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No full textMaximum impact: Training and utilizing student employees for IT dependent library operations
No full textHow UMUC Library trains and utilizes its student employees. Who are our student employees? Why student employees get (and want) the tough Jobs? Why does it work so well?Mark de Jong
Document Management Librarian
Austin Smith
Document Management Technician
Li Fu
Digital Services Librarian
UMUC Library
ALA | LITA 2013 Maximum Impact:
Training and Utilizing Talented Student Employees for IT-dependent Library Operations
University of Maryland University College What We Will Cover University of Maryland University College How We Work As A Virtual Library Who Are Our Student Employees? Why Student Employees Get (and Want) The Tough Jobs? Why Does It Work So Well? Training And Documentation Examples Of How It Works Input eBooks In Electronic Resource Management Systems
•Books24x7
•EBSCOhost eBook Collection
•Gale Virtual Reference Library
•Oxford Reference Online and Oxford Scholarship Online
•Safari Books Online
•SAGE Knowledge: SAGE Reference eBook Collection
•More… Examples Of How It Works Database Mapping Examples Of How It Works Examples Of How It Works Knowledge Management Examples Of How It Works Examples Of How It Works How You Can Do It! Thank You!
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Questions
Alternative dispute resolution systems in US government agencies how their design and placement matters for employee participation
No full textThe structure and location of a dispute resolution system affects employee use. The presence of independent, impartial institutions is significant for attracting employee use of ADR.ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION SYSTEMS IN
U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES:
HOW THEIR DESIGN AND PLACEMENT
MATTERS FOR EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION
Ernest E. Pegram
Doctoral Candidate
[email protected]
Key Words: complaint systems design, employee grievance processes, organizational conflict management, alternative dispute resolution Context of the Problem
Federal Agency Practice Problem
–
Increasing & high costs of litigation for resolving disputes
Federal Government’s Strategy for Practice Problem
–
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Act of 1998
–
To increase employee participation in ADR
Research Study Goals
–To identify factors that affect employees’ decisions to use an organizational ADR system
–To explain the variation in “employee participation” in ADR across a sample of federal agencies Purpose, Scope and Limitations
Purpose
•
To identify factors that are likely to engender employee use of an organizational ADR system
•
To explain variation of “ADR system-use” across a sample of federal agencies
Scope
•
ADR systems chosen are established systems of the US federal government
Limitations
•
Research findings limited to union and nonunion federal employees, not designed for the At-Will-Employment doctrine of private sector employees Research Questions
This study explored the question of:
•
“Does dispute resolution systems design, i.e., structure and placement, affect employee participation in federal alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system?”
Other inter-related research questions are:
•
What factors constitute a successful dispute resolution system that engender employee use?
•
How does one measure the success and failure of a dispute resolution system?
•
Why some dispute resolution systems succeed while others fail to attract employee participation, i.e., why do some employees avoid some organization’s ADR systems while embracing others?
Significance for Management
•
Research Gap: ADR settlement rates effect employee decisions to use grievance systems
–
Study did not consider design of complaint system
–
This study argues that structure and location affect employees’ use of ADR
•
Research: Findings from actual ADR systems of US government agencies better illustrate factors & relationships that influence employee participation
•
Relevancy: This study extends the systems approach to organizational conflict management
–
Other research on organizational conflict management focuses on the role of the manager
–
This study informs conflict management practitioners about how to manage employees’ complaints more effectively Key Literature Explaining Organizational Conflict
Research Focus
Researcher (year)
Organizational Impact of Conflict
Efficiency affects of organizational conflict
Mayo (1880–1949)
Workers’ unrest negatively impacts organizational performance
Organizational & procedural justice: Due process systems in organizations
Adams (1965); Pondy (1967); Thibaut & Walker (1975); Greenberg (1987)
Justice procedures enhance perceptions of fairness
Principles for fair procedures in dispute resolution
Leventhal (1980)
Fair rules are important to people in dispute resolution
Costs impacts of conflict in organizations
Ury, Brett, & Goldberg (1988)
Dispute resolution systems are fair, cheaper, and faster Key Literature Explaining Organizational Conflict
Research Focus
Researcher (year)
Organizational Impact of Conflict
Costs impacts of conflicts in organizations
Rowe (1984); Costantino & Merchant (1996)
ICMS effective in reducing conflict costs
Reducing cost of conflict organizations
Slaikeu & Hasson (1998)
Systems approach effective for controlling costs of conflict
The role of the manager in dispute resolution
Lacey (2000)
Conflict management is an essential managerial skill
Costs impacts of conflicts in organizations
Smith & Martinez (2009)
ADR systems are a cost effective approach for managing employee conflict Key Propositions from Literature
Theoretical Propositions
1)
Organizational justice theory: Structures and processes that provide workers a representative voice and process control are significant for dispute resolution.
2)
Conflict management theory: Decisions are better accepted when they are judged impartially.
3)
Dispute systems design theory: Independent structures and multiple access points are necessary conditions for impartiality and neutrality in dispute resolution.
Practitioner Propositions
4)
Systems approach effective for controlling costs of organizational conflict.
5)
Dispute resolution systems are fair, cheaper, and faster in resolving organizational conflict.
