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PRT 506

Organizational Case Study

For

Wayne Community College

Paige Ham

Kari Ann Colie

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Organizational Case Study

Wayne Community College

Organizational Context

Wayne Community College is one of the 58 community colleges in the State of

North Carolina. The college is located in Goldsboro, North Carolina and serves counties

in eastern North Carolina including Johnston, Lenoir, Wilson and Wayne County.

Wayne Community College employees approximately 320 full time faculty and staff

members along with 150 part-time employees. The average enrollment per fall and

spring semester is 4000 curriculum students. The college is divided into 5 divisions

which include administration, administrative services, academic services, student

services, and continuing education. This paper will be focusing on the student services

division which includes the Student Activities Department. The structure of Student

Services is vertical coordination, and most closely resembles the Mintzberg model

(Bolman & Deal, pg. 79). At the top of the model is the Vice-President of Student

Services, who oversees the entire division and its five departments. The middle line

includes the directors of Admissions and Records, Counseling Services, Financial Aid,

Marketing, and Student Activities. The operating core includes assistant directors,

coordinators, and executive secretaries for the various departments. Supporting the

Student Services division is EST (Educational Support Technology) and support staff

who carry on daily functions for each department. The support staff is supervised by

middle line employees.

Organizational Structure

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Student Activities is the smallest department within the Student Services division.

This department resembles the “simple structure” model. At the apex of the model is the

Director of Student Activities. On the operating level of the model is the department

secretary and work study students. Coordination and planning of events is done directly

through the department’s director and she is responsible for daily operations and

decisions. The structure of the Department of Student Activities, as is stands today, has

been the same for the past three years. In 2010, the department went through a major

overhaul which included firing its previous director, restructuring how the department fits

within Student Services, creating a mission statement and writing planning learning

objectives to guide the department’s future. During this overhaul, Student Activities also

took on the role of the Wayne Community College Ambassador Program along with the

Student Government Association. During this time period of change, the college as a

unit also reorganized its administrative structure and added new rules and procedures

to the way the college operates.

Strategic Planning

Organizational planning prior to 2010 was relatively stagnant. Programming was

done last minute with no formal thought out process and the return in participation was

extremely low. The department had no goals or a vision to direct their planning efforts.

With the new organizational restructure came a mission statement. The mission of the

Student Activities Department at Wayne Community College is to create an

environment in which all students and student organizations are encouraged and aided

in the development of positive social, cultural, intellectual, recreational, and leadership

programs and activities. The student activities staff also recognizes the proven need for

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fun and play while supporting programming which promotes healthy learning, personal

growth, self governance, social responsibilities, student retention and understanding.

The previous department director, who had been in his position for ten years, had a

focus strictly on providing athletic or intramural activities along with utilizing the student

lounge for billiards and ping pong tournaments. While this was in his job description to

provide these types of activities for the students, his target population of students

interested in these activities was very limited, and low. There was no focus on the entire

student population in trying to engage as many students as possible in the programs

and services that could potentially be offered by Student Activities. The department did

the same events and activities each year, leaving the students disengaged and

disinterested in what role Student Activities could play for them. This way of thinking

also trickled down to the faculty and staff of Wayne Community College to the point

where the department was seen as useless on campus.

Organizational Environment

Since the college restructure in 2010, there has been an increased emphasis on

rules, regulations and safety procedures for the entire organization. Much of the new

rules and safety procedures have been enacted due to increase in school violence and

shootings. According to Bolman and Deal (2008), “at a given moment, an organization’s

structure represents its best efforts to align internal workings with outside concerns” (pg.

97). With these tighter policies and rules, it has caused disconnect between the different

divisions of the college, especially department leaders who are caught in the middle.

This disconnect is also being felt through our student clubs and organizations, which is

supervised through Student Activities. Many campus clubs and organizations that have

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been established for years have had to find new ways of doing “old projects” because of

tighter rules. Frustration levels are at an all-time high with new rules and regulations

and have caused people to step down from their role as club advisor and even college

employee.

Organizational Leadership

Two of the most widely accepted leadership propositions offer divergent

perspectives. According to Bolman and Deal (2008), “One asserts that all good leaders

must have the right stuff-qualities like vision, strength, and commitment. The other holds

that good leadership is situational; what works in one setting will not work in another”

(pg. 345). Being a leader is more than just managing the day to day requirements of the

job. A successful leader has the right employees in certain positions to be able to carry

out daily tasks effectively and efficiently. As stated by Kouzes and Posner (2007), “the

leader is the symbolic head of the organization as well and such needs to have a clear

understanding of what they see as the vision for the organization, and then be able to

communicate that to staff and inspire them to share in the vision as well” (pg. 62).

