational units to work on
a key College project such as redesigning orientation. Placing staff in a role to work on a
high profile project allows her to see how they work, think, and act. She said, “it is
important to see how others react to individuals.” For example, when they talk in a group
do others take note of their ideas, or are they receptive to others?

Dr. White, the Senior Vice President, indicated that she is mentoring four or five
individuals at the College to develop their leadership and organizational abilities. She
discussed an example of working closely with a new chair of a department who had little
budget experience, but outstanding knowledge of his discipline. When the candidate
came in to the program, everything was in disarray. She worked with the individual and
hired a temporary accountant to support his budget work. She also discussed different
budget models and approaches and met with him on a regular basis. In addition, Dr.
White supported this individual in going to technology training on spreadsheets. She

spoke proudly of how this individual is now doing outstanding work with his budget and

51

is running a comprehensive cost recovery model and has “turned it (the program) all
around.” It was clear from her comments that she provided both guidance and financial
support in order to assist this individual. The results helped the individual develop as a
leader on the campus, and helped the organization by invigorating the program.

There was a lot of silence when Dean Gade, the Dean of Teaching and Learning
was asked how he develops future leaders. He then stated that, “I make visible what I do
and how I do certain things so as to provide or act as a model for others.” Dean Gade
uses an approach where he models behavior as a method of teaching and mentoring other
faculty and staff. He feels that his role and his actions are very visible to others so he is
very conscious in his thoughts and actions in the hopes that others will pick up on, and
learn from his approach. For example, he has been very active with the academic senate
and governance structures. “Someone might say, ‘I noticed you did something that way,’
and I will respond, ‘good, I am glad that you did.’” He also indicated that he will often
follow with questions to see what others are thinking on an issue. Dean Gade feels that
his behavior, actions, and integrity present a great opportunity for communication and
learning. His words and actions are followed closely, which provides him an opportunity

to teach and mentor others.

Faculty leadership development.

The area of faculty leadership development was mentioned by a number of the
participants, as was the fact that faculty play a key leadership role in the college’s shared
governance system. According to Dr. White, Dean Gade, and Dean Simpson, there are

more formal and structured professional development approaches for faculty than for the

52

 

administrators on campus. This reaction seemed tied more to the fact that the college has
established approaches including resources and a well-defined tenure and promotion
track. In addition, the faculty have a professional development account (PDA) that they
can use for their own needs. This is a pool of money allocated to each individual faculty
member each year by the Central administration. It is not a large sum and ranges from
$400 - $600. The PDA funds were cited by many of the participants as a key institutional
development practice. The money can be used for professional development or to
purchase their own materials such as books or software. This was something concrete
that many participants pointed to as an institutional commitment to professional
development. Dean Gade stated that, “a lot of money is thrown at faculty for developing
courses and programs.” He also went on to add that approaches are really targeted at
developing individuals as teachers and not necessarily for future leadership roles. The
faculty development process is well defined, but also clearly different than that described
for other staff.

According to Dr. White, the college does a good job developing faculty largely
because the tenure process is so clearly defined. When an individual faculty member
comes to the college, there is a clear tenure process. The tenure procedures provide a
promotional track for faculty that works to retain, as well as develop individuals. Dr.
White was also pleased to point out that Central has a tenure process for adjunct faculty
to achieve faculty rank. The faculty promotional process takes into account a number of
issues. The first is of course teaching, but there is also a focus on involvement or
community connections. The clean discussed the role that many faculty play in the

community as part of their professional role. For example, a faculty member may sit on a

53

credit union board, and although this may not be part of the teaching function per se, it is
still getting the Central Community College name out in the community. Another
example included a faculty member who became an expert on Middle Eastern issues
during the Gulf War. He became a resource and worked with the local media to discuss
the issues surrounding the war. So the community experiences are also a means of
professionally developing the individual and the college.

Dr. White discussed the fact that the department chair is another key leadership
role and opportunity for faculty. The chair position helps facilitate the relationship
between the faculty and the administration, and is a key development opportunity. The
chair position can be drawn upon as administrative talent pool. In fact, Dr. White
selected the chair of the Social Science department as her new Dean of Learning Support
Services. The chair role presents an opportunity, but can equally pose organizational
challenges when it comes to filling these positions. Dean Gade discussed a pending crisis
coming up in one of his units related to having one of the eight division chairs wanting to
leave before the end of her three year term.‘ Dean Gade indicated that the current chair no
longer plans to serve after this academic year. The chair was doing an effective job and
was the choice of the department to continue. Dean Gade did a straw poll of the
department to see who might be interested in succeeding as chair and received mixed
results. There was no clear winner, and furthermore, of those with a number of votes,
none appeared ready to step into the role based on Dean Gade’s assessment.

The good news, according to Gade, was that there was interest by some faculty in
becoming the new division chair and that probably in a year or so, the candidates might

be ready. Usually the new chair is selected an entire year in advance and they spend that

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year shadowing the current chair. Gade thinks this is a great training and mentoring
opportunity. Due to the current crisis, the dean convinced the current chair to serve three
additional years, the core term for a chair. Dean Gade stated that, “I will work with the
individuals what are interested and they may be ready in a year.” During that year, he will
work with those who expressed an interest in the position to have someone ready for the
role. This time will be used to review the roles and responsibilities of the chair role with
those individuals. Training will include work on developing budgets and other
administrative functions. The clean discussed his frustration in filling the chair role, and
the larger question of faculty moving to administrative roles. He said, “IfI ran an interest
session with faculty about how they can move to administrative roles, I would be
surprised if many would attend.” At least some of the participants felt there is
considerable reluctance to move from the faculty role to chair, let alone moving on to
larger leadership and administrative positions across the College. This is clearly a
concern of Dean Gade and Dr. White, given that faculty chairs are key leaders on campus
and a potential pool for future administrative roles.

The faculty chair role also presented some areas of concern regarding the overall
selection and tenure of individuals in these roles. As previously noted, there can be some
unique challenges when it comes to filling the faculty chair roles. According to Dean
Gade, the approaches utilized throughout the faculty units varied when selecting a chair.
Some departments had much more formal approaches with a clear path to succession and
others seemed to have very little structure. There are also mixed feelings among the
participants about the length of a chair’s tenure. Dean Gade, Dean of Teaching and

Learning, served as chair for 18 years and does not support the three-year limit. His

55

philosophy is that a chair should be able to remain chair for as long as they are effective
in that role. But for most, including Dr. White, the Senior Vice President, there was a
feeling that a chair could only serve three years. This was supported in comments made
by both Dean Simpson, who coordinates student services, and Dr. Jones, who coordinates
human resources. If someone is chair in an applied area for too long, they felt it is
possible to lose touch with the most recent technology or manufacturing method in one’s
discipline. This is why the three-year term is the norm.

There were also differences in the chair role across the disciplines in how
individuals ascend, or are selected for the roles. Gade discussed that the Math
department almost has a royalty type approach. They know who is going to “succeed to
the throne”. Sometimes there is a hint of favoritism from cliques within units. In other
areas, there is a critical need for individuals to serve as chair and it is hard to identify
individuals willing to serve. In these units, the chair role is sometimes seen as a
necessary evil. Dean Gade feels that there is a common understanding that, “faculty do
not want to be supervised by administrators, so chairs are like super charged faculty.”

The chair role is seen by many participants as a key leadership development
opportunity and is valued by the organization. At the same time, it does not always
appear to be a role desired by faculty. There are a number of tensions inherent in the
selection process within a unit that may make it hard for individuals to navigate the
process so they may opt out. These include the duration of the appointment, the insular
nature of selecting future chairs, and encountering a strong culture or clique within their

discipline.

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Continuing education and community involvement.

A number of the participants encouraged individuals to pursue continuing
education and community leadership experiences as a means of professional and
leadership development. Continuing education was seen as a means to develop
individually and as a way to be viewed as a potential leader in the organization. For
example, Dean Simpson works with a number of staff on their master’s thesis projects.

In fact, she was working with a staff member in counseling on their master’s thesis at the
time of the study. Many participants also support continuing education as a form of
individual leadership development for their staff. Mr. Douglas allows his staff flexible
schedules and time off in order to pursue continuing education. Again, I think education
is something that the participants know from their career paths and backgrounds and so it
is valued in developing leaders.

Central also encourages participation in professional associations and community
projects. Mr. Douglas, for example, is a member of the Elks Lodge, an activity supported
by the College. It allows him to connect with other members of the community. While I
was on campus, Mr. Douglas introduced me to some of his staff and reminded two of
them about their upcoming lunch meeting at the Lodge. It did not appear that the College
was advocating for specific agencies or groups, however, staff were encouraged to get
involved within the community in some way. Mr. Douglas as a leader encourages his
staff to participate in activities as a development experience. Faculty are also encouraged
to serve in the community. Dean Gade discussed how one faculty member serves on a
credit union board. Dean Simpson also discussed her role as the director of the local

planetarium as a community and college connection. This is a means to get the College

57

name out in the community, but also to provide leadership and enrichment experiences

for the individual staff member.

Summag of leadership development - individual practices.

This section reviewed the individual leadership development approaches
employed by each of the participants in their respective roles. Individual participants
voiced personal approaches that kept them current within their respective field that were,
for the most part, tied to external agencies or sources. When it came to looking at how
individuals were selected for leadership opportunities, there was a reliance on factors that
may be more subjective in nature. The most cited factor was having a positive attitude.
Mentoring was also expressed as a way to develop individuals within the organization.
The approaches varied widely from a comprehensive approach to that of a modeling
approach. Faculty leadership development was also discussed by a number of the
participants as an individual practice. The faculty participate actively as leaders in the
College governance systems and lead as divisional chairs. As such, they are often seen as
a potential pool of administrative leaders. This presents a challenge given that many
have no interest in moving in to administrative roles. The focus on education and
community involvement was also noted by participants as means of developing
leadership. This was an approach to developing leadership related to their own personal
experiences so it was perhaps easier for the participants to discuss. The overall process
of selecting and developing leaders was largely “ad hoc” and informal. Perhaps as a
result, it was often difficult for leaders to discuss their approaches and practices

concretely.

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Leadership Development - Organizational Practices

The individual leadership development practices employed by the participants in
this study were detailed previously. This section discusses practices and processes
employed by Central that are more organizationally based. The practices come from the
human resources department or other more formal college structures and take into
account processes such as evaluation systems, the review of job descriptions, and training
provided by the organization.