Conceptual Model: ADR Design
Independent Variable Design
Multiple Access Points
Resolution Option
Procedural Control
Voice in Resolution
Independent Variable Location
Employee less likely to use ADR system
Employee End
Employee End
Employee less likely to use ADR system
Employee End
Employee less likely to use ADR system
Employee End
Employee less likely to use ADR system
Employee End
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
Employee Start Conceptual Model: ADR Placement
Independent Variable System Placement
Third Party Representation
Dependent Variable Employee Participation Increases
Internal
Employee End
Employee End
External
Employee less likely to use ADR system
Neutrality and Impartiality
Yes
No
Employee Start
Engenders Trust in ADR System
Trust Engenders Acceptance of Resolution
Employee’s Acceptability
Employee More Likely to use ADR System Thesis Statement
•
The structure and location of a dispute resolution system affects employee use. The presence of independent, impartial institutions is significant for attracting employee use of ADR. Research Process
START: Formulation of Scholar-Practitioner Research Question
Formulation of
Theory Propositions
Collection of Data: Literature Review Case Examples
Findings from Federal ADR Systems
Findings from Systematic Literature Review
Comparative Analysis of Evidence
Hypothesis Testing: Compare Findings to Theory Propositions
Implications for Management Theory and Practice
END: Contribution to Research Gap Research Findings
H1: The structure of an organizational conflict management system can increase employee participation in ADR systems. Accepted: This research reports that analysis of executive branch ADR systems show a higher percentage of employee participation in alternative dispute resolution associated with employee choice and voice in resolution. When compared to the available dispute resolution techniques, such as peer-review panels and ombudsperson, Mediation is used in 96% of federal employee complaints. H2: The organizational placement of an ADR system will affect the level of employee participation in ADR programs. Accepted: This research reports that analysis of executive branch ADR systems show a 3% higher percentage of employee participation in alternative dispute resolution associated with systems whose structures are perceived as independent and impartial. H1+ H2 = H3: ADR systems with independent, impartial structures will lead to increased employee participation in an organizational ADR system. Implications for Management
Implications for Management Theory
•
This dissertation posited, tested, and confirmed the hypothesis that structure and location constitute considerations for an ADR system for attracting employee use. The result was an evidence-based theoretical conceptual model.
Implications for Management Practice
•
This research reports, on average, federal ADR programs that operate under separate, independent structures perceived as neutral and impartial show a 3% points higher employee participation rate when compared to federal ADR programs that operate under existing traditional human resources structures.
•
This research reports that mediation is used in 96% of ADR for union, non-union, and federal employees
Employee commitment and other factors that affect attraction and retention of employees in organizations: The examination of research and OPM practices
No full textIt has become increasingly more difficult for organizations to hire and retain qualified staff. In order to satisfy this need and meet the competition for talented staff, organizations will be required to develop effective employee attraction and retention strategies. The ability to compete for and retain talented staff will depend in part on the organizations ability to identify this need and successfully develop and implement a plan. Further intensifying this talent acquisition need is the current workforce demographics comprising a large number of baby boomers that are eligible to retire and will be leaving the workforce in the immediate future. Demand for talent will dramatically change the demographics of the workforce. This study identified and examined factors that positively influence the attraction and retention of quality staff for organizations. These factors include employee commitment, trust, communication, and support programs. Additionally, this study examined the practices of the Office of Personnel Management that provides guidance to the federal government agencies on talent acquisition and retention programs to determine the strategies they use to manage this staffing need crisis. This study identifies talent attraction and retention strategies organizations can develop to manage this talent sustainability issue. The findings of this study apply across organizations both public and private.Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS 1
Employee Commitment and Other Factors That Affect Attraction and
Retention of Employees in Organizations: The Examination of Research and OPM Practices
by
Denise Bailey Clark
Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the
University of Maryland University College
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of
Doctor of Management
January 14, 2013
Dissertation Committee
Eric B. Dent, Ph.D.
G. David Andersen, Ed.D.Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS II
Abstract
It has become increasingly more difficult for organizations to hire and retain qualified staff. In order to satisfy this need and meet the competition for talented staff, organizations will be required to develop effective employee attraction and retention strategies. The ability to compete for and retain talented staff will depend in part on the organizations ability to identify this need and successfully develop and implement a plan. Further intensifying this talent acquisition need is the current workforce demographics comprising a large number of baby boomers that are eligible to retire and will be leaving the workforce in the immediate future. Demand for talent will dramatically change the demographics of the workforce. This study identified and examined factors that positively influence the attraction and retention of quality staff for organizations. These factors include employee commitment, trust, communication, and support programs. Additionally, this study examined the practices of the Office of Personnel Management that provides guidance to the federal government agencies on talent acquisition and retention programs to determine the strategies they use to manage this staffing need crisis. This study identifies talent attraction and retention strategies organizations can develop to manage this talent sustainability issue. The findings of this study apply across organizations both public and private.
Keywords: Talented Staff Acquisition, Employee Retention, Employee Commitment, Talent Sustainability, and Employee Turnover.
Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS III
Copyright 2013, Denise Bailey Clark © 2013, Denise Bailey ClarkRunning head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS IV
Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to my sons, Antonio and Marcus, in whom I hope I have instilled not only the value of education but also the philosophy that education is the key that allows a person to explore the infinite opportunities of life. In addition, this dissertation is dedicated to my granddaughter Ayrianna, who through my journey, will hopefully understand the importance of education as well as the concept that success is achievable when you believe in yourself. Preparing yourself through education, dedication, and hard work are the keys to success. Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS V
Acknowledgements
First, I am thankful to God for whom all is possible. In addition, several people assisted me on this journey for which I will be forever grateful. Thank you to my family and friends who have been supportive of me throughout this dissertation process. A very special thank you to my husband, Major L. Clark, III, for his love, guidance, patience, and support. Thank you to my parents, Esther and Robert Bailey, who have always been my lifelong cheerleaders and supporters. Thank you to UMUC Graduate Professors Dr. Nicholas Allen, Dr. Subash Bijlani, Dr. Michael Frank, Dr. James Gelatt, and Dr. Thomas Mierzwa, for their excellence in teaching. Thank you to my Expert Panel members Dr. William Welch, Dr. Brenda Williams, and Dr. Paul Light for their professional opinions and recommendations. Thank you to my UMUC Dissertation Professors Dr. Andersen and Dr. Dent for their guidance during this process. Thank you to my UMUC DMGT Cohort members Lisa Pinkney, William Goodwin, and Wendy McLlwain, who are a wonderfully supportive group of scholars. Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ II
DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................................................... IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................... V
TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................................................................................................... VI
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................................. IX
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................................ X
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1
BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................................... 1
ATTRACTION AND RETENTION ..................................................................................................................................... 2
TALENT ACQUISITION .................................................................................................................................................. 2
RETENTION .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
EMPLOYEE TURNOVER: A PREDICTIVE PICTURE ........................................................................................................... 3
THE NEED FOR AND SHORTAGE OF TALENTED STAFF .................................................................................................. 4
THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (OPM): INFLUENCE AND CONTRIBUTION ................................................. 4
OPMTALENT ACQUISITION AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION MISSION .............................................................................. 5
EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS .......................................................................................................... 6
TALENT SUSTAINABILITY ............................................................................................................................................ 7
CURRENT STATE OF HIRING IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT........................................................................................ 8
CURRENT STATE OF OPMEMPLOYEE RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY ................................................................................. 9
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM .................................................................................................................... 10
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................................ 10
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................................................ 11
RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 11
DEFINITION OF TERMS ................................................................................................................................... 12
DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Employee Commitment ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Employer of Choice. .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Employment Engagement. .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Human Capital. .................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Talent Acquisition. ............................................................................................................................................................. 13
Talent Sustainability. ......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Turnover. ........................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Trust. .................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
ORGANIZATION OF THE DISSERTATION .................................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................. 16
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 16
SIGNIFICANT ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES AFFECTING THE ATTRACTING AND RETAINING OF STAFF .................................................................................................................................................................. 16
TALENT ACQUISITION ................................................................................................................................................ 16
TALENT SUSTAINABILITY .......................................................................................................................................... 18
OPMAND TALENT SUSTAINABILITY .......................................................................................................................... 19 Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS VII
REDUCING EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AND INCREASING RETENTION ............................................................................... 20
FACTORS AFFECTING THE ATTRACTION AND RETENTION OF STAFF .............................................. 23
EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 23
COMMUNICATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 26
TRUST ........................................................................................................................................................................ 30
EMPLOYEE SUPPORT PROGRAMS ............................................................................................................................... 32
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (OPM): THE GOVERNMENT’S MESSAGE FOR ATTRACTION AND RETENTION ..................................................................................................................... 36
ATTRACTING AND RETAINING EMPLOYEES ................................................................................................................ 36
UNIQUE EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE ........................................................................................................................... 37
EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT......................................................................................... 38
ACCESSING EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AT OPM ......................................................................................................... 38
MEASURING EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AT OPM ........................................................................................................ 39
COMPONENTS/FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE TALENT ACQUISITION AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION ................................. 40
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................... 42
CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................. 44
INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................................... 44
RESTATEMENT OF PROBLEM ........................................................................................................................ 44
THE MESSAGE IN THE LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 45
TALENT ACQUISITION ................................................................................................................................................ 45
COMMUNICATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 46
TRUST ........................................................................................................................................................................ 46
EMPLOYEE PERCEPTION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS .................................................................................................... 47
EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT .......................................................................................................................................... 48
EMPLOYEE RETENTION .............................................................................................................................................. 49
THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................. 50
COMPONENT 1: THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................................................... 51
COMPONENT 2: THE PROCESS .................................................................................................................................... 51
COMPONENT 3: THE RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... 52
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................. 52
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 56
INTRODUCTION TO METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 56
DISCUSSION OF EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY ................................................ 57
DISCUSSION OF RELEVANT SCHOLARLY EVIDENCE .............................................................................. 58
PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE EXPERT PANEL ................................................................... 62
THE EXPERT PANEL MEMBERS .................................................................................................................................. 63
COMMENTS FROM THE EXPERT PANEL ....................................................................................................................... 64
IMPACT OF EXPERT PANEL COMMENTS ON DISSERTATION ......................................................................................... 67
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................... 67
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 69
STUDY REVIEW ................................................................................................................................................. 69 Running head: EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT AND OTHER FACTORS VIII
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS........................................................................................... 72
RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND FINDINGS ........................................................................................................................ 72
TALENT ACQUISITION AND RETENTION STRATEGIES ................................................................................................... 78
COMMUNICATION ...................................................................................................................................................... 82
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES .................................................................................................................................. 83
TRUST STRATEGIES .................................................................................................................................................... 85
EMPLOYEE SUPPORT STRATEGIES............................................................................................................................... 86
TALENT ACQUISITION AND RETENTION MODEL: A PROPOSED FOUR-STEP PROCESS ................. 87
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................................... 95
ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES ...................................................................................................................... 96
JOB SATISFACTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 96
PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT ..................................................................................................................... 97
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................... 98
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDY ... 99
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 99
OVERALL CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................... 99
TALENT ACQUISITION .............................................................................................................................................. 100
EMPLOYEE RETENTION ............................................................................................................................................ 100
COMMUNICATION .................................................................................................................................................... 101
TRUST ...................................................................................................................................................................... 101
EMPLOYEE SUPPORT PROGRAMS .............................................................................................................................. 101
EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT ........................................................................................................................................ 102
EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT EFFECTS ON TALENT ACQUISITION AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION ............
Community College Goal Alignment: Executive Goal Setting within Performance Management
No full textAs state and local funding for public community colleges has decreased and students bear a greater proportion of educational costs, a community college education is being considered more frequently as a “private good” in contrast to a “public good” (Katsinas, 2005; Phelan, 2005). Community college leaders are realizing the limit of what students can and should bear for tuition and fees, especially in light of equity and access issues (Dowd, 2007). To manage tuition rates and sustain open access, community colleges must rely on employees to achieve organizational objectives with fewer resources. Therefore, quality employee performance directed to the accomplishment of organizational goals is essential to organizational performance.
Very little is known about how goals are aligned through strategic planning and performance appraisal processes in community colleges, as evidenced by the few scholarly articles about community colleges available in the literature. This study explored how public community college leaders and human resource departments can assist executives with the alignment of organizational goals and individual goals through a performance appraisal review process that incorporates professional development. Goal theory was the primary motivational
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT
theory utilized in this study. Psychological contract theory provided a relevant theoretical basis for understanding the employer-employee relationship in this study.
A mixed-methods research methodology was applied. An exploratory and descriptive multiple-case study of four community colleges selected through purposeful sampling provided in-depth information about how community colleges align organizational and individual goals at the executive level and how this alignment impacted organizational performance.
