This 7 page paper presents a proposal for a study about change in higher education. The purpose of the study is to determine the driving forces, why colleges resist change, how to overcome change, which change model to use and which leadership style to use. Topics include: problem background, problem statement, planning process for research, change model, leadership style, and potential impact. Bibliography lists 14 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: ME12_PG690644.doc
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
and economic changes (Lunenburg, 2010), student mobility, globalization (OECD, 2009), accountability demands, competition, consumer expectations (Futhey, Luce & Smith, 2010; Scott, 2003) and decreasing funding (Scott, 2003) The two strongest
internal forces that drive change are administrative processes and people issues (Lunenburg, 2010). Societal need and community demands have acted as the driving force for change in colleges and
universities. Social, economic, and political forces have combined to force these institutions to take on new responsibilities, which means that changes must be made (Partnerships for Public Purposes, 2008). The
society has transitioned to a knowledge-based economy which means that a college education is more important than ever (Partnerships for Public Purposes, 2008). With these external changes, colleges and universities
must be able to provide students with the skills needed for a global economy (Partnerships for Public Purposes, 2008). Demands for reform in colleges and universities is not new. In
2001, Kezar reported that colleges and universities were called upon to change due to the changing environment. Change comes slow in these institutions for a number of reasons. The organizational
structure is one of those reasons and leadership is another. The structure becomes legitimized because all other types of institutions are structured in the same way. This leads to a
form of inertia wherein principals become comfortable with the way things are. An institution of higher education is a unique organization because it is one that is interdependent with
the society (Kezar, 2001). There are also multiple power structures in these institutions (Kezar, 2001). For example, there is the overall governance of the college or university which includes the
president and the Board and there are also heads of numerous departments and divisions. There is an official head for each department such as psychology, mathematics, and all other scholarly