The organization makes a number of leadership development activities available
for staff. These activities center on issues that would benefit the organization, but may
also help individuals develop. For example, Dean Simpson stated that the college
recently had 197 staff go through the FISH customer service training and that she had
gone through Covey training herself. Dr. White reiterated the stated purpose of the
Covey and FISH philosophies as ways to help people understand their role within the
institution and to build commitment to the College’s mission principles inherent in the
human resources perspective (Kouzes & Posner, 1995). This FISH philosophy embraces
a strong customer service orientation based on the Seattle Fish Market model. The
Covey training was tied to the “Seven Habits of High Effective People.” She felt that
these were well received by attendees. So, although there is personal benefit to staff from
these activities, their orientation is to promote member commitment to the College so
have been categorized as “organizational approaches” to professional development.

Dr. White said that she is “really into” training and professional development,

especially opportunities focused on “what does it mean to be a learning centered

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institution?” Dr. White feels the organization “makes an effort” to have leadership
development programming available to the campus through the human resources
department. . This may include anything from a series of video tapes (Appendix D)
ranging from “How to Supervise People” to “Planning and Prioritizing for High
Performance” to working closely with the college’s corporate services center to develop
customized training. Dr. White may have used the phrase “making an effort” because she
did not indicate that Central, as an organization, takes a very active approach to
leadership development, and that items were simply made available in a very passive
fashion. Dr. White offered that there are not as many formal leadership development
activities for professional staff as for faculty. She felt that more could be done to
strengthen supervisory training, including giving people a “tool box” of things that they
could use as a leader.

Many of the participants discussed looking externally at professional associations
for activities and for leadership development content providers. Dr. Jones, who
coordinates human resources, stated that there are staff workshops on “how to be a good
supervisor” and that the institution sends staff to the state Community College
Association’s leadership development program. Dean Simpson felt that Central does a
good job of encouraging staff to network with other colleges in order to develop
knowledge within their field and to bring information back to the campus. At the same
time, she felt that the college should be doing more on the principles of leadership such
as working on teams, or how to run a meeting. “We haven’t done too much (training on

leadership) and we do more lip-service to it than true development.”

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Growth assigpments and projects.

This section reviews some of the ways the participants discussed developing other
staff as future leaders. Most frequently, these approaches included providing staff the
opportunity and encouragement to work within the college governance structure or on
specific projects as required by the organization. These practices were predicated by a
specific organizational need, or sometimes, even a crisis. Other approaches included
formal leadership opportunities such as serving as an interim director. The participants
discussed how there are both formal and informal leadership development opportunities
available throughout the organization, but acknowledged there were limits to what the
organization can do, given available resources and positions. Most of the participants said
it was beneficial to find individuals who are interested in growing within the
organization. Ms. Beal shared that it is often a relief to find people with leadership
attributes, and it is not hard to find experiences for staff because there is always work to
be done.

Participants discussed looking at developmental assignments or projects as a
method for developing leadership. Dean Simpson spoke about a recent example in which
she chaired a college-wide group to work on Central’s orientation program. The group
had a number of discussions but made little progress towards improving orientation
They had some interest in retooling their programs, but Dean Simpson felt it was really
just a regeneration of old ideas. The Dean disbanded the group and thanked them for all
their hard work. She then took a different tact and selected two individuals at levels
below the director to look at orientation. Dean Simpson selected a counselor and an

academic advisor whom she felt had the perspective to really impact orientation. Their

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directors were immediately concerned because they were not involved in the process, but
the Dean felt that these two individuals had the passion and drive to create some new
ideas for the program. She has been spending some time with them and steered them
towards some best practices and is hoping for an entirely new process. These two
individuals have now taken the lead on developing new approaches to orientation and
have been researching models on the World Wide Web. Dean Simpson meets with them
on a regular basis and said they will be responsible for developing models and
approaches to bring back to the larger campus. This is an example of looking deeper
within the organization for leaders, and matching them with opportunities for growth.
The College governance structure was mentioned as another key staff leadership
development opportunity. Most of the participants discussed encouraging staff to
become involved with committees or groups. Dean Simpson discussed the importance of
being known on the campus as well as the individual benefits of gaining exposure to the
issues facing the entire College. Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and Records
also felt that the College governance structure is a great way to become connected within
the campus. Participating in governance broadens the individual’s perspective beyond
their department or unit. More importantly, it helps individuals become known at the
College, which was noted as highly important within the culture. In addition, a number
of the participants discussed how important it is to see individuals work and interact with
others, and the shared governance structure provides a venue for this. Dean Simpson
said, “I watch how they work in a group. When they talk, do others listen? Are their

ideas embraced?”

62

Mr. Douglas discussed his approach of supporting staff to run for positions on the
“power” committees such as the College Calendar Committee and the Senate
Publications Committee within the shared governance system. These groups guide the
creation of the academic calendar as well as direct the information flow to campus.

These committees are key to service areas that Mr. Douglas supervises [admissions and
enrollment] so his staff participation meets both his departmental needs and as well as the
goal of individual employee development. He encourages this participation for two
reasons: roles on these committees help individuals develop as leaders within the college
decision making structures, and supporting this participation helps individuals connect to
the larger campus, or to be “known” outside of their immediate role or department.
Participating also helps individuals understand the institution including its culture, which
will be discussed in greater detail later in this chapter. Mr. Douglas said that he
personally served in a number of different capacities on these groups as well as ad hoc
committees, which he feels gave him great exposure and opportunities within the campus.
So one’s perspective on how to promote professional development of others seems

shaped at least in part by one’s own experiences

Interim appointments.

The use of interim appointments as professional development strategies was
discussed at length by many participants as ways to both meet organizational needs and
to develop individual leaders. Ms. Beal stated that, “interim appointments are an
opportunity to promote an individual’s leadership skills.” Interim or acting appointments

are often used when the College has to address the sudden loss of a key leader or if any

63

vacancy occurs in an area in critical need of leadership. When these situations occur, a
formal review of the organization needs takes place followed by a determination of
whether any College employees meet the core job functions. If so, then an interim
appointment will be made. Dr. White, the Senior Vice President, stated that she even
used the interim appointment to offset her lack of teaching experience. She worked to
appoint faculty to interim roles in her key dean positions in order to bridge this need
when she first arrived at Central; one of these positions was held by Dean Gade. The
roles later became a permanent part of the organization. In another case, Dr. Jones, the
Executive Director of Administration, was the Interim Director of Institutional Research
early in his Central career and later became the permanent director. Interim positions can
provide a valuable leadership development experience and can lead to permanent roles.
The interim appointment is used at Central Community College to meet a short-
term leadership situation of usually a year or less. For example, Dean Simpson reviewed
a case where they had an individual who went out on a medical leave. The departmental
function and leadership role needed to continue, so a candidate was appointed as interim
to serve in this role. There was general concern noted by some that a candidate may
perceive that a job is theirs permanently when appointed as an interim, especially because
this has occurred at the College as noted in examples already given. This may be a false
expectation and can lead to issues like lost productivity or individuals leaving the College
should they not get the role. Dr. Jones reiterated that Central College could have some
legal exposure if someone performing an interim role does not get the position on a
permanent basis. They may feel that there was an implied promise of a role, and that the

institution failed them by not granting them the role on a permanent status. Ms. Beal, the

Vice President for Business and Finance, raised the question of, “how do you migrate
them back in the organization” if they do not get a role on a permanent basis. In the end,
clear expectations about the appointment were important to participants.

Dr. White mentioned that interim appointments are often used to buy the
organization time. For example, it may be necessary to complete an assessment of a
given area prior to solidifying any position. Assessment may lead to reorganization or
realignment of functions, which can lead to a totally new position. Mr. Douglas served as
the Interim Director of Admissions, Records, and Registration for approximately a year.
This was done because the individual leading registration functions left the institution.
During that period Mr. Douglas found that the role was too broad to manage all of those
fimctions, so the records area remained with him, and the registration functions were
moved to the Director of Financial Aid. His role and title then became permanent. This
example shows how interim appointments may be conducive to retaining flexibility as the
organization evaluates new structures and functions, even as they provide leadership
development opportunities for individuals holding them.

Finally, the institution may use the interim role to see if an individual truly has the
skill set to take on a new role or to determine if there is a fit between person and position.
There was also some discussion about how the interim role can sometimes set someone
up to fail. Dr. White indicated that individuals in interim roles are often perceived as
being there to maintain the status quo, so it is hard to impact significant change and the
interim may therefore, not be seen as a competent leader. Dean Simpson talked about
how, in her mind, “the jury is still out” on interim appointments. Although interim

appointments were a frequent strategy at Central, the majority of the participants had

65

mixed feelings about them. At the same time, it is interesting to note that three of the
participants in the study had served as interim leaders and then were appointed the

positions permanently.

Vacancies and roles.

Apart from interim positions, the participants discussed a number of other ways to
look at filling roles. These approaches allowed them to get a better perspective of the
organizational needs as well as an opportunity to interact closely with and assess the
potential of the staff in various units. Dean Simpson and Dr. White discussed filling in
themselves in a vacancy in order to better assess the leadership needs, rather than using
an interim appointment. This was done to get a first-hand assessment of the needs and
functions of the role as well as to understand the needs of the staff. Dean Simpson spent
time as the Director of Financial Aid and Dr. Jones has done this both as a grant writer
and in human resources department positions. Dr. Jones related an experience when
there was considerable discord in human resources, and he told his staff that they needed
to work it out or he was going to “move in to the department.” They continued to
struggle, so he moved in. This allowed him to get a good, first-hand perspective of the
needs of the role, as well as the individuals within the unit. Dr. White spoke of using an
evaluative process when someone leaves the institution. She begins by interviewing the
person who is leaving, as well as those who work with them. This gives her a good
understanding of their role and the needs of the unit. Mr. Douglas stated that, “as a
manager, it (a vacancy) is a great opportunity to do some restructuring.” He indicated

that leaders at Central have more flexibility to be creative and discuss job restructuring

66

since they do not have unions. Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and Records,
said that he usually works to reassign fimctions internally when someone leaves.

Central Community College uses a formal process to determine the steps taken for
addressing vacancies. This begins with a review of the position information
questionnaire (PIQ), a detailed job description noted as Appendix C. This director or
leader of an area would evaluate the PIQ to see if the requirements meet the current needs
of the organization or if it should be changed. The director or executive makes a
recommendation that is taken to the executive leadership council, consisting of the deans
and vice presidents. For the most part, the requests are approved. Internal candidates can
be moved into a role as long as they do not go up more than two levels. This can happen
without a formal search or interview process. This provides a promotional track within
the College and presents a way to develop and maintain leadership within the institution.

Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and Records, discussed how he had
restructured some roles within his unit in order to have better coordination of functions.
This happened when one of his support staff left the college for an extended medical
leave and did not return to the College. The Admissions and Records areas have so many
functional units, he felt there was a need to have an individual role to support and lead
each of those functions. Mr. Douglas proposed creating a manager role to his superior,
Dean Simpson. Mr. Douglas seems to take this approach in part due to his expanded role
and responsibilities. The new administrative professional position was approved, and
now coordinates one of the core functions of the unit. Mr. Douglas was able to promote
Trevor, one of his high performing admission representatives into this position. Trevor

leads the veteran student service functions at Central. Mr. Douglas hopes that the

67

coordinator position will be a logical leadership development opportunity for staff in
preparation for taking over his position when he retires. Throughout the interviews, there
was a lot of discussion about reorganizing roles and functions, and the importance of
“growing” individuals to develop leadership skills through position growth in covering
organizational needs.

Dr. White talked about the need to take some people outside of their comfort zone
to stretch, or expand their capabilities. Central Community College seems to have an
internally focused practice or philosophy which requires leaders to critically review roles
and functions internally when vacancies or organizational needs arise. This supports the
development of individuals within the organization. The PIQ is the formal component of
this process, however, a number of the participants talked about having considerable
flexibility in addressing organizational needs. Two of the participants who have taken
more creative approaches in developing staff roles were Mr. Douglas and Dr. Jones. It is
interesting to note that they have jobs that have evolved with the needs of the
organization and their given skill sets. They continued to have functions added to their
positions over time, which has expanded their leadership opportunities. They were not
required to interview, nor did the College post for any of these changes.

The reassignment of functions was discussed as a leadership development strategy
by most of the participants and seemed to be a common approach at Central. The
commonality is based on need for the work or function to continue. There was a
propensity to look within in order to meet key needs. Breaking down a vacancy or
position into a series of component parts is another approach employed by some of the

participants. This example was discussed by Ms. Beal. When one of her key leaders

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leaves, she may take on parts of their role, and then determine if others in her units can
take on additional functions. She would then assign the various responsibilities to others
within her departments. This decomposition and redistribution of fimctions was
expressed by Ms. Beal as, “we have a way of pulling together to get things done; it is just
expected.” There was some discussion about the ripple effect of these changes. As some
leaders or staff members take on more functions, so do their subordinates, and so on with
a goal of keeping the work or the organization going.

The institution at certain times may make a quick decision of whether to post
externally for a new hire or not. There may be a critical leadership need, or lack of a
representative pool within the campus, so a decision is made to do an external posting.
For example, Mr. Douglas expressed a need to go outside of the institution to hire a
minority recruiter. He felt that the organization needed the representation and diversity
of someone from outside of the institution. He also discussed the fact that this position
would work directly with high school students so professional age and rapport with high
school students was important. For these reasons he felt that he needed a broader pool,
which required posting outside of the institution. This need was supported by the
administration and he was allowed to post and fill the position. This was the only
discussion of an external posting by any of the participants.

Although there are divergent paths taken when it comes to filling vacancies,
everyone discussed assessing the need for the position, assessing the skill set of those
already within the organization, and determining how the rest of the unit may be
impacted. Ms. Beal perhaps characterized this process the best in saying that,

“maintaining the status quo [with a position] is almost suspect” when it comes to looking

69

at vacancies and organizational needs. She balanced this comment by stating that the
College is sometimes too internally focused and could use some experience from outside
the institution; at some point there becomes a limit to what can be done using only those
already within the institution and external hires become necessary. On the other hand,
most participants often discussed going outside of the institution only as a last resort.
They were seemingly content with the flexibility and creativity in being able to

restructure and fill roles internally.

Positional limits and challenges.

Although vacancies and roles present opportunities for individuals, there are also
a number of challenges facing the organization when it comes to providing leadership
opportunities. The stability and tenure of leadership in the organization was mentioned
related to the limited mobility within the college. Dean Simpson who has been with
Central for more than thirty years stated that, “we have not had a lot of tum-over.” This
is a key issue within the study given the retirements projected within the community
college sector. Dr. White, the Senior Vice President, talked about the fact that there is
only one director in an area, which means that upward mobility may be limited unless
individuals choose to leave the institution. Dr. White gave the following example. A
staff member is hired as a financial aid advisor, which is an administrative professional
position. They express an interest in leadership development activities at the College and
an action plan is worked out with the staff member to provide those opportunities. The
financial aid advisor excels in those activities and feels ready to advance with the

organization, but there is nowhere to move up unless the director leaves. At the same

70

time, Ms. Beal, the Vice President for Business and Finance thought it would be hard for
the College to do much more organizationally in terms of professional development of
future leaders, given the current composition of the administration as well as overall
financial constraints.

Dr. Jones, who coordinates human resources, said that Central Community
College has never come up with a way of having career paths, or lines of advancement
for staff. It is something that was discussed when he started at the institution and he
stated that, “it will probably still be discussed when I leave.” Dr. Jones discussed his
support of a model that has one band of staff. Then within the staff grouping there would
be varying levels depending on skills of the individuals and the needs of the organization.
Jones’ model does not have support and administrative professional distinctions, and
allows growth in levels as the needs of individuals and the organization change. It was
not clear whether this would address the long-term needs of individual career growth,

which Dr. Jones so frequently tied to a titled position.

Summagy of leadership development - organizational practices.

There are a number of approaches employed by the Central Community College
designed to develop future leaders of the organization. In many cases, participants
described the organizational approaches to leadership development and succession as
reactive or “ad hoc”. The work is intends to address a specific organizational need or
gap, focusing first on the need, then moving to an assessment of individuals.
Organizational practices described by the participants included the formal training

programs available through the College’s Human Resources Department, including the

71

bank of videos available to staff. Other strategies included getting individuals engaged in
the College governance structures. This was seen as a good way for individuals to get a
better understanding of the campus as well as their own roles. There were also extensive
discussions about the use of interim appointments as well as how the College approaches
vacancies as related to leadership development. There is definitely an internally focused
perspective, which encourages looking at the needs of the organization, the role, and then
working to find someone from within the College’s labor market to meet these needs.
Formal organizational approaches such as the position information questionnaire and the
performance management system were reviewed as ways of supporting Central’s
commitment to individuals and their leadership development. The general response from
the participants was that Central could be doing a lot more when it comes to developing
leaders. Many felt that organizational structures were simply made available, and that

more could be done to promote participation and individual development.

Human Resources Framework

The human resources framework provides a theoretical framework to look at
some of the issues taking place at Central Community College. The primary focus of the
theory is the dependency of the organization on individuals. Specifically, the human
resources framework helps us look at the interaction of individuals and the larger
organization. The human resources framework supports the stance that organizations
exist to serve individuals (Bolman and Deal, 1991). There are a number of tensions,
however, that arise between individuals and the organization when it comes to leadership

development at Central College. This is especially clear when looking at the ways in

72

which the Central Community College interacts with those new to the campus. There is
clearly an internal focus within the setting when it comes to meeting organizational
needs. In this section we will begin with a review of the Central Community College
culture. This will help place the interpersonal dynamics in perspective. There will then
be a discussion of empowerment of staff. There has been discussion throughout this case
of the “Central Way” of restructuring or morphing roles, which is often cited as a way of
enriching jobs and investing in individuals within the organization (Morgan, 1997). This

section will help further illustrate the interaction of individuals and the organization.

Central culture.

The organizational culture was not a focus of this study, however, it was an area
noted by a number of the participants, and fits within the individual and organizational
interaction of the human resources framework. There was a lot of discussion regarding
the internal focus at Central when it came to looking at vacancies, needs, and roles. The
issues were presented as a matter of culture by the participants. It was apparent that a
number of participants felt that the institution and organization has a very internally
focused approach in reacting to employees and work. This was seen both positively and
negatively. Vice President Beal referred to the “Central family” when she talked about
the institution. She shared that, “we have a culture where we are all in this together,
which makes this a great place to work.” This comment captured the small and connected
nature of the College.

Dean Gade mentioned that many people coming from outside the institution have

“trouble fitting into the culture. . .. [There is an] unintentional consequence that people

73

have this feeling that they are not part of the group.” Dean Gade mentioned how his
predecessor was known as “Dr. Grievance” because he had so much difficulty working
with the faculty during his three-year tenure. His comments characterized “Dr.
Grievance” as an outsider. Dean Gade referred to this individual, as well Dr. White, his
new supervisor who also came from outside Central College, as resume builders. This is
in contrast to his own long tenure within the College. Dean Gade reported having shared
this concern with the president during the hiring process for Dr. White, and the president
replied, “We can’t stop this [using positions as stepping stones]. There are so many jobs
and so few well qualified candidates.” Dr. Gade’s words suggest that he is perhaps a
harsher judge of external candidates, and perhaps not welcoming of new candidates. This
may be a symptom of how the larger culture treats newcomers. The fact that “resume
builder” was conveyed with a negative meaning is informative. From other perspectives,
a set of strong experiences could also be viewed as an asset to the organization and a way
to help strengthen the College.

It is apparent that Dr. White has experienced the difficulty of being accepted into
the culture or the organization as she reflected on her position as Senior Vice President.
She felt that ideally, the organization should have been able to fill her position internally.
Dr. White said, “To me, it is almost like two strikes against you to bring somebody from
outside because Central has such a strong culture.” Throughout her interview, Dr. White
seemed to imply that her experiences have been less than ideal, in part because of being
perceived as an outsider to a strong internal culture. She indicated that, “I am not sure I
was the best candidate for the position.” These feelings also provided a strong impetus to

fill her key dean positions with internal candidates to help her bridge the college

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environment. Dr. White summarized her thoughts by stating that, “I would say that I
understand Central Community College. I wouldn’t say that my philosophy fits altogether
(with Central), but I am learning to adapt.”

Dr. White’s comments were revealing and again point to a largely internally
focused labor market or culture. This was confirmed by Vice President Beal who stated
that, “I feel sometimes we find leaders from within to our own detriment.” Ms. Beal
discussed how people with good skills and leadership qualities can move from
organization to organization. This fits with her background of coming out of business
and K-12 educational settings to her current role. Next to Dr. White, she was the
participant with the least amount of tenure with Central.

The culture plays a key factor within leadership development of the overall
organization at Central College. Participants present this almost as a “Catch 22”. In
order to be a key member of the “Central” family, it takes time, actions, and being
known. This is especially difficult if a new leader comes in to the campus to effect
change and is met with resistance from the existing staff and the shared governance
system. The culture can be supportive of developing leaders within the setting, but
gaining access may prove challenging for newer staff. This is a major tension within the
case and the insider versus outsider situation may only loom larger with retirements in

absence of pools of ready talent within the organization.

Empowerment of staff.

The human resources perspective values people and works to empower staff by

enlarging and enriching jobs and roles (Bensimon, Neumann, & Bimbaum, 1989;

75

Morgan, 1997). In addition, morphing and expanding responsibilities provides
individuals the experiences to develop their leadership by taking more active roles in
resolving issues. A number of the participants talked about employing learning
approaches that would empower individuals within their roles, such as providing
feedback to staff and asking probing questions of individuals in order to work out their
own solutions. Ms. Beal, the Vice President of Business and Finance, talked about
encouraging and pushing her staff to be independent thinkers. For example, she may
assign a project with a clear outcome, but provide little direction in order to leave the
process for getting there up to the individual. She feels that this method provides a good
learning experience for the staff and develops their abilities.