Analysis of the findings indicated that best practice community colleges achieved performance improvement through the following managerial actions: 1) senior leadership endorsed performance appraisal review processes; 2) performance appraisal reviews referenced college goal-setting processes; 3) managerial controls were implemented to facilitate performance appraisal review completion; 4) regular feedback opportunities were ensured; 5) executives were encouraged to plan and invest in professional development; and 6) community colleges or their respective system offices continually evaluated their performance management systems.COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT
ABSTRACT
Title of Dissertation
Community College Goal Alignment:
Executive Goal Setting within Performance Management
Carol E. Runge,
Doctor of Management in Community College Policy and Administration, 2013
Dissertation Directed by
Dr. Charlene R. Nunley, Graduate School,
University of Maryland University College
As state and local funding for public community colleges has decreased and students bear a greater proportion of educational costs, a community college education is being considered more frequently as a “private good” in contrast to a “public good” (Katsinas, 2005; Phelan, 2005). Community college leaders are realizing the limit of what students can and should bear for tuition and fees, especially in light of equity and access issues (Dowd, 2007). To manage tuition rates and sustain open access, community colleges must rely on employees to achieve organizational objectives with fewer resources. Therefore, quality employee performance directed to the accomplishment of organizational goals is essential to organizational performance.
Very little is known about how goals are aligned through strategic planning and performance appraisal processes in community colleges, as evidenced by the few scholarly articles about community colleges available in the literature. This study explored how public community college leaders and human resource departments can assist executives with the alignment of organizational goals and individual goals through a performance appraisal review process that incorporates professional development. Goal theory was the primary motivational COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT
theory utilized in this study. Psychological contract theory provided a relevant theoretical basis for understanding the employer-employee relationship in this study.
A mixed-methods research methodology was applied. An exploratory and descriptive multiple-case study of four community colleges selected through purposeful sampling provided in-depth information about how community colleges align organizational and individual goals at the executive level and how this alignment impacted organizational performance.
Analysis of the findings indicated that best practice community colleges achieved performance improvement through the following managerial actions: 1) senior leadership endorsed performance appraisal review processes; 2) performance appraisal reviews referenced college goal-setting processes; 3) managerial controls were implemented to facilitate performance appraisal review completion; 4) regular feedback opportunities were ensured; 5) executives were encouraged to plan and invest in professional development; and 6) community colleges or their respective system offices continually evaluated their performance management systems.
Keywords: Community college, executive, alignment, goal setting, performance management, performance appraisal review, individual development plan, organizational performance, strategic planning, psychological contract, line of sight
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT
Community College Goal Alignment:
Executive Goal Setting within Performance Management
By
Carol E. Runge
A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty
of
University of Maryland University College
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Management in Community College Policy and Administration
Advisory Committee
Dr. Mary Ellen Duncan
Dr. Charlene R. Nunley
December 19, 2013
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT
© Copyright by
Carol E. Runge
2013
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT ii
DEDICATION
To my parents,
L. Beverly Runge, elementary school teacher, and Glenn B. Runge, electrical engineer (P.E.),
who both instilled in me the value of learning,
a deep sense of fairness, and a high regard for quality.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dr. Charlene Nunley’s extraordinary dedication to developing a new program to advance community colleges, while simultaneously teaching multiple courses, has brought this dissertation and degree to completion. Thank you so much for emphasizing that student success is the ultimate goal of every community college.
I would like to thank Dr. Mary Ellen Duncan for sharing her extensive experience and knowledge of community college leadership, advocacy, and relationship building. Your suggestions and encouragement have been invaluable.
My appreciation is extended to the following professors for the knowledge they imparted as well as their adaptability during the process of new program and course development:
Dr. James Tschechtelin, Dr. Thomas Coley, Dr. Ralph Juhnke, and Dr. Ronald Head.
I would like to acknowledge the institutions and individuals who were receptive to participating in this study. Their generous contribution of time, knowledge, and interpretation of performance management brought theoretical concepts to life.
Thank you to all of my cohort members. Your contributions to my personal and intellectual development through our shared experiences are most appreciated.
I would like to thank Mr. George Smrtic, retired Cayuga Community College professor and division chair, for his support. I appreciate the opportunity that you gave me to teach community college students and your support of my participation in this program.
I would like to thank Cayuga Community College executive administrators who have always generously shared their thoughts about community college issues whenever I needed assistance.
I would like to thank my reviewers who volunteered their expertise and were undaunted by the very rough draft of this dissertation. COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT iv
I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Ellen Harvey for her leadership of my cohort coaching group. Your questions, insights, and observations provided great assistance to me in explaining what is and imagining what can be.
I would like to thank the Cayuga Community College Administrative Professional Group for its financial support of my participation in this program. I would also like to acknowledge the generosity of the unnamed donor of the University of Maryland University College Doctor of Management in Community College Policy and Administration scholarship. Your extensive financial support made it possible to focus on my studies.
The editorial assistance of Dr. Gabriella Oldham has been exceptional and is greatly appreciated.