The Department of Student Activities has had two very different styles of

leadership over the past ten years. The previous director came from a law-enforcement

background with little to no experience in working with students. He also had no

experience in planning events and activities for a college department. He did however

have experience in athletics and therefore made that his main focus while in his role as

director. The current director had previously served as a Parks and Recreation Director.

From serving in this role, she had experience with planning events and activities, but no

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experience in working with community college students. Being the new director in the

middle of a college restructuring period, administration had a new set of expectations for

the role of Student Activities. This included more programming and activities, along with

new strategies to engage the student population. The new director faced a period of

learning about the organization, but it also meant there was an opportunity to bring a

fresh perspective and new ideas to the table which had not been done before. This

change was also going to be a challenge with changing the way administration, faculty

and staff perceived Student Activities and getting them to buy into “the new way of

doing things”.

When looking back into the readings of this semester, Kouzes and Posner lay out

the five practices of exemplary leadership. According to Kouzes and Posner (2007),

“when getting extraordinary things done in organizations, leaders engage in the five

practices of modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process,

enabling others to act and encouraging the heart” (pg. 14). One of the issues that are

currently facing Wayne Community College’s Student Activities Department is the lack

of organizational leadership. Under Kouzes and Posner’s five practices, we examined

the following:

• Modeling the way: For leaders to effectively model the behavior that they desire

from their employees, they must first be clear about guiding principles. Leaders

must also take initiative and go first, setting the example for everyone else to

follow. In the instance of WCC, the majority of leaders will give orders or

direction, but aren’t even willing to do what they are asking of others. How can

there be a sense of trust and respect among the college employees when the

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ones in leadership roles will not set the example to be followed. Kouzes and

Posner (2007), also state that, “one of the best ways to prove something is

important is by doing it yourself and setting the example” (pg. 16).

• Inspiring a shared vision: With the current leadership at WCC, there is no sense

of vision. Our leaders have become set on day-to-day operations and

micromanaging departments rather than looking towards the future for the entire

college.

• Challenge the process: The leadership team at WCC has made great advances

in challenging the process. In doing this they have taken risks on innovative

technology, implementing new policies, and becoming a pilot test school for new

statewide programs to help the college grow and improve. According to Kouzes

and Posner (2007), “it is critical for leaders to always be looking for ways to

improve their team, taking interests outside their job or organization, finding ways

to stay current of what the competition is doing, networking, and taking initiative

to try new things” (pg. 18). The successes of these risks have been seen

throughout the community, county and state. Many colleges are referring to WCC

on help or techniques for implementing these ideas on their campus.

• Enabling others to act: In order for organizations to reach its goals and dreams,

leaders have to rely on their employees to help make this a reality. Kouzes and

Posner (2007) state that, “grand dreams don’t become significant realities

through the actions of a single person” (pg. 20). Because the administration of

WCC micromanages each department, employees are feeling as if they are not

trusted or competent to do the job they were hired for. In the Department of

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Student Activities, the Director feels like she has to get permission from higher

administration on events and activities so she’s not at risk of reprimand. This is

very disempowering to employees and has caused the morale on campus to

decrease each year.

• Encouraging the heart: The previous administration of Wayne Community

College made great efforts to recognize employees for their outstanding work

and achievements. Whether it was a handwritten letter, employee lunches or

simply walking to your office to praise you, the efforts were seen and felt around

campus. This feeling created a sense of unity among employees and

administration. Under our current administration, these efforts rarely happen at

all. If employees receive praise, it’s usually in the form of an e-mail. Employee

lunches have been reduced to one per year and if administration is walking to

your office, the first reaction is “what have I done wrong now”.

Human Resources

Wayne Community College has seen an increase in human resources over the

past 10 years. The College is funded based on full time enrollment. When the economy

tanked in 2008-2009, many people who lost their jobs decided to come back to school.