Dr. White also talked about leadership development approaches focused on
empowering the staff because she feels that all staff within the organization can be
leaders if they are exposed to the right experiences. She discussed her first career
experiences coming out of completing her undergraduate degree as an example. Dr.
White majored in dance and art history and felt that it might be good to get a certificate in
office technology. After completing this, she started working in a data processing
support role. Experiences throughout her career moving up from support staff to her
current position helped formalize her belief that all staff have the ability to be leaders.
Dr. White feels that it is her role to encourage individuals to develop as leaders. Her
message seems to focus on assisting those that are interested in such experiences. She
mentioned how she has discussions with her staff regarding their future goals and, where
they want to be. If someone is interested, she will work to find opportunities to fit with

their needs.

76

Dr. White said that she allows people the opportunity to make their own mistakes
and utilizes a probing, or questioning approach to teach and empower staff. For example,
Dr. White has the staff who report directly to her set the agenda for their weekly
meetings. This way, they take ownership and lead the discussion on issues. She feels
that this develops their leadership by facilitating planning, direction, and understanding
of the needs of the College. Dr. White also feels that people need a place where they feel
free to communicate and are supported in a “safe environment”. To this end, she has an
“open door” policy and discussed the importance of giving feedback, “lots and lots of
feedback.” Ms. Beal takes a similar approach by encouraging her staff to solve their own
problems. Ms. Beal discussed her approach of staying hands off, but without letting
people flounder. Dean Gade utilizes a questioning approach while working with faculty
on teaching issues, saying that, “I always ask, ‘what do you do for the students?’” Gade
believes this keeps individuals reflecting on their teaching, relative to student
experiences. These methods were shared as means of developing staff and helping them
become more able to make leadership decisions.

The value of empowerment, encouragement, and providing feedback were seen as
key to some participants given that they felt this was lacking in their own development.
They were also areas in which a number of the participants felt that the College could
improve. Dean Simpson, Dr. White, and Ms. Beal felt that the College needs to do more
with informal feedback and support. Dr. White talked about giving people a “safe haven”

where they can communicate on issues.

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Leadership Succession and the Future

The core research focus of this study has been on how individuals develop
themselves and others in their organization. In this section, I relate some of the
leadership perspectives of the participants in looking at succession and the future needs
of Central Community College. All the participants are interested in this issue and
struggled at times to articulate their approaches. The commitment to the long-term
strength and leadership of the College came forward when I asked each to think about
their own leadership development; and has been demonstrated throughout the approaches
described in the research findings. The group of participants with twenty or more years
with the organization seemed to be thinking about ways to position individuals to move
into their roles. All the participants were quick to point out that Central Community
College does not have a formal leadership development program, but that they wanted to
help the institution be prepared once they actually left or retired. Dr. White, the newest
member of the group, also talked about approaches that would try to leave the college at
least “two deep in any position” in order to provide coverage for the organization. This
seemed to be more of an ideal target than a supported approach. The theme of
organizational strength and leaving a legacy emerged when the participants were asked
about their own leadership development and future professional plans. The individuals in
the group with twenty plus years of tenure indicated that they plan to retire from Central
Community College; and that they do not expect to have employment at other colleges
before they retire. A couple said they would consider different leadership roles if asked,

but that they love what they do and are dedicated to Central. This question really turned

78

into a focus on the future in preparing staff to meet leadership and organizational
demands.

Dean Gade stated that he has a number of plans that he would like to move
forward at the institution, since he has the overwhelming support of the faculty. These
include issues like retooling courses and establishing a program review process. Dr.
Jones echoed these sentiments, indicating that his plans were focused on preparing his
staff to take on new functions. This type of planning discussion happened in the
interviews with Dean Gade, Dr. Jones, and Dean Simpson. All three of these individuals
have thirty or greater years at the institution. Mr. Douglas, with twenty-two years of
tenure, also discussed approaches that would position staff to assume his responsibilities
upon his retirement. These Central College senior administrators are looking for and
employing leadership development approaches or training that will better assist them in
preparing others to lead the institution into the future. Without question there was a
concern about the long-term strength of the organization and the leadership therein. This
paralleled the concern about leadership development approaches and succession.

The way in which positions have transitioned over time based on the needs of the
organization and individual skill sets makes a strategy to filling a need difficult. Dr.
Jones describes his role as a very interesting example of the phenomenon of morphing
positions at the College. It is one that has been built around his skill sets and the
organizational needs created over time. Dr. Jones has been eligible to retire for the past
five years. When asked if he thought Central could or should post for a position like his,
he felt they could not and he would never recommend it. Dr. Jones indicated that so

many of his responsibilities centered on his skill sets that it would be difficult to post for

79

such a role given the diversity of these requirements. In addition, he felt that most of his
job functions could be absorbed throughout the College with the appropriate development
of staff. He also said that he was not sure how this would work because the president
likes having him as a buffer on issues. Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and
Records, and Dean Simpson also have roles that were expanded over time through the
collapsing of positions to meet organizational needs. These cases point out the
importance of having individuals prepared to meet leadership roles across the
organization. It also points out the need for a careful organizational review of positions
which have evolved over time prior to re-filling them.

Many participants expressed a general desire to keep the organization going by
positioning others for leadership roles. Will Central Community College have internal
staff prepared for the leadership roles of the future? Dean Gade feels that there are staff
within the organization that are ready to fill his role and that a number of the division
chairs have the skills to step forward as deans. This statement is somewhat contradictory,
given his earlier concern about a limited desire on the part of faculty to move into
administrative ranks

Dr. White’s experiences present a different perspective on leader succession. She
was hired as the Senior Vice President with the understanding that student and academic
affairs would ultimately be merging upon the retirement of the Vice President for Student
Services. This retirement has been expected for each of the past two academic years.

The merger remains an open question for the College and the Senior Vice President.
Participants had different opinions as to whether or not there are staff from both the

academic and student services divisions prepared, or in preparation to succeed to

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leadership roles if the merger goes forward. The recent selection of internal candidates to
fill key leadership roles in academic affairs [the Dean of Teaching and Learning and the
Dean of Technology] leads to the perception that certain individuals within the academic
units are prepared for leadership roles. Succession was something many of the
participants discussed due to the informal nature of leadership development practices

coupled with potential change of organizational structures.

Summag

The findings indicate that there are a number of approaches used at Central to
develop future leaders. The most commonly stated leadership development activity was
getting individuals more exposure within the campus community. In the case of Central,
this means working with the shared governance structure of faculty and staff Senate.
This body plays a key role in decision making within the campus and provided many
opportunities for campus visibility, understandings, and networking. Participants
discussed leadership development approaches they used such as mentoring, as well as
assigning individuals to various projects or tasks in order to provide a framework for
growth. The philosophical approach of empowering staff was also mentioned. This
included use of a probing or questioning style of interacting with subordinates, which
related directly to teaching and learning constructs. Finally, staff are sometimes assigned
to leadership roles or positions created by vacancies as a method of developing their
skills.

Restructuring roles works to connect both individual and organizational needs and

seems to be the norm within Central College. This fits directly within the human

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resources framework, which embraces job and task restructuring to enrich the work
environment for the individual, but also support the needs of the organization (Bolman
and Deal, 1997). Central has developed formal processes such as the review cycles for
positions (performance information questionnaires) as well as the performance-based
management system for all administrative and professional staff at the College. At the
same time, the tension for many of the leaders appears to be a result of the lack of
formality with the most of the leadership development methods and the absence of any
formal plan. Mr. Douglas captured the spirit of leadership development at Central
Community College by saying it is “ad hoc and we do it as we go along. Central has
never had a formal grow your own program.” Dr. White stated that, “you will not find
anything in writing when it comes to leadership development at Central Community
College.”

One of the struggles noted on the academic side of the institution was in finding
those with an interest in moving into administrative roles. This struggle may explain the
participant interest in more formal approaches to leadership development. Dr. Jones who
coordinate human resources summed this desire up by stating that, “I wish we had some
kind of career path for everyone. They were talking about this when I came here, I am
still talking about this, and people will probably still be doing this ten years from now.”
There were many practices described by the participants to meet leadership development
goals that came out of both individual and organizational concerns. Although the
participants struggled to talk deeply about some of the questions posed in this study, they
were able to detail some actions that they hope will develop individuals as leaders and

contribute to the long-term strength of the organization.

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Chapter 5.
Discussion and Recommendations

Community colleges are facing a series of critical leadership issues. How do
community colleges develop leadership to meet the challenges ahead? This study focuses
on leadership development and succession planning in a single community college setting
as it relates to the following questions:

1. What processes and practices are used to develop future leaders?

2. What are the tensions between the needs of the individual and the needs of the

organization?

3. What are the challenges of succession planning?
The responses and insight gained from the participants in this study show that there is a
need and interest in leadership development planning and practices. When reviewing the
literature on leadership development in community colleges, there seemed to be a lack of
a comprehensive or integrated approach to balance individual and organizational needs
(McDade, 1991). The participants in this study discussed ways in which they work to
meet this balance, however, when it comes to leadership development, there were no easy
answers. Many current and potential community college leaders are fast approaching
retirement (McClenny, 2001). Central Community College is struggling with these same
issues, so many of the findings of this study mirror themes found within the literature
review and support this concern. This chapter reviews the overall research findings
relative to the core themes and practices carried out at Central Community College, and
relates them to the information from the literature review to answer the core research

questions. I begin with an overview of the Central Community College context relevant

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to my research questions. I then describe the primary leadership development practices
including job and task redesign, culture, mentoring, education, core competencies, career
paths, faculty development, and growth assignments. The role of organizational culture in
leadership development, known as the “Central Way”, is discussed. The chapter ends

with recommendations for future research.

Discussion of Kg! Findings]

This section discusses key research findings of the study as they relate back to the
literature. As was suggested in the literature, leadership development and succession
practices focused both on individual and organizational needs, and were a combination of
formal and informal processes, with a heavier reliance on the latter. Some general
observations from the data provide a context for the rest of this discussion.