All of you who have contributed to my degree completion have demonstrated that collegiality aptly describes sharing one another’s challenges and contributing to one another’s success. I hope to return your consideration in some form to future community college students and to those who desire to build community college careers.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ...............................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................viii
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... ix
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................................1
Statement of Purpose ...................................................................................................................5
Context Related to the Problem ...................................................................................................6
Theoretical Base......................................................................................................................... 10
Research Questions .................................................................................................................... 11
Definition of Terms.................................................................................................................... 11
Significance............................................................................................................................... 13
Dissertation Organization .......................................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 16
Strategic Alignment ................................................................................................................... 18
The Employer-Employee Relationship ...................................................................................... 28
Motivation ................................................................................................................................. 31
Performance Management ......................................................................................................... 34
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 44
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT vi
CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTUAL MODEL...................................................................................... 46
Conceptual Model ...................................................................................................................... 48
Organizational Goals ................................................................................................................. 49
Alignment of Individual and Organizational Goals ................................................................... 50
Motivation to Achieve Organizational Goals ............................................................................ 51
Role of Negotiation in the Development of the Psychological Contract ................................... 54
Goal Achievement—Performance Improvement ...................................................................... 55
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 57
Research Purpose ....................................................................................................................... 57
Research Questions .................................................................................................................... 59
Literature Search Process ........................................................................................................... 59
Expert Feedback........................................................................................................................ 60
Research Design and Rationale ................................................................................................. 64
Research Plan Implementation .................................................................................................. 67
CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 84
College 1 Case Study ................................................................................................................. 85
College 2 Case Study ................................................................................................................. 94
College 3 Case Study ................................................................................................................107
College 4 Case Study ................................................................................................................118
Cross-Case Analysis .................................................................................................................127
Validity and Reliability .............................................................................................................148
Findings and Analysis Summary ..............................................................................................150
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT vii
CHAPTER 6: MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS ....................................................................151
Study Overview ........................................................................................................................151
Summary of the Findings ..........................................................................................................152
Conceptual Model Revision ......................................................................................................154
Recommendations .....................................................................................................................157
Limitations of the Study............................................................................................................158
A Proposed Future Research Agenda .......................................................................................160
Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................163
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................165
APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................176
Appendix A: Literature Review Topic Detail ...........................................................................176
Appendix B: Expert Reviewers ................................................................................................177
Appendix C: Evaluation Form ..................................................................................................178
Appendix D: Test Pilot College Summary ...............................................................................179
Appendix E: Interview Schedule ..............................................................................................180
Appendix F: Strategic Plan Interview Questions ......................................................................181
Appendix G: Strategic Plan Interview and Research Questions Relationship .........................183
Appendix H: Strategic Plan Contact Interview Questions Frequency ......................................184
Appendix I: Human Resource Contact Interview Questions ....................................................185
Appendix J: Human Resource Contact Interview Questions Frequency ..................................187
Appendix K: Executive Interview Questions ...........................................................................188
Appendix L: Executive Interview and Research Questions Relationship and Frequency ........191
Appendix M: Direct Report Survey ..........................................................................................192
Appendix N: Professional Development Detail ........................................................................194 COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT viii
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Primary Search Topics .................................................................................................. 60
Table 2: Research Plan ................................................................................................................. 68
Table 3: Institutional Characteristics—Students .......................................................................... 71
Table 4: Institutional Characteristics—Workforce ....................................................................... 72
Table 5: Direct Report Survey Response Rates ............................................................................ 80
Table 6: Performance Appraisal Instrument Summary ...............................................................128
Table 7: Performance Appraisal Process Summary ....................................................................133
Table 8: Feedback Sources Summary ..........................................................................................135
Table 9: Goal Formation Summary .............................................................................................136
Table 10: Professional Development Opportunities Summary ....................................................138
Table 11: Communication of Organizational Goals ....................................................................140
Table 12: Evidence That Executives Supported Organizational Goal ........................................141
COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT ix
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Community college goal alignment conceptual model ................................................. 48
Figure 2: Revised community college goal alignment conceptual model ...................................155COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT 1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
Public community colleges have been asked to provide additional educational opportunities and services to their communities with fewer resources. State and local budgets, which are sources of a high percentage of community college funding, have been significantly reduced (Katsinas, 2005; Phelan, 2005). Because of one of the most extensive recessions within the last 80 years, community college enrollment has surged. College leaders realize that there is a limit to the financial burdens students can and should bear, especially in light of equity and access issues (Dowd, 2007). Legislators, taxpayers, families, and students have demanded increased accountability for student success from community colleges (The Secretary’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education, 2006). In addition, community colleges have been urged to focus their efforts upon the national degree completion initiative (McPhail, 2011).
Shults (2008) contends that community colleges must undergo major restructuring to achieve success and that one area to manage is maximizing human capital to gain a competitive advantage. The typical community college workforce is rapidly changing as increased numbers of long-time employees retire. For example, retirement of senior administrators and faculty is underway and may accelerate as retirement incentives are offered to reduce the number of employees during the current budget crises (Flannigan, Jones, & Moore, 2004). Those who remain employed face increased workloads. In one study, 84% of 114 chief academic officers indicated that administrator training/career development and technological competence were important issues to manage (Cejda & Leist, 2006).
Community college leadership has responded to these challenges by altering organizational structures and practices. Efforts to improve performance have been in place for COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOAL ALIGNMENT 2
over 15 years, as exemplified by six community college leaders who described their efforts to focus the college mission on student learning (O’Banion, 1997). Following these efforts, evidenc
Employee trust in leadership as a moderator for stress brought on by organizational change
No full textOrganizational change is widely recognized as disruptive and potentially distressful to employees. Under continuous change, which has become the norm, employees can reach a breaking point which cause psychological and physiological distress. Evidence suggests that this negatively impacts the employee’s performance, commitment, and openness to change. Employee trust in leadership has the potential to reduce stress and improve employee performance and commitment during organizational change. While it has been generally recognized that employee trust in leadership brings about positive conditions and can counter the effects of stress, research has provided limited analysis as to the reasons for this nor its relationship to organizational change and employee stress. This gap has had a negative impact on both the development of theory and practice. This dissertation seeks to bridge this research-practice gap by exploring the mechanistic and contextual factors which dictate the means by which trust has a positive impact on employee’s experience during change. By means of systematic review, using a thematic synthesis, this dissertation evaluates existing research on trust, change, and stress to uncover findings which can be applied by practitioners. Four themes were uncovered during the review which helped answer the research question: impacts of organizational change on employee stress; impacts of employee distress; impacts of employee trust in management; and interactions between trust and change. Evidence in these themes revealed that, contrary to common belief, anxiety and uncertainty, and not strictly fear, are major components in the development of stress during change and that trust can create a sense of certainty and control for employees which limits the development of stress and negative outcomes during organizational change.Running Head: TRUST AS A MODERATOR OF CHANGE STRESS i
Employee Trust in Leadership as a Moderator for Stress brought on by Organizational Change
Joseph Drasin
A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of University of Maryland University College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Management
Doctoral Committee: James P. Gelatt, Ph.D., G. David Andersen, Ed.D., Kathleen F. Edwards, Ph.D.
