The goal of this ethnography-based study is to investigate informal communication processes in shared governance institutions. Shared governance is academia's version of the corporate world's total quality management philosophy and outlines a system where members at all levels of the institution have a voice in decision processes. The interviews conducted in this study reveal that many believe most decisions are made in informal meeting that occur at times other than in the formally convened and formally conducted business meetings. Based on data collected, a communication model of shared governance is formulated that draws attention to the interdependence of formal networks of committees with networks of individuals interacting with individuals in informal meetings. The communication model of shared governance has four levels: faculty responsibility, governance structures, communication processes, and meeting outcomes. The model provides a non-traditional view of faculty responsibilities by treating governance as an equal partner with the usual faculty duties of teaching, research, and service. (Contains a model, a table, and 28 references.) (NKA)