Because of this, the enrollment numbers went up drastically, and in return, the College

received more funding. With more funding and students enrolling, the College has been

on a hiring trend and even created new positions on campus. Some of the new

positions that were created caused the restructure of the College in 2010 that was

previously mentioned. Although WCC has been able to hire employees and create

positions, they haven’t been able to give employees raises or bonuses in the past 4

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years. Economic cut backs with the State of North Carolina’s budget has forced Wayne

Community College to limit our travel for professional development and training. The

institution has turned to creating in house professional development days when

students are on fall or spring break.

Politics and Culture

Although Wayne Community College is a public institution and largely funded by

the State of North Carolina, the college is ran by President, Dr. Kay Albertson and

governed by the Board of Trustees. Many of the trustees hold political offices within

Wayne County; therefore the College does play into the political arena. The land that

the college sits on is owned by Wayne County. Part of the county budget goes to

Wayne Community College for the maintenance and upkeep of buildings and grounds.

Each year administration has to advocate to county leaders on the importance of

continued funding. Without their support, campus upkeep and maintenance would be

impossible to do.

Wayne Community College plays a prominent role within Goldsboro, Wayne

County and surrounding areas. The College has to be especially careful not to hold any

event or activity that would bring discredit to the institution or cause a disruption in the

community. There have been several cases where a club or organization is sponsoring

an event on campus and community leaders will contact Dr. Albertson because they

see it as inappropriate. This puts administration in the middle of the culture on campus

and the culture within the community, and forces them to make a decision on what they

think is right.

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Measure of Organizational Effectiveness

Wayne Community College measures their organizational effectiveness through

the Department of Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement. This area on campus

studies the programs and services offered by WCC and determines if they are meeting

institutional goals. WCC is also accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges

and Schools (SACS). The mission of SACS is to assure the educational quality and

improve the effectiveness of its member institutions. In order for WCC to remain an

accredited college, the Department of Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement must

complete a five and ten year report for SACS. This report details program goals,

objectives, graduation rates, performance measures, distance education learning and

more. In order for this report to be completed, the Department of Institutional

Effectiveness and Advancement requires each academic program and service to

develop a mission statement along with program outcomes to make sure the mission is

being met. The department has also sent out student satisfaction surveys to poll the

students on their experience with Student Services. All of this data is reviewed and

utilized to help make improvements for programs and services.

The Department of Student Activities tracks data on every event or activity

offered. A record of the number of participants, age of the participant and their

satisfactions or suggestions for the event is recorded. The Director then reviews this

information after each event and makes recommendations for future events.

Perceived Problems – Post Restructuring

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Despite the restructuring of WCC in 2010 and the complete overhaul of the

Department of Student Activities, problems still exist. Through this organizational case

study, the perceived problems have been identified as a lack of “Strategic Planning”

which leads to low participation numbers, and a lack of “Organizational Leadership”

which leads to low morale on campus and a lack of empowerment for faculty/staff.

Analysis of these problems through “The Four Frames Approach” provided generous

insight to issues within each frame and generated ideas for solutions.

Cultural/Symbolic Frame

Analysis through the “Cultural Frame” provided the following issues “students

don’t do optional”, the average student age is 28, a majority of the student population is

low income, and a significant number of students have families and work obligations in

addition to school. “Students don’t do optional” is a saying used by the Director of

Student Activities. If students are not required to do an activity or don’t feel like it is

benefiting them they are going to opt not to do it. Combine this mentality with the other

dynamics of the student population and student activities participation takes a huge hit.

Obviously this leaves an enormous dilemma that needs to be addressed in order to

increase participation.

Political Frame

According to Bolman and Deal (2008), “the political view sees organizations as

competitive arenas of scarce resources, competing interests, and struggles for power

and advantage” (p. 21). The three main issues were identified under the “Political

Frame” as it applies to the Department of Student Activities. There is little to no buy in

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from the President on the importance of student activities and engagement, faculty/staff

are demoralized due to micro-management, and there is moral stigma from

administration surrounding activities offered. Currently the Department of Student

Activities is not lacking in resources. The Director feels money is not an issue. However,

being micro-managed and receiving little to no support is. Thinking outside of the box

and doing activities that don’t necessarily coincide with the communities “Southern

Baptist” culture does propose problems. Being managed by a President and Board of

Trustees with these views makes the politics very sticky and leaves little room for

creativity.

Structural Frame

Since the Department of Student Activities is a “simple structure” there is much

demand placed on the Director. She wears many hats, which leads to the main

structural issue. It’s up to her to put out fires of various natures throughout the day and

keep the department running. As stated by Bolman and Deal (2008), “A boss too close

to day-to-day operations is easily distracted by immediate problems, neglecting long-

range strategic issues” (p. 80). For the Director, wearing many hats leads to neglect on

strategic planning and increasing participation numbers. One person can do only so

much.

