A discussion of conflict in academic departments describes current philosophies in conflict resolution, including a principled approach emphasizing positive benefits. Structures within organizations that inherently create conflict are identified, and various strategies for dealing with conflict are outlined based on one theory of response modes.…

This book provides a comprehensive guide to the role of the academic department chair in a time when the chair's role is rapidly becoming more important and more complex. Part 1 describes the new roles chairs face, followed by a general discussion of their responsibilities. Part 2 is concerned with the department chair's work with people,…

Information is presented on a study which investigated the managerial role of the academic department chair and compared it to a study of traditional managers. The study compared management activities to determine whether or not there was a difference between academic management and management outside of the university setting. It made use of the…

Nearly 80,000 scholars currently serve as department chairs, and almost one-quarter will need to be replaced each year. Such a high turnover rate is partly due to surprises and unexpected sacrifices embedded in the department chair position. In an effort to help professors prepare for and overcome unforseen tradeoffs, the University Council for…

Findings from a study that examined stresses associated with the role of the university department chair are presented in this paper. The focuses are on career paths, transitions to the chair position, commitment to administration, role orientation, and strains of chairing. A survey of 808 department chairs in 101 research and doctoral-granting…

A survey of 101 research and doctorate-granting universities explored, in part, the tradeoffs professors have to make to become department heads. Tradeoffs include time required by the department head to deal with administrative pressures and demands. Rewards include monetary benefits, status, and leadership satisfaction. (MSE)

Over 800 academic department chairs, stratified by discipline, were selected from research and doctorate-granting institutions and completed the Department Chair Stress Index along with demographic questions. Results indicate that, overall, stress among department chairs is monolithic. Chairs expressed high stress both in faculty and…

The Beginning Department Chair Study used qualitative methodology to examine the developing identities of 13 new department chairs at 10 public and private colleges and universities in eight states. Data were gathered during on-site semistructured interviews (approximately two per month) during the chair's first year and periodic telephone…

This chapter examines the various roles, challenges, and responsibilities that department chairs must balance in the course of their work.

Issues in the resolution of departmental conflict by university chairs of educational administration departments are discussed in this paper. The need for finding more constructive ways to handle conflict is highlighted by a survey of 808 department chairs at 101 research and doctoral-granting universities, in which chairs identified…

A study of over 1,000 faculty and administrators in 1 university investigated the perceived top stressors for different jobs, including residential instructional faculty, department heads, academic administrators, librarians, student services personnel, cooperative and extension staff, and nonacademic staff. Results are compared with national…

A study of 564 college and university department heads investigated the most stressful situations, emergent themes, and differences between department chair and faculty stressors. Most stress came from heavy workload, time pressures, confrontations with colleagues, organizational constraints, and faculty duties. Faculty and administrative…

This multidimensional study examined the stress experienced by academic department chairs with emphasis on the chair's "person in the middle" role between faculty colleagues and the institution's administration. The study combined factors from the Administrative Stress Index with the Faculty Stress Index to develop a single,…

Clusters of faculty stressors were investigated with attention to how clustered stressors are associated with the professional characteristics of intellectual discipline, rank, and tenure. The relationship of the stressors to the key personal characteristics of age, gender, and marital status was also examined. A total of 80 universities, 40…

Residential instructional faculty in various disciplines report similar types of stressors in national and international studies. To determine whether this pattern holds for librarians, department chairs, cooperative extension faculty and others, a survey was conducted of the sources of stress across all faculty classifications in one university.…