Submitted: July 25, 2014TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS ii
Abstract
Organizational change is widely recognized as disruptive and potentially distressful to employees. Under continuous change, which has become the norm, employees can reach a breaking point which cause psychological and physiological distress. Evidence suggests that this negatively impacts the employee’s performance, commitment, and openness to change. Employee trust in leadership has the potential to reduce stress and improve employee performance and commitment during organizational change. While it has been generally recognized that employee trust in leadership brings about positive conditions and can counter the effects of stress, research has provided limited analysis as to the reasons for this nor its relationship to organizational change and employee stress. This gap has had a negative impact on both the development of theory and practice. This dissertation seeks to bridge this research-practice gap by exploring the mechanistic and contextual factors which dictate the means by which trust has a positive impact on employee’s experience during change. By means of systematic review, using a thematic synthesis, this dissertation evaluates existing research on trust, change, and stress to uncover findings which can be applied by practitioners. Four themes were uncovered during the review which helped answer the research question: impacts of organizational change on employee stress; impacts of employee distress; impacts of employee trust in management; and interactions between trust and change. Evidence in these themes revealed that, contrary to common belief, anxiety and uncertainty, and not strictly fear, are major components in the development of stress during change and that trust can create a sense of certainty and control for employees which limits the development of stress and negative outcomes during organizational change.
Keywords: distress, leadership, organizational change, stress, trust, uncertaintyTRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS iii
Dedication
I dedicate this dissertation to my loving family. Megan, Sam, and Catherine, I could not be here without you. Your patience, support, and understanding have sustained me, and you are who have made this possible. You have kept me grounded in reality and never let me lose sight of what was important. You have inspired me to go on this adventure, and been the reason I worked so hard to be done.
To my parents, David and Jennie, you have been my teachers and supporters throughout my life. You have helped shape my thinking and guided me on my path. You taught me to question, think, and to speak up.
Finally, I dedicate this dissertation to leaders everywhere who strive to make their workplace a better one for their employees.TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS iv
Acknowledgements
The completion of this dissertation has been a challenging and rewarding experience and would not have been possible without the help of a number of people. I wish to acknowledge some of the individuals who helped shape and guide my professional and academic development.
First, I would like to acknowledge the herculean effort of my primary adviser, Dr. James Gelatt. From our first discussion trying to formulate my proposal to your last set of edits, you have pushed me to think more deeply and critically. You were able to make it clear what I needed to do, but always in a way in which I felt I could accomplish it. I feel very fortunate to have had you as a mentor for the last several years. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. G. David Andersen and Dr. Kathleen Edwards. Your feedback helped improve and focus my work.
Next I must acknowledge the tremendous help and guidance I received from my father, Dr. David Drasin. You have continually pushed me to further myself academically, and I doubt I would have gone down this path without your support and encouragement.
I would also like to thank some of the people who have guided me over my academic career. First, I would like to thank my first academic mentor, Dr. Clopper Almon. You were the first to encourage me to seek a doctoral degree, though that was almost twenty years ago, though I think you intended for it to be in economics. I would also like to thank Dr. Jay Liewbowitz for mentoring and guiding my work at Johns Hopkins University, leading me to the program at UMUC, and continuing to be a friend and mentor. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Deborah Wharff for the many nights of help and support you gave to me, helping me to understand a new concept, or just listening to me vent.TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS v
This dissertation would also not have been possible without the review and feedback from my expert panel. Dr. Roy Lewicki, your feedback was extremely valuable in helping me shape my conceptual view of trust. Dr. Adrienne Hamcke Wicker, you helped me focus more on the psychological perspective which I had started to lose. I truly hope we have the opportunity to continue our conversations. Mr. Christopher Honeyman, your views ensured that my dissertation spoke to both academics and practitioners.
The genesis of this dissertation came from case work in my professional life, and it is therefore only fitting that I acknowledge some of the people who have helped to shape my career and my view of what a leader is. David Liska, if there were one leader I knew who personified the findings of this dissertation, it was you. You were that leader who kept his team together during tumultuous organizational change, and made them thrive. John Robinette, I have always considered myself fortunate to have gotten to work for you, with you, and more importantly become your friend. You are the kind of leader and person who I know can help this work become practice.
Finally, my survival at UMUC would not have been possible without the help and support of a number of students who inspired and supported me: Wanda Wagner, Holly Cicconi-Eagleston, Dan Dever, and Eva Moyer. Wanda, you had the ability to both push me forward, challenge me, and make my work better, while all the time making me feel good about it. Holly, you helped keep me sane throughout this process. Dan, I will always be indebted to you for your guidance and helping me plant my feet when I started my doctoral work. Finally, Eva, I know I would never have survived without your help and encouragement.TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS vi
In addition, I must acknowledge my family, friends, co-workers, and everyone who has helped bring me to this point in my life. I cannot thank you enough and I look forward to no longer saying “I can’t, I have to work on my dissertation”.TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS vii
Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii
Dedication..................................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... iv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE........... 14
Relevant Literature and Background ............................................................................................ 15
Organizational Change.............................................................................................................. 15
Stress ........................................................................................................................................ 17
Trust ......................................................................................................................................... 18
The Relationship between Trust and Stress .............................................................................. 20
Trust as a Moderating Factor of Stress Resulting from Change ............................................... 20
The Establishment of Trust ....................................................................................................... 21
Statement and Significance of the Problem.................................................................................. 22
Statement of the Problem.......................................................................................................... 22
Significance of the Problem...................................................................................................... 23
Importance to Management .......................................................................................................... 25
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 26
Research Question ........................................................................................................................ 26
Research Propositions................................................................................................................... 26 TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS viii
Definitions and Assumptions........................................................................................................ 27
Organization of Dissertation......................................................................................................... 28
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY................................................................................................ 29
Evidence-Based Research............................................................................................................. 30
Evidence-Based Research at UMUC ........................................................................................ 32
Justification for Evidence-Based Systematic Review............................................................... 32
Methodological Approach ............................................................................................................ 33
Search Strategy......................................................................................................................... 33
Inclusion and exclusion criteria............................................................................................. 36
Limitations of search strategy................................................................................................ 37
Quality Appraisal ...................................................................................................................... 37
Relevance guidelines. ............................................................................................................ 38
Rigor guidelines..................................................................................................................... 39
General assessment................................................................................................................ 40