Human Resource Frame

The “Human Resource Frame” is all about people. According to Bolman and Deal

(2008), “it emphasizes understanding people, their strengths and foibles, reason and

emotion, desires and fears” (p. 21). Currently WCC is putting little emphasizes on its

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people (faculty/staff). Under this frame a lack of empowerment for faculty and staff has

been identified along with no intrinsic motivation from administration. There is no desire

to improve. Abraham Maslow taught us through his “Hierarchy of Needs” that every

person has a hierarchy of emotional needs. While the bottom of this hierarchy

emphasizes Physiological and Safety needs in the middle is Social/belonging. This is

where the faculty/staff of WCC is. They are lacking the respect, satisfaction, and sense

of accomplishment they need to be their optimal self. In the words of Bolman and Deal

(2008), “If you manage solely by carrot and stick, you’ll get only a part of the energy and

talent that people have to offer.” (p. 125)

Prognosis – Solutions

While there are many issues within each frame of the “Four Frames Approach”

that needs to be addressed we have devised solutions between the two major problems

that should combat them.

In order to focus on increasing Strategic Planning and participation numbers in

student activities/programs the following solutions are proposed:

• Set yearly goals and objectives 1 year prior to the upcoming school year

• Evaluate each program and activity offered

• Improve time management

• Increase delegation of task

Each one of these solutions becomes the responsibility of the Director of Student

Activities. While it has already been discussed that the department falls within a “simple

structure” and the Director is responsible for wearing many hats these solutions will help

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her become more structured and prepared for handling those day-to-day operations and

leaving more time for planning ahead. Having a year worth of goals planned in

advanced sets a strategic plan and gives direction so she always knows where she’s

headed. Evaluation of each program and activity offered gives feedback on who’s

participating, who’s not, and what population needs to be targeted more. With the

extreme diversity among the student population this information is crucial to providing

the types of activities they want to participate in, encouraging participation, and doing

away with the “students don’t do optional” stigma. In order to become more efficient the

Director will have to improve her time management and encourage her assistant to do

the same. Autonomy is a great benefit to have but along with it becomes personal

dedication and drive, which is already compromised due to the lack of Organizational

Leadership. Becoming bogged down with those day-to-day tasks also increases the

need for time management but at the same time provides opportunities for delegating

task. Minimal task that can be completed by the Director’s assistant should be. In return

providing the Director more time to focus on increasing student participation through

Strategic Planning.

Overcoming a lack of Organizational Leadership, low morale, and lack of

empowerment among faculty/staff is more of a daunting task than increasing Strategic

Planning within the Department of Student Activities. However, these solutions are a

starting point:

• “Get the Right People on the Bus” (Collins, 2006)

• Encourage teamwork

• Stick to the mission of the department and the college

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As discussed earlier WCC is currently struggling with leadership that provides

empowerment and intrinsic motivation to the faculty/staff as well as encourages

creativity and out of the box thinking due to politics. In order to get out of this rut

administration needs to get off the bus. As long as WCC keeps moving in the same

direction, staff will continue to be demoralized and unmotivated. Having a president who

empowers the faculty/staff, fights for creative opportunities, and compliments their

efforts would make a huge impact on the culture of the college. Developing this type of

culture at the college would automatically initiate teamwork and drive among the

faculty/staff. Efforts un-thwarted would increase morale and spark intrinsic motivation.

Lastly, sticking to the mission of the department and WCC is precedent. Missions are

made to be followed. They help us know what we are supposed to be accomplishing.

Administration has to encourage the mission and recognize the importance of student

activities. As long as they see it as useless, so will the faculty.

The Future

After completing the analysis of Wayne Community College’s Department of

Student Activities, the future looks promising. Although one of the current problems is

the lack of strategic planning, the Director is getting in place the necessary steps to

effectively plan and organize activities to increase student engagement. Changing the

organizational structure at Wayne Community College is going to be a challenge, but as

administrators retire, hopefully vibrant and energetic people who want to get WCC back

on track to educational excellence will replace them.

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References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. (4th ed.). San Fransico, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great and the social sectors. New York: Harper Business. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The leadership challenge. San Francisco: John

Wiley & Sons.

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