One of the issues noted in the business literature review was the use of more
formal approaches to succession planning and leadership development (Eastman, 1995;
Rothwell, 2000)). A central driver for this concern was the thought that loyalty was a
relic of the past due to lay-offs and reductions in the 1990’s (Rothwell, 2000), and that
therefore, there was no longer a ready-made pool of candidates for leadership
opportunities. Loyalty was not so much the issue within this case study, although there
was concern expressed about a pool of potential leader candidates and will be discussed
later in this chapter. The participants all talked about Central as being a great place to
work; four of the six have made Central the focus of their career. Unlike trends in the
business sector, there has typically been significant loyalty and associated tenure within

the community college sector. Many individuals anived at an institution and stayed for

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the majority of their career. Whereas Amey (2002) found an average tenure of 11.9 years
in the community college sector for individuals prior to their becoming chief academic
officers, the participants in this study had an average of 22 years of tenure within Central
Community College. This stability has perhaps insulated the organization from having to
make critical decisions about the long-term leadership of the organization or even
cultivating a “next generation” of leaders.

This lack of intentional leadership development is evidenced in that only one of
the participants used the word succession planning when it came to looking at future
leaders and any kind of formal structure was not something really within the experience
of the participants or the history of Central as an organization. This may be why many of
the participants gave brief responses to the interview questions, especially when asked
about specific approaches to developing individual leaders. There were good intentions
and work being done by both the individual participants and the larger organization, but
no sense of a clear plan and so, perhaps less directly to talk about.

At the same time, by their own admission, the career stage or tenure of many of
the participants has now made this an area of concern for them, as well as for the College.
For example, three of the six participants readily discussed their own retirements. Their
limited time to retirement and the desire to have work continue beyond their tenure with
Central was a pressure felt by a number of the participants. So the issue really boiled
down to “how are we going to continue to get work done?” In addition to any
retirements, the pressures of shrinking budgets, staff reductions, and the increasing
demands on the remaining staff may lead to an increased need for the focus on

developing future leaders, which is supported by the literature discussion of the pending

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leadership challenges facing community colleges (McClenny, 2001). The focus by many
of the participants was on the larger organization, however, and not so much on
developing individual leaders.

At Central Commmrity College, there were leadership development opportunities
available both internally and externally similar to those presented in the literature
(McDade, 1991). Some of the participants indicated that Central does a good job of
making opportunities available to those who have an interest. The higher education
leadership development literature discussed that often, the goals of the individual and the
organization are not linked (Bragg 2000). At Central, many of the participants discussed
approaches that addressed both the organizational needs and the individual fit; which is in
contrast to the literature. Even so, the organizational need seemed to be the trigger event
leading to an evaluation of individuals who might possess the skills for the function. For
example, participants described the process when a vacancy or need is created and how
that need is addressed, including identifying whether there was someone within the
organization who might be able to meet that need.

There was a lot of interest in having a group of leaders ready to step in, but there
was frustration expressed by participants given that the organization does not have formal
approaches to developing leaders. Filan (1999) indicated that most community colleges
do not have succession and leadership development plans in place, but many have an
interest in their development based on struggling to fill positions. This was true for the
leaders at Central involved in this study. The participants seemed to be very adept at
meeting organizational needs but developing individuals in advanced of presenting needs

appeared to be a more challenging for them. Although they often discussed and hoped

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for a more structured or formal approach to leadership development, they focused on the
needs of an immediate job or function rather than looking at ways of actively developing
individuals as leaders. Participants had concern for the future strength of the
organization, but the path to getting there was less clear.

In spite of the lack of clear leadership development and succession plans, several
themes emerged fiom the study that are discussed below. The first are oriented towards
the organization, and include job and task redesign, growth assignments, and the impact

of the campus culture.

Job and task redesigp.

Many of the participants discussed the restructuring of roles or tasks through the
assessment of functions and placement of tasks as a fairly common practice at Central.
Job and task redesign are important areas connected to employee promotion and
development from a human resources framework (Bolman & Deal, 1997). In this study,
individuals like Mr. Douglas and Dr. Jones have had significant growth within their
positions, which was often something the men attributed to their being willing to take on
new functions. Dr. Jones emphasized that he had a philosophy that “you can take on here
what you can handle.” Others like Dean Simpson experienced growth across various
leadership roles, including taking on additional functions when three dean positions were
collapsed to two. There seemed to be an unwritten rule at Central requiring leaders to
look within the organization when a vacancy or need arises whenever possible. Some,
like Mr. Douglas, said that this provided a great opportunity to get creative and

reorganize roles or functions.

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In the human resource framework, stability and tenure of staff are noted as a way
to stay flexible (Bolman & Deal, 1997). Participants demonstrated this definition of
flexibility throughout the case study. There is a question regarding whether this is
intentional leadership development or simply a reaction to the budgetary and related
staffing pressures faced by the institution. Many of the examples given referenced
actions taken prior to the recent budgetary pressures and challenges, so seem the norm for
Central rather than a reaction to external constraints. At the same time, forced staff
reductions and operating from a basis of doing more with less have left many to take on
additional roles. So, finite and dwindling resources may require creative ways of looking
at combining functions or roles, but is asking someone to “do more with less” truly a
leadership development approach? The responses from both Vice President Beal, who
coordinates finances, and Dr. Jones, who coordinates human resources, indicate that these
organizational pressures have led them to be more efficient, as well as helped motivate
their staff. Mr. Douglas added that his staff are looking for security in their roles, and as
such, they may be willing to take on additional functions. The extent to which staff feel

they are preparing to be leaders by assuming these new duties remains unknown.

Growth assigpments

The participants all stated that Central did a good job at making opportunities
available for those who were interested. These opportunities ranged from encouraging
individuals to participate in the college governance structures to working on specific
projects. Participants often stated that it was a relief to find individuals interested in

actually participating in available opportunities at the College. Senior level leaders felt

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there were always new firings to work on around the College. They spoke of ways of
involving staff through re-engineering specific programs, positioning select staff for key
“power committees”, and serving in interim leadership capacities. These strategies were
particularly important in light of institutional financial circumstances that would make it
difficult for the College to provide more opportunities.

The business literature made reference to “stretch assignments” as roles in which
high potential candidates develop their skills (Clark & Lyness, 1991). Only one
participant directly referenced similar sorts of assignments. Participants more frequently
talked about how they helped others grow and empowered them to make decisions.
Empowering staff and providing the necessary feedback were seen as essential to

leadership development.

Central culture.

The Central Community College culture was referenced by a number of the
participants as having an impact on leadership opportunities and was the word they used
to describe how the campus works with, and treats individuals. One aspect of culture that
impacted leadership development activities at Central was related to the shared
governance system and the shared decision making processes at the college. Participants
discussed the importance of getting involved in the governance system for both
themselves and for their staff. The governance system provides a way of becoming
known within the campus system, and a majority of the participants discussed the tie
between institutional recognition and leadership development opportunities. McDade

(I 991) refers to the fact that leaders need to learn the institution in order to be effective.

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Since the governance system is so crucial to the College decision making processes, it is
something that individuals must understand in order to advance; it also provides a means
of learning about the broader college and its issues. This appeared to be a mechanism to
develop leadership skills, and also a required activity to gain access to a key campus
decision making entity.

Apart from governance processes, institutional culture was a frequent theme in the
research in another way. The “Central Way” was referenced throughout the study by the
participants as the means through which administrators met organizational leadership and
staffing needs, including personnel vacancies or crises. At times, the “Central Way”
referred to how members pull together to make sure that work continues to get done in
the event of an emergency or staff vacancy. It has also come to mean the way in which
leaders within the organization are informally required to look within when it comes to
filling roles and vacancies.

The findings of this study show some disagreement or concerns and tensions for
both individuals and the larger organization when it comes to leadership development
practices in accordance with the “Central Way.” Some, like Mr. Douglass, see this
cultural norm as providing the opportunity to get quite creative when filling departmental
staffing needs because there is an assumed level of flexibility given to unit directors to
figure out what is really needed and not to be tied directly to past job descriptions. As
Ms. Beal, the Vice President for Finance, stated, asking for the “status quo” when filling
a position is almost suspect. Ms. Beal also shared her concern that the organization is
sometimes too internally focused when looking to promote leadership development; in

this respect, creativity seems to be limited by the boundary of the organization. So, while

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there may be a great deal of flexibility in looking within the organization or even the
direct unit when it comes to filling openings, is this really innovative, or does it just
reproduce, or redistribute the work that is already being done? Although keeping ajob
description the same in a new hire may be negatively seen as maintaining the status quo,
is keeping all the roles internal to the organization not simply reproducing the “status
quo” in a different way? It seems that there should be some balance between meeting
organizational needs and maintaining a strong campus culture. Having the ability to
select individuals, based on appropriate skills sets from both internal and external arenas
would help to meet this concern. Only one of the participants discussed going outside of
the organization to hire for a position and this was because of a very specific
demographic profile needed in the position that was unavailable among those already
employed at Central. Furthermore, having status as a community college insider was also
noted as an important characteristic of exceptional community college presidents
(McFarline et. a1, 1999). The experience referenced in this study was having worked in
the community college environment. The need for significant community college
leadership experiences becomes a prerequisite for growth in the profession, so aligning
activities with individuals within the sector has significant value. At Central, the need to
be an “insider” was taken one step farther since it was noted as important to be known
within the organization for individual success by all of the participants

In addition to organizationally-oriented leadership development and succession
practices, participants described several processes through which individuals could affect
their own leadership development at Central. These included mentoring, education and

training, developing core competencies, creating a career path, and faculty leadership

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development. That there were more individually-oriented approaches to leadership
development identified by participants perhaps is a reflection of the lack of formal
strategies employed by the institution and the stability of staff that has not sparked a

significant need for more structured interventions.

Mentoring=

Mentoring and its variations were often cited as ways to develop individuals
within the Central organization. One definition of mentoring found in the literature is an
intense personal relationship focused on career development (Hopkins-Thomson, 2000).
The meaning of mentoring described by the participants at Central varied considerably
but the approach most similar to the Hopkins-Thomson definition was exemplified by Dr.
White’s discussion of working with a new chair on developing budget skills. She worked
with someone with a solid foundation of disciplinary knowledge, but who needed growth
in budget leadership in order to professionally advance and succeed. At the same time,
many other participants referred to mentoring or coaching as a leadership development
approach, but their descriptions of activities were described in superficial ways. Dean
Gade made reference to the fact that he is very conscious in how he works and acts in
almost a modeling behavior approach. Dean Simpson talked about mentoring stafi on
school thesis projects; but did not talk about mentoring in a very comprehensive way. It
seems as though the participants at Central were more apt to create a developmental
project or assignment as opposed to developing a formal mentoring process.

The follow-through with potential leaders, beyond isolated projects, is a key to the

developmental approach and often what is lacking in succession planning (Hall, 1986).

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In this study, significant energy was expended by the participants in selecting individuals
with talents or abilities and yet it was difficult to see the extent of the follow-through they

were able to make with prospective leaders they were developing.

Formal and informal education.