Sampling assessment (where applicable). ............................................................................. 40
Statistical assessment (where applicable).............................................................................. 41
Study Characteristics and Coding ............................................................................................. 42
Thematic Synthesis ................................................................................................................... 43
The Development of Themes .................................................................................................... 45
Summary of Methodology ........................................................................................................ 46 TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS ix
Expert Panel ................................................................................................................................. 47
Summary...................................................................................................................................... 48
CHAPTER 3 – SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE........................................... 49
Theoretical Lenses and Review of Relevant Literature................................................................ 50
Trust ......................................................................................................................................... 50
Social Exchange Theory............................................................................................................ 52
Trust: Existing Conceptual Model ............................................................................................ 53
Paths and Axes of Trust ............................................................................................................ 57
Systematic Review of Literature................................................................................................... 59
Impacts of Organizational Change on Employee Stress ........................................................... 59
Uncertainty as a sources of stress during organizational change. ......................................... 60
Impact of excessive organizational change on employee stress............................................ 68
Impacts of Employee Stress ...................................................................................................... 72
Impacts of job stress on performance. ................................................................................... 72
Impacts of stress on organizational commitment and attitudes towards change. .................. 77
Impact of Employee Trust in Management............................................................................... 78
Impacts of employee trust on stress....................................................................................... 79
Impact of employee trust in management on employee attitudes towards change. .............. 83
Impact of employee trust in management on employee performance................................... 90
Interactions between Trust and Change .................................................................................... 92 TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS x
Summary...................................................................................................................................... 96
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION......................................................................... 98
Summary of Findings.................................................................................................................. 100
Proposition 1: Organizational Change Causes Employee Stress Due to Uncertainty............. 103
Proposition 2: Employee Stress during Organizational Change has Negative Impacts on Performance, Organizational Commitment, and Openness to Change................................... 106
Proposition 3: Employee Trust in Leadership Reduces the Amount of Stress and Uncertainty Employees Experience during Organizational Change........................................................... 108
Proposition 4: Employee Trust and Stress are underpinned by a Common Mechanism. ....... 111
Conclusions................................................................................................................................ 112
Alternative Perspectives and Models of Trust ............................................................................ 114
CHAPTER 5: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK........................................................................ 116
Review of Purpose, Research Question, and Propositions ......................................................... 117
Conceptual Framework............................................................................................................... 117
Theoretical Lenses ...................................................................................................................... 119
Proposed Conceptual Model ....................................................................................................... 120
Proposition 1: Organizational Change Causes Employee Stress due to Uncertainty ............. 120
Proposition 2: Employee Stress during Organizational Change has Negative Impacts on Performance, Organizational Commitment, and Openness to Change................................... 121
Proposition 3: Employee Trust in Leadership Reduces the Amount of Stress and Uncertainty Employees Experience during Organizational Change........................................................... 122 TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS xi
Proposition 4: Employee Trust and Stress are underpinned by a Common Mechanism. ....... 123
Proposed Conceptual Model Based on Systematic Review ....................................................... 124
Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................................... 125
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND TRENDS......................................... 126
Conclusion of this Dissertation................................................................................................... 126
Implications for Management ..................................................................................................... 128
Implications of Emerging Trends ............................................................................................... 131
Limitations and Areas for Future Research ................................................................................ 132
Summary.................................................................................................................................... 133
References.................................................................................................................................. 135
Appendix A Methodology .......................................................................................................... 154
Appendix B Expert Panel Invitation Letters............................................................................... 157
Appendix C Systematic Review ................................................................................................. 160
Tables
Table 1 Field Search Criteria by Database................................................................................. 36
Table 2 Coding Extraction Categories ......................................................................................... 42
Table 3 Initial Coding Lexicon .................................................................................................... 43
Table 4 Expert Panel ................................................................................................................... 47
Table 5 Relationship among Propositions and Thematic Findings........................................... 100 TRUST AS A MODERATING FACTOR OF CHANGE STRESS xii
Figures
Figure 1. EBM decision-making model as described by Briner, Denyer, and Rousseau (2009, p. 22). ........................................................................................................................................... 31
Figure 2. Results of systematic searches (PRISMA, 2013, para 10).........................................
UMUC - European Division - Mason G Daly - Farewell Toast for Janet Weston - September 30 1966
No full textEurope;Hoffmann, RosemaryFarewell Tast for JANET WESTON, 30 September 1966
The blond beauty of the Maryland hard-core, the girl of overdrawn bank accounts and overdue books, the girl of good cheer, boundless energy, she balanced her bank account yesterday when she closed it out and found, for the first time in her experience, to have more than she thought - $45 dollars more. One time I had to write a librarian, an irate one, and reassure her about two Wes ton overdrawn books. They were: "Sweden" and "Bottoms Up".
Vida Bandis may mother the faculty, but when it comes to really checking PR's, we depend on Janet Westin.
We should have realized we would lose her all too soon when the campus crossed us up this fall and sent a faculty loaded with dependents. PR's of such a faculty just aren't worth checking. She gave herself six weeks after their arrival before resignation. She knew that would be long enough.
We did try to offset this by giving her leading roles in all of our musical productions. We wrote remarkable libretto for that great aria, "Chateauroux." But it just wasn’t enough.
Let me read something to show that if Janet Weston was naive about coming to us originally, she was spirited: "Concerning a minimum acceptable wage; inasmuch as I am familiar with neither the cost of living nor the salary scales in Europe I am inclined to defer to your judgment on what i s an appropriate salary for a person with my qualifications. In short, I am desirous of working for the University of Maryland in Europe and I do not want to 'price myself out of the market.' "
Your ambitions and your talents (and, I suppose, dull PR's) have priced you out of our midst. We are all sorry - but we wish you every full-filment and success
UMUC - Asia Division - Mason G Daly - A few words that I think I expressed at the Sayanora Party for Jo Leo - August 13 1958
No full textEurope;Hoffmann, RosemaryA few words that I think I expressed at the Sayonara Party
for Jo Leo, 13 August 1958
Although we have committed you to some noisy conferences
with campus officials when you get home, we presume, Jo, that
your official connection with the University of Maryland at
home and abroad comes to a close when you leave us . Your
official connection has never been dull, it has never been
quiet, it has never been unproductive.
