The fundamental argument of this paper is that sociologists and administration theorists have not yet constructed appropriate intellectual models for analyzing academic administration, and that the lack is hindering research. Two of the dominant models of university governance, the bureaucratic and the collegial, are examined and criticized, and a…

This paper develops a theoretical framework for analyzing campus conflict and crisis as a social movement. The authors argue that political frameworks are necessary to understanding the dynamics of interest group activities that are directed toward influencing policy. Using the political framework, a number of propositions are advanced concerning…

Collective bargaining is not an appropriate arena for academic policy deliberation, but it can promote and coexist with separate governance mechanisms impacting institutional decision-making. The bargaining process is shown to have three stages: unionization, contract negotiation, and contract administration. (Editor/LBH)

This document was prepared as a preliminary report on the findings of the Stanford Project on Academic Governance, a comparative study of the politics of decisionmaking in colleges and universities in the United States. The project is using data gathered from faculty members and administrators in a sample of 249 colleges and universities, as well…

The purpose of this study was to examine the decision-making processes of a university that, faced with radical changes in the external environment, was forced to make extensive internal adaptations. A case study is presented of the way in which the administration of New York University perceived and dealt with the threat to its existence posed by…

This report presents the rationale for the Stanford Project on Academic Governance and a survey of the topics investigated in the project, the methodology used, and some of the conclusions reached. The project's specific objectives were to describe some major developments in academic governance and to apply sociological organization theory to…

This report presents the theoretical background of the Stanford Project on Academic Governance. It argues academic organizations differ in major respects from more traditional bureaucracies; hence it is necessary to develop a suitable model of decision-making for use in studying academic governance. The characteristics that set academic…

Shared governance and collegial management are discussed. Steps to strengthen the governance process are identified: a more sophisticated view of the governance process must be formed, faculty must avoid administrative centralization of power and faculty provincialism, become more involved in union affairs, and become politically knowledgeable.…

Summarizes a national study of the impact of faculty unionism on personnel practices, academic senates, and administrative and governance procedures. Concludes that faculties are better off because of unionization and that collective bargaining is a neutral decision-making process, its impact determined by the involvement of faculty and…

Faculty unions have achieved a prominent place in American higher education. This study attempts to focus on the consequences arising from collective bargaining in higher education. The Stanford Project on Academic Governance was begun in 1971 as an effort to study the impact of collective bargaining on governance and decisionmaking in higher…

This monograph on the issues of leadership, power, and influence summarizes information gleaned from working with and interviewing administrators at Canadian colleges and universities. The study notes, first, that decision-making environments in Canadian postsecondary organizations are multidimensional, characterized by interdependence, diversity,…

This study investigated the effect of institutional size and complexity on professional autonomy in academic institutions. Autonomy was defined as the ability to set goals and to structure the organization to maximize professional concerns; size was measured by the number of faculty members and students in the institutions. Data were gathered from…

In the 1960s crisis, higher education is seen as having made some decisions that outlasted their usefulness: easy tenure, Ph.D. overproduction, overbuilt plants. In meeting today's crisis, there is the threat of creating new "policy dinosaurs," such as overcentralization, erosion of faculty quality, debasement of educational standards. (Author/MLW)

This bibliography deals with a wide variety of organizational dynamics and is related to the definition of organizational change developed by the Stanford Center's Organizational Change project. This definition, discussed in detail, focuses on deliberate change instituted to reformulate official policy. A topical outline of the bibliography is…

A comparative analysis of college and university governance and the organizational features that affect decision-making and professional practice is presented. Based on information from hundreds of campuses and thousands of campus administrators and faculty, and on institutional case studies, the book offers information about participation in and…