Education was a more formal construct identified by all of the participants as a
core part of their professional journeys. When discussing the approaches to individual
leadership development and how participants got to their current role, some went right to
their formal education. It was almost a means to an ends question. “I am working with
and encourage my staff to work on their graduate degrees” could be heard from most of
the participants. This included anything from offering staff a flexible schedule to
assisting them with their graduate thesis and course projects. Education is something that
is valued by the participants. It is also often a “gatekeeper” or precursor to advancement.

External professional development opportunities, considered informal education,
are also attractive in part because they typically have an established agenda, content, and
approach. Leadership concepts are abstract and continuing education or external
professional development are often seen as the next logical step to progressing along a
career path. The concern for participants with relying heavily on these activities for
leadership development is in the connection to the real issues and needs of the
organization. The content and outcomes of structured external programs, for example,
are not directly linked to the needs of the individual and the larger organization (McDade,

1991). And community colleges are often criticized for being too dependent on

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institutions or organizations outside of their control to provide future leaders (AACC,
2001)

Leadership development training was discussed as something made available by
the College, apart from strategies employed by individual senior administrators to
develop their staff. These institutional approaches, however, seemed fairly passive. For
example, participants mentioned video-tapes available from human resources on an array
of subjects. In addition, there was a discussion of recent FISH and Stephen Covey
training, that were also considered relatively passive approaches to leadership

development.

Core competencies.

An important component of leadership development is to determine the core
requirements that are necessary for successful leaders at a particular institution. The
literature provides general lists of necessary skills for leadership in the community
college setting. Bragg (2000) presents a ntunber of core knowledge areas with a primary
focus being that the leaders have a learner-centered orientation. Other studies looked at
the individual characteristics of successful community college presidents (McFarline et
al., 1999), including the importance of being an insider. These studies give us insight
into what successful leaders have experienced to prepare them for their roles.

The literature presents little information on how individuals with potential were
identified to advance within the community college setting. Similarly, it was hard to
discern a preferred set of competencies or qualities participants used in selecting future

leaders within their units. The participants in this study were asked how they recognized

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individuals with the potential to advance beyond their current position. The responses
centered more on individual characteristics rather than concrete leadership skills. The
number one characteristic noted by the group was “positive attitude”. Individuals with
positive attitudes or “my doers” are the ones that get more opportunities. The second
area noted was “follow through”. Relationships, communication, and interaction with
colleagues across campus were also discussed as important factors. Lastly, some
participants commented that, often, recognizing individuals with advancement potential
just comes down to “trusting your gut”.

Overall, the criteria for selection seemed primarily characteristics rather than a set
of formal experiences or demonstrated competencies. Many participant responses
focused on more subjective criteria that could lead to individual biases or leadership gaps
similar to issues Rothwell (2000) discusses. Not being clear about core competencies can
possibly hurt the organization by reproducing the current leadership rather than looking at
actual gaps and organizational needs. It can allow some to be included or excluded from
leadership opportunities based on factors other than core competencies. The selection
process for leadership development opportunities and its ambiguity was an area of
tension for some participants. Dean Simpson made mention of the fact that the
organization sometimes excludes those who may be more curt or prickly even though
they have good skills

If the criteria noted by the participants are really more subjective than objective
measures, do faculty and staff understand them? Are members with potential excluded

based on those criteria? Careful attention to how individuals are identified for

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opportunities is an important aspect of leadership development and was not clearly

articulated by participants in this study.

Career paths.

The literature presented normative career paths and structures for progressing to
various leadership roles (Cedja, et. a1, 2001; Twombly, 1998). The participants at Central
Community College confirmed a normative career path for certain participants. In other
cases they embraced approaches noted in the business literature such as lateral moves to
learn new skills (Stevens, 1992). Leadership development especially with respect to
career paths does not always mean moving up a set career ladder. In asking the
participants about their own professional journey, a number talked about entering their
roles with little or no training. Many individuals in commmrity colleges who move into
management and administrative positions do so without formal training (Spangler, 1999).
This lack of an overall institutional approach means that leadership development is often
more of an individually focused activity and there is not always a close relationship
between the activities in which one participates and their next position or role.

Career paths were also constructed through a willingness on the part of many of
the participants to take on new functions or additional duties. .Participants noted that
because there was so much to do and a limited number of staff, it was a “relief” to find
individuals who are willing to try new functions. The expansion or morphing of
functions did not always result in career advancement as traditionally defined, but it did
impact their development as leaders. These job expansion approaches did not always

work but they gave individuals a sense of career breadth and a set of experiences across

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the organization. There was never a need to interview for these additional functions and
again, this was an institutional strategy to keep the function within the College.

This internal orientation to building career paths, however, also raises several
organizational questions some of which were addressed earlier in this discussion. One is
how do you create an internal labor market with positional and career growth given the
long-term stability of senior leadership, which would be a natural outgrowth of regular
internal promotions in a typical hierarchy? Those with the most leadership potential may
have to leave an institution for the next logical “rung” in the career ladder if they want
the senior administrative title. Another is the question of how one introduces innovation.
How do you bring in individuals and new ideas from outside without having them
characterized as “resume builders”? How do those from outside break through the strong
organizational culture that is reinforced by the “Central Way” of leadership
development?

The leadership development approaches at Central as they relate to succession are
“ad hoc” and done as the organization moves along. Some managers and supervisors are
better at developing staff than others. In addition, the stability and tenure of many of
those in senior administrative roles has limited the mobility of those who may be ready.
Understanding career paths as they are connected to leadership development and
succession planning is a critical issue nationally (AACC, 2001; McClenny, 2001) as it
was at Central College. The time is pressing for many of the participants as they
discussed their career stages and think about leaving the institution in retirement.
Nationally, leaders are asking how institutions will work to meet the leader succession

challenges, and at Central Community College, they are struggling with these same

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I
2

 

issues. Although the data from this study were inconclusive about the future of Central’s
leadership development, it seems clear that a variety of approaches are needed to fill the

leadership needs of the college as seems true across the country.

Faculg leadership development.

The development of faculty as instructors was not seen as a major issue at Central
Community College, which is important to this study since faculty are often viewed as a
key source of prospective leaders (Filan, 1999). Several participants felt that Central
does a good job developing faculty as teachers and that they play a core role in leadership
within the College governance structures. For example, participants discussed the fact
that each faculty member receives a personal development account that may be used at
their discretion to support their needs. The fact that the tenure process is so clearly laid
out for both full and part-time faculty also helps with developing and retaining faculty.

The area that was most noted as a concern, however, was developing faculty in
leader roles, such as chairs or other future administrative positions. In terms of the
“leader-pipeline”, the faculty chair role was discussed as a great position in which to
develop leadership experience relevant to more advanced administrative roles. Yet, Filan
(1999) suggests that faculty often move into the chair’s role with little formal training.

At Central, when possible, new department chairs are mentored for a year before they
take over the actual duties, which seems like a good approach to leadership development.
However, it does not work as well in situations where, as noted in this study, a unit is

having difficulty identifying people to fill a chair role.

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The final question emerging from this study is: do faculty chairs, or faculty in
general even want to go into administrative positions? F ilan (1999) suggests that because
faculty chairs are already a trained pool of potentials, it is logical for them to stay with
leadership roles (Filan, 1999). Gillett—Karam (1999) believes, conversely, that a Chair’s
role really has become a holding pattern before returning to full-time faculty life rather
than a promotional track into senior leadership (Gillett-Karam, 1999). At Central, it
seems that chair roles and the administrative functions therein were seen as necessary
evils rather than intentional career paths. This raises the long-term question, then, of
from where senior leaders will come at Central if not from the faculty chair position and

not easily fiom outside the organization.

Leadership and learning.

Leadership is often a misunderstood concept. A lot is written about leadership but
the concepts still remain largely abstract (Munitz, 1998). The critical leadership concerns
such as retirements are even more magnified given the challenges facing current and
future leaders. This presents a need for leadership development and succession planning.
1 think that many of the participants are looking for approaches that are comprehensive
and work for all staff, however, the real focus rests with the individual. Participants in
this study talked about being “learner—centered” as an institution, and certainly there is a
lot of rhetoric about the learning college in community college circles today. A number
of community college texts focus on the needs of individual learners and what they bring
to the college setting (O’Banion, 1997; Rhodes & Valadez, 1996). These authors focus

on the learner perspective and the needs of the individual learner. Central is a member of

99

the League for the Innovation in the Community College, which values this orientation
among its membership and the learning college constructs are being embraced by Central
for its students.

It seems like this learner-centered philosophy could easily apply to leadership
development, as well. A number of the approaches and activities discussed by
participants at Central College were focused on individual employee needs, and reflect
some of the learning college principles. This was discussed with respect to the attitude of
the individual participant as well as in relating opportunities directly to an individual’s
needs. In the case of Central College, there were a lot of activities underway, but at the

same time however, the organization was often reactive in developing approaches.

Challenges and Pressures

Central Community College is facing pressures beyond those of individuals
planning to leave or retire from the institution. In order to truly assess the practices
employed at Central, it is helpful to gain insight into the college’s other institutional
challenges. Central Community College, along with the rest of higher education is facing
diminished resources. Given the reductions made at Central, which involved 105 cost
savings measures, including a pay freeze, and the elimination of 23 positions, I asked the
following questions as part of the member checks with the original data transcripts:

1. Describe how the recent staff reductions have impacted you and your unit(s)?

2. How have you gone about reassigning work and responsibilities?

3. Do you have any further thoughts about leadership development practices post

this process?

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,2 and?

 

I received responses back from half of the participants. One participant described
reassigning work created by the vacancies based on the interest of the remaining staff
members, a perceived fit by himself and the president, and the ability to identify current
duties that could be scaled back. Dr. Jones, the Executive Director of Administrative
Services said that, “although the process has been painful it reinforces my thoughts and
theories on leadership development.” In the original interview, Dr. Jones shared that
leadership development included allowing people to gain new experiences so they can
grow as quickly as they are able. Ms. Beal, the Vice President for Business and Finance
discussed losing three positions within her unit. She said her unit director was great at
working to update, change, and streamline procedures to reduce their workload in light of
having three fewer staff. In addition, she mentioned that everyone pulled together as a
team in order to take on new roles and responsibilities. Ms. Beal really felt that the
process of coming together to address the reductions has invigorated staff.

Mr. Douglas, the Director of Admissions and Records, responded a little
differently to the follow-up probes. First, he stated that the college had eliminated all of
the associate dean positions. Mr. Douglas saw the associate dean role as a possible career
development position for himself in the future, so he saw this decision as negative. He
was thankful that no reductions had been made in his area; however, some processes had
been changed or streamlined to save money. Mr. Douglas felt that the executive staff
made most of the decisions about the reductions and thought they had done a good job.
He concluded by saying that the big impact to his unit is that “my staff seem to be more
concerned about their jobs at Central and whether or not their positions might go in

another round.” This fear may be a motivation on the part of staff to expand their

101

q— _TTT‘T-T'fi 1.. 15’

 

functions. This is not just a matter of how roles may be filled; it also points to the
creativity in getting work done.