You have managed as no other university administrator
that any of us has known to be capable and to be a character.
As a capable administrator you are not quite indispensable,
but you are the next thing to it. The greatest compliment
I ever heard paid you came from our big roving Dean: "Of all
that Admissions-Registrar gang Leo is the only one who has blood
in her veins, has any damn Spark -she's alive.”
As a character you will remain indispensable to all of us -just because of that damn spark. You may shatter the calm of a room by just walking in -in fact you always shatter its calm -but you do light it up. You may charge a telephone or intercom line to the frazzle point, but you project a personality of charm, authority, and determination while you do it.
The life won' t go out of our little organization when
you leave, Jo, but the glow will change. We will expect you
to remember our calm often enough to shatter it with a report
on your doings, the price of mushrooms in Pennsylvania, some
thing. We promise not to let you forget us. We will send you
copies of every information letter, catalog, calendar, revised
form, and we will keep you in Toriis for the rest of your
natural life.
We are here giving you the symbolic Torii bowl, a cup truly
intended in your case to be seen as something overflowing with
affection and gratitude for your time and your trials with us
UMUC - European Division - Mason G Daly - Graduating Seniors Banquet - Doves and Hawks on the European Education Front - May 19 1967 - Ramstein, Germany
No full textEurope;Hoffmann, RosemaryDr. Mason G. Daly
Director
European Division
University of Maryland
Ramstein
19 May, 1967
Graduating Seniors Banquet
DOVES AND HAWKS ON THE EUROPEAN EDUCATION FRONT
That happens to be the extraordinary title given to me by your extraordinary education adviser. I can only wonder why? And why he should suggest that I speak on the subject for 30 minutes. Don't worry, I am not going to talk that long. You students may be used to sitting in class for three hours at a stretch listening to a learned Maryland professor, but I doubt that there is a Maryland administrator alive worth listening to for thirty minutes.
Furthermore, I am not a political scientist, nor an ornithologist, and my knowledge of doves and hawks is limited. I am not in Fulbright's camp nor in, let's say, Goldwater's. I don't like to argue with either a dove or a hawk on any front. As a long and miraculously surviving academic administrator, I know that you stay out of camps, you learn to live in that gray, muddy, wobbly area between the extremes, the area of compromise. You just do not reveal your hand, your weapons, or even your purposes.
L.B.J. doesn't know what a credibility gap is, he doesn't have a clue about obfuscation, about keeping little secrets, about anger over a security leak, about public pronouncements and private purposes being not quite compatible. He should have been in the in the educational world longer than two years of grade school teaching. He should have had about twenty minutes as a university official and, well, he would have been in a greater mess than he is in now, no doubt of that, but he would not have all his present agony and anger over the fact that no one wants to believe him or follow him or even keep him very much longer in office.
But whatever else you may say about Lyndon Johnson, he's a greater leader than any of the doves or hawks will ever admit. Their very distrust and condemnation of him is the first sign of his greatness. The incredibility of his credibility gap is the certain sign that L.B.J. knows his business, regardless of his unhappiness and irascibility. You see, no one, just no one, can decide if he is a dove or a hawk, and that just drives both the doves and the hawks right off their roosts. Because, you see, poor L.B.J. isn't a dove and he isn't a hawk. Far from it. He's just messing around in between, in that gray area, and he's all muddy, he's unhappy, he's irascible, but he's one of those really natural, trapped and troubled administrators that you find on every front: the political front, the military front, and, to be sure, the educational front .
Struggling to determine my purpose here tonight with such a curious title, I turned to the ornithologist for a definition of doves and hawks, and very little light was cast upon Chuck Magnusson's purpose in giving me that subject. What the birdwatchers report made me sure I didn't want to be associated with either bird.
The dove family ranges all over the place, takes in all sorts of varieties and, except for the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, sometimes let's a whole specie die off without a troubled squawk. The passenger pigeon and the dodo are just two species which let themselves get extinguished. The male dove is usually an amorous creature, with a built in capability for a big display of showing that he is in love -feathers to fluff up, swellings and struttings that are really exhibitionary - that sort of thing. But he lets the female dove, usually a fairly dowdy, cooy creature, con him into being absolutely monogamous. No wonder a species disappears in time of crisis. No wonder he gets himself on posters as the symbol of gentleness and tender love and peace and tiresome compatibility.
The hawks are at least as heterogeneous as the doves, but they are all birds of prey. They don't fool around eating seeds and berries which turn to, pigeon milk in their crops, ready to regurgitate in semi-digested form for their young. They drag some live meat into the nest and it is up to the young to digest whatever they can. All hawks, young and old, have the common and fairly revolting way of upchucking the indigestible parts of the prey, sort of a Roman orgy in the bird world, but a practical procedure for the vigorously carnivorous. Hawks make the posters, too, the flags and crests of arms, more than the doves ever will in our troubled world of tough symbolism, because the hawk family includes all the eagles, kites, falcons and condors, as well as the vultures and even the secretary birds. The old two-headed eagle of the Austro -Hungarian world was too much of a hybrid to survive, but the German eagle is flying again, a bit too fat and prosperous and still with borrowed talons; and the old baldy American bird is impressive in size and hunting equipment, but given to indecision, frequent withdrawal, and staggering indecisiveness. There are still those who argue that the turkey gobbler would have been the better choice.
I quite frankly don't like these birds and all this symbolism, and I don't like the idea of being associated with either a peaceful pigeon (however amorously inclined and equipped) or a preying vulture (however viciously tempered and toenailed). I'd say fit more comfortably into the ambiguous realm somewhere between the robin red-breast and the magpie.
So, now that I have certified that I am neither a dove nor a hawk on any front, that I know a credibility gap when I am in one, that I admire and pity L. B. J., let me forge on to see if I can find out what I am talking about. At least I am beginning to get involved in the subject. I hope I don't lose you.
Let's try to discover if there really is an education front out here in Europe in the first place. Just what education business do we have on this front at all. Why aren't we back home where we belong, where, God knows, there is work to be done. What are we doing expending all of this professorial