The present basic qualitative researched sought to explore the experiences and practices of academic deans in community colleges. I leveraged Schein's Model of Organizational Culture as a framework for data analysis. Schein's Model includes three layers of organizational culture; artifacts, espoused beliefs and values, and the inner most layer of culture, basic underlying assumptions. I interviewed ten academic deans from four different community colleges located in the Midwest part of the United States. Through review and analysis I identified four themes across all three layers of culture; codified governance committees, communication, faculty ownership of curriculum and method of instruction, and tension among stakeholders. From the outcomes I identified three key findings, (1) a culture of shared governance in community colleges reveals considerable alignment with the roles of faculty and administration, (2) a culture of shared governance is practiced in community colleges with alignment and divergence from the ideal practice, and (3) the role of the dean. The findings suggest that there is value institutions understanding their unique institutional culture of shared governance at their institution. This practice allows for a critical reflection regarding where shared governance is working well, where it may be cumbersome to institutional effectiveness and how the culture of shared governance might be improved. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]