The implications or challenges for succession planning at Central Community
College appear considerable. All of the members were interested in having a more
formal leadership development approach, so the interest was strong. To establish more
formal leadership development may require first, to really determine what are the goals of
any succession plan (Eastman, 1995). Interest at Central, as noted, was strong among the
participants but the specific or even strategic point of establishing more formal leadership
development and succession plans was not consistently understood. Second, a clearly
defined pool of potential leaders needs to be established based on an identified set of
criteria and employee interest. This would assist individuals in understanding the
requirements for leadership opporttmities and assist the organization by having a group or
pool of individuals ready for leadership roles. The primary factor cited for selecting
individuals with leadership potential was “attitude”. In addition, some participants
discussed trusting their gut. This may work to include individuals that are most like the
current leadership and exclude those that could perhaps bring forward more innovative
leadership perspectives. This may prevent individuals from seeking leadership
opportunities given that there is not a more formal path.

The culture as described by the participants is a key factor in developing leaders
within the organization, and possibly even a deterrent. The “Central Way” of focusing
within the organization has proven difficult for those coming from outside of the College.
Many of the participants talked about having flexibility, or being creative when it comes

to filling key needs, however these strategies all resulted in keeping the work within the

102

 

organization. Does maintaining the Central culture impede the development of future
leaders? Put differently, does the Central culture permit development of only a certain
kind of future leader? The least-tenured participants felt that Central was sometimes too
internally focused when it came to filling leadership roles. This issue will continue to be
a challenge for the Central campus as leadership gaps develop.

The final issue comes down to the impending, and existing, budget and resource
challenges. Vice President Beal indicated that it would be difficult for Central to do more
when it comes to developing leaders simply due to budgetary constraints. The fiscal
challenges may cause even more retrenchment by looking within the organization to fill
key needs rather than committing resources for additional hiring. On the one hand, this
fits with the “Central Way” but on the other hand, as noted by some participants, there is
only so much that can be done with the existing personnel in times of resource
constraints. Many of the participants discussed the hope of having individuals ready to
take over in their function or role upon exiting the organization. These pending
retirements add to an internal labor market that may already be taxed, and that is not
uniformly prepared to assume more senior leadership roles. Succession planning and
leadership development will be on-going challenges for both individuals and the

organization.

Recommendations for Further Research
As a result of conducting this single site case study, several areas of future
research emerged worth noting. It would be interesting to follow-up with this site within

the next three to five years in order to see what has happened with the participants that

103

have been preparing for retirement. Did all the individuals planning to leave actually do
so? I f some stayed on, why did they make this decision? Does the organization have
leaders in the pipeline ready to fill those roles and how did they select those individuals?
Were the positions filled internally? Was the same position that was vacated filled, or
was it collapsed and the functions repurposed? How did the organization respond to any
positions that were externally filled? What kinds of professional development activities

flourished in difficult economic times — those that were characterized as individual and/or

_ 'I km“ 3 up

those characterized as organizational? These are key questions and would further

. Tani— _"

develop our understanding of how organizations address future staff and leadership
challenges.

This research also suggests the need to look more strategically at what leadership
development means to individuals and the organization. There is a propensity for some
to jump right to external training or professional development activities as a key method
for leadership development. At Central, I think the use of the “FISH” or “Covey”
trailling seemed ways to latch on to ready-made training approaches rather than to
StruCture their own. The question is whether or not that training meets the needs of the
organization. The literature suggests that many leadership development activities are

eXtel‘nally provided and are often not connected back to the larger needs of the

 

organization (McDade, 1991). This may not always be the best strategy for an institution
With a strong internal labor market. Therefore, there is also a need to look at institutions
that are doing a good job in connecting leadership development, be it internally or

ex’Cer'nally provided, to the organization and how they measure the effectiveness of those

Programs.

104

Another area of future research interest would be to look at new leaders with three
to fi ve years of tenure in their current position. Did they have similar experiences in
getting to their roles? What type of training and leadership development experiences did
they encounter? What type of experience did they have as a newcomer to the
organization? One strategy for such a study would be to find a sample of individuals in

leadership roles at no higher than the dean’s level who were defined by their peers to be
exemplary leaders. This would replicate some of the research done by Cedja, et. al.
(200 1 ) and Twombley (1998) in looking at the career paths of exceptional administrative
leaders. It would be informative to ask this key group questions about their leadership
development experiences and how they connect these to their needs or their current
organizational role. Those at the dean’s level also probably represent a segment of
leaders beyond the “founding” members of the community colleges and may help

determine the path of experiences for both individuals and organizations in developing

leadership right now and for the future.

My

Community colleges are facing a series of leadership challenges over the next few
years (AACC, 2001; McClenny, 2001). Many of the findings of this case illustrate that
the issues facing Central Community College are reflective of those presented within the
litel‘ature. There is an aging group of leaders in the organization who are preparing to
exit within the near future. The participants in the study were all concerned about the

long-term strength of the organization and discussed ways in which they are preparing

the leaders of the future. There was also a unifying theme that they thought the

105

 

 

organization could be doing more to develop this leadership. At the same time, there
were a number of tensions inherent within the case. The construct of succession planning
and promoting individuals from within did not appear to be the core concern of
participants. The real focus was on keeping the organization going. The participants
agreed that the College did not have a formal leadership development plan; however, they
quickly pointed out that they actively make opportunities available for individuals and
had an interest in the development of their staff.
The role of the institution in providing leadership development is going to be

more crucial than ever before. McDade (1991) talked about the need for approaches that

 

connect leadership development to the individual and their institution. Amey and
VanDerLinden (2002) found significant participation rates in professional development
were in activities offered by or on the individual’s own campus. With budget pressures
and the increased demand for outcomes, the pressures placed on community college
leaders will be considerable. The core competencies of leaders are evolving, including
the need to deal effectively with change, and therefore, leadership development strategies
have to stay current. Bensimon and Neumann (1993, p.1) stated that “rapid changes in
technology, information, the labor force, and the economy will require future managers to

exel‘cise leadership in an increasingly turbulent environment.” This prediction has held

true. “Leadership development is now an essential focus for community colleges.
Su<><>essful colleges of the future will be the ones that today are cultivating new
generations of leaders at all administrative levels (Amey & VanDerLinden, 2002, p.1).”

Central Community College is working to address its leadership development

needs through the practices and approaches described in this study. Leadership

106

development was not an easy topic for the participants to discuss because they felt that
the College could and should be doing more. I think this is due to the inherent tension
surrounding leadership development in an institution that has been largely insulated from
these pressures due to the stability and tenure of staff. The “Central Way” has also
institutionalized practices of keeping work and roles within the organization. The
approaches and attention paid to leadership development varied among the individual
participants. Some Central leaders are better at developing individuals than others.
Some individuals are granted opportunities and others are not. This study points out the
need to look at the requisite roles and responsibilities of leaders, individuals, and the
organization when it comes to leadership development. These are not always in concert
at Central, as they may not be at other community colleges, and yet they need to be for an
Effective leadership development planning and succession to work.
The participants in this study described leadership development as an on-going
PFaCtice. It is “something that we always need to keep in mind.” In light of this, there
was a conscious effort made by many of the participants to look for individuals with
leadership qualities and in turn, align them with appropriate experiences. The case
presents positive news when it comes to leadership development practices in the
con'll‘ntmity college setting given that considerable effort is being directed towards these
“eedS. There were many approaches described by the participants to meet leadership
deVeIOpment goals and address both individual and organizational concerns. I also think
the fact that many of the participants are struggling with these issues is positive.
Leadership development, however, is not a “one-size fits all” process and as such it is

difficult to develop approaches that apply to all individuals and organizations.

107

9 an} “-1-— mar. 3..” "P
L

 

 

Leadership development is a complex construct and takes time and dedication. Although
the participants struggle with the issues presented in this study, they are able to describe
actions which they hope will develop individuals as leaders and contribute to the long-

term strength of Central Community College.

108

 

 

Appendices

 

 

109

Appendix A — Research Questions & Interview Protocol

The method will be two-hour, semi-structured interviews. The design of the interview came from
the l iterature (Rothwell, 2000) and understanding of community colleges in order to assess the
current processes being used by individuals and the organization. The questions will be framed
mo re from a community college context and designed to gain the insight in to the background of
the individual participant. The questions get at the core activities, perceptions, and requirements
of leadership development.

Central research questions:
1 . What processes are used to develop future leaders?
2 . How is leadership development connected to individual and organizational needs?
Interview Questions:
I wi l I begin the interview by disclosing information about my work and the intent and purpose of

the research. I will also discuss what participation in this research entails and will review the

safeguards for their confidentiality and answer any questions. The interview questions are as
f0 I 10Ws:

E
a
l

l - Describe for me your professional journey.
l"Prompt: How did you get where you are?

2 - Tell me about your future professional plans?
*Prompt: How are you preparing to pursue those plans?

3 . Tell me about ways you develop future leaders.
*Prompt: What systematic efforts are made to train, educate, or develop them for fiiture
positions?

4 . Tell me about the ways your organization develops future leaders.
*Prompt: In your opinion what should the organization be doing?

5 . How have you, or would you handle the sudden loss of a key leader in your unit?
‘Prompt: Are you preparing for pending retirements?

 

6. How do you recognize individuals with the potential to advance beyond their current
positions?
*Prompt: Do you follow the same process when thinking about replacements for key
positions?
7. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?

*Prompt as necessary as follow-up.

110

Appendix B — Consent Form

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Consent form for Administrator Participation

The following consent form reviews participant agreement in the research study, LEADERSHIP
DEV ELOPMENT PRACTICES IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES, which is being conducted
duri n g the 2002-2003 academic year. This qualitative study will focus on the process and
phenomenon of leadership development practices in the community college setting. The study is
be in g conducted as dissertation research for Evan L. Montague’s doctoral studies at Michigan

State University. Participation in this study is voluntary and individuals may chose not to
participate, or discontinue participation at any time.

The purposes of, and procedures entailed in this research have been fully explained by the
re searcher. Participation in this research involves the following:

The researcher will interview the participant regarding their perspective on leadership

development practices within their organizational context within the college. This will
entail two hours of the participant’s time.

The researcher will audiotape record the interview and the cassettes will be kept in a
secure, locked cabinet, thus insuring that no other person could take and/or listen to them.
Participant privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law.

The researcher will ask for any institutional or individual documents that relate to
leadership development practices.

The researcher will not use the participant’s name, college’s name or location, and every
effort will be made to keep participant identity and institutional setting confidential.

The data collected through the interviews, observations, and college materials will be
used in the dissertation, as well as possible articles, presentations, or instruction.

The participant may refuse to answer any question and may discontinue participation at
any point in time without any penalty.

YOU? signature below indicates your voluntary agreement to participate in this study.

Signature:

Date:

 

 

If you have further questions or concerns at any time during the study, please contact the

researcher, Evan L. Montague at 517.339.3418, e-mail: montagu2@msu.edu , or the researcher’s
facUlty advisor, Dr. Marilyn Amey at 517.432.1056, e—mail: amey@msu.edu.

H You have any questions regarding the rights of subjects and the duties of the researcher you
may contact: Ashir Kumar, Chair

 

University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects
Michigan State University

202 Olds Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824-1046
517.355.2180 fax: 517.432.4503 e-mail: ucrihs@msu.edu

111

weer-w

 

“4".

 

Appendix C — Position Information Questionnaire

POSITION INFORMATION QUESTIONNAIRE (PIQ! REVIEW FORM

Position: Department:

Please indicate the following information for any of the Factor ratings that have significantly
cha nged. Supervisors and Executive Staff should be in agreement before the PIQ is forwarded for
review.

 

Factor Factor Rating provide documentation
Rating
1 _New Duties
Knowledge 8: Skills _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

L Job Factors Current Proposed Indicate change &

 

‘ ” ”1'1"?”

 

2 Related Prior Work _New Duties
Experience _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

1
li.
In
“F _

 

3 _New Duties

Impact of Actions _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

43 _New Duties
Work Environment _Expanded Duties

Control Over Tasks _Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the

following position:

 

 

 

 

4b Pressure and Intensity of _New Duties

Duties _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added fiom the
following position:

 

 

 

4° “Position Currency _New Duties
Requirements _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties

Duties added from the

following position:

 

5 lnnovation/Creativity/ _New Duties

Problem Solving _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

112

 

 

6 _New Duties
Communication _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

 

7a _New Duties
Teamwork _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
Participation _Duties added from the
following position:

 

7b _New Duties

Team Leadership _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

 

 

8 _New Duties
LoadershipNision _Expanded Duties
_Deleted Duties
_Duties added from the
following position:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Position: Department:

 

There have not flu significant changes to the Position lnfonnation Questionnaire (PIQ) for this position.

Supervisor Signature Date

 

 

Second-Level Supervisor Signature (optional)

 

Executive Staff Signature Date

 

 

Employee _ Agrees __ Disagrees

Employee Signature Date

 

 

 

 

There have mu significant changes to the Position Information Questionnaire (PIQ) for this position.
This form indicates the areas of significant change and a revised PIQ h hli htin si ificant h n es is
attached.

 

 

 

 

Supervisor Signature Date
Second Level Supervisor Signature (optional) Date
Executive Staff Signature Date

 

 

Employee _ Agrees __ Disagrees

Employee Signature Date

 

 

113

 

 

Appendix D — Leadership Development Videos

TITLE

How to Supervise People

Fair Way to Manage Diversity,The

Valuing Diversity at the Interpersonal Level

Avoiding Common Discipline Mistakes

Preventing Liability: The Leader's Role

Interviewing Job Applicants With Disabilities

Family & Medical Leave Act

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace:Supervisory
Conduct

Sexual Harassment in the Classroom and
Beyonszaculty Conduct

Planning & Prioritizing for High Performance Tape]
Handling Unexpected,Difficult Situations- Tape 2
Managing Pressure and Stress Tape 3

How to Deal with Difficult People (Vol. 1)

How to Deal with Difficult People (Vol. 2)

How to Deal with Difficult People (Vol. 3)

How to Deal with Negativity in the Workplace (Vol. 1)
How to Deal with Negativity in the Workplace (V 01. 2)
How to Deal with Negativity in the Workplace (V 01 3)
How to Manage Conflict, Anger, & Emotion (V 01. 1)
How to Manage Conflict, Anger, & Emotion (Vol. 2)
How to Manage Conflict, Anger, & Emotion (Vol. 3)
How to Make Presentations with Confidence and Power
(3 tape set)

More than a Gut Feeling III

More than a Gut Feeling III

Interviewing: Situations for Discussion

You be the Judge 11

Harassment in the Workplace: Employee Awareness
Telephone Skills at Work

114

 

 

Appendix E - Performance Management System

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL FORM

Employee Name

 

Employee Title:

 

Department:

 

Primary Reviewer:

 

Second Level
Reviewer:

 

Directions for reviewer:

Please complete this form, taking the time to consider the employee’s performance on each factor
during the entire course of the past performance period. Review your appraisal of the employee
with your supervisor. After the form is returned to you, schedule a meeting with the employee
and discuss each aspect of the document, using the guidelines outlined within your Performance
Management System Supervisor's Manual.

Remember:

0 The descriptions provided for each factor and level should be considered to identify
the "best fit" description.

0 Express positive feedback and appreciation for an employee’s efforts in those areas in
which they are performing well.

0 Provide counsel and constructive suggestions and examples for areas in need of
improvement.

0 Solicit the employee’s thoughts, ideas and input regarding ways they can be more
effective and productive.

0 Request that the employee sign the appraisal and add comments in the spaces
provided.

115

 

 

 

EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATION

 

Uses tact and diplomacy when dealing with others; provides and receives information
in an effective and timely manner; evaluates information received in order to transmit it
in a meaningful way; is receptive to other viewpoints; demonstrates respect for others;
provides assistance as appropriate. (Communication includes such elements as

speaking, listening, reading, writing, and negotiations)

 

Write examples and then check rating that best fits with examples:

 

 

 

1 2 3 4 5
_Frequently _Occasionally _Responds _Responds
responds in responds in Consistently appropriately appropriately
discourteous discourteousflndifferent acts in even under especially
manner; often manner; occasionally courteous and difficult under extremely
provides displays poor judgment respectful circumstances; difficult
inaccurate, in dealing with manner, stays focused circumstances;
incomplete or confidential communicates and diffuses structures
inappropriate information; effectively situations communications
information; communications tend with people at through so that persons
content of to lack clarity, may be all levels; communication at all levels
communication incomplete or gives concise, style; recognizes understand
often difficult to inaccurate; tone, complete. and deals content of
understand; fails manner and choice of accurate and appropriately communication
to communicate language may worsen timely with non-verbal based upon
information situations; ability to information; communications; same
when share knowledge may willingly clarifies and presentation;
appropriate; fails be impeded by shares effectively recognized by
to request help communication skills knowledge communicates co-workers as
as needed; and manner of and ideas for self having
frequently responses to others experience and others exceptional
misunderstands when skills in
communications; necessary; phrasing
unwilling to displays thoughts and
share sound ideas; presents
knowledge and judgment in ideas in a way
experience; dealing with that is so
shows lack of confidential compelling
respect for information; others virtually
others considers always “buy-in"

other view
points

 

 

 

 

 

116

 

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Develops newlexpanded professional skills and abilities that are then demonstrated
by enhanced effectiveness andlor productivity through application of new techniques

on the job

 

Write examples and then check rating that best fits with examples:

 

 

 

1 2 3 4 5
_Resists _Attempts to _Upgrades _lncumbent
development and develop new skills skills that are identifies skills Anticipates,
acquisition of as identified by currently required needed to identifies,
additional skills College and/or by College and/or enhance acquires,
supervisor but supervisor; effectiveness utilizes and
occasionally fails applies those and/or shares
to appropriately skills as productivity; needed
implement the appropriate in acquires and future skills
skills in daily current daily applies skills and abilities
activities activities necessary to
enhance job
performance

 

 

 

 

 

 

117

.1 Inn-““1
.' q I
A

 

 

PROBLEM SOLVING

 

accordingly

Obtains and evaluates infonnatlon; demonstrates ability to arrive at workable
solutions; understands how the problem and solution fit into the big picture; acts

 

Write examples and then check rating that best flts with examples:

 

 

 

fails to see the big

 

 

FLEXIBILITY / ADAPT ABILITY

 

1 2 3 4 5
_Often fails to _Often arrives _Applies _Searches for _Shows
recognize at solutions that sound judgment; and finds keen insight;
problems; makes are inconsistent consistently creative/innovative arrives at
decisions without with College demonstrates solutions; creative,
seeking sufficient policies and ability to arrive at anticipates innovative and
information; fails procedures; workable potential issues workable
to seek aitemative occasionally fails solutions utilizing and makes solutions;
solutions; to use sound available informed solutions are
depends on judgment when information; decisions in a often new to
others to solve evaluating solutions adhere timely manner; the College;
problems aitemative to existing policies periodically sought consistently

solutions; tends to and procedures; after for sought after
arrive at solutions weighs impact of consultation on for

that create solutions on other problem situations consultation
additional areas of the on problem
problems; often College situations

picture _ _

 

 

Accepts change and adjusts work methods, approaches and goals to conform to College priorities

 

Write examples and then check rating that M fits with examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 2 3 4 5
_Consistently _Occasionaily _Accepts _erlingly _Assists
resists change; resists change; accepts change; and
normally resists cooperating when effectively easily modifies encourages
modifications to goals or modifies work work methods; others in
work methods; schedules methods; adapts promotes making
resistance often change; may to new situations acceptance of necessary
causes disruption cause disruption when necessary change among changes;
in the work in the work co-workers recommends I
environment environment while initiates

making those changes or

adjustments change
processes;
guides others
through the
change
process

 

 

118

 

 

Performance Management Summary Sheet

Employee: Review Date:

 

 

Performance Factor Rating I I
Application of Knowledge I .-

 

Effectiveness of Communication
Responsibility and Dependability
Quality and Productivity
Problem Solving

Flexibility / Adaptability
Professional Development

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supervision

 

Budget Management

 

 

 

 

The employee 's signature on this form indicates that they have reviewed the completed
document with their supervisor and have been given the opportunity to make written
comments — it does not indicate that the employee agrees or disagrees with the results
shown on this document.

 

 

Signatures:

 

 

Primary Reviewer Date

 

 

Second Level Reviewer Date

 

 

Employee Date

 

 

 

119

 

Professional Development Objectives

Please identify and establish at least one and up to three professional development
objectives to be accomplished during the current performance year. It is also important
to determine who will have responsibility for initiating which actions under these plans.

 

1 Objective:

 

 

Employee 's Responsibilities:
Supervisor 's Responsibilities:

 

 

BEL .' .9?“

 

-.
I".
3—.

2 Objective:

 

 

Employee 's Responsibilities:
Supervisor 's Responsibilities:

 

 

 

 

3 Objective:

 

 

Employee 's Responsibilities:
Supervisor 's Responsibilities:

 

 

 

 

 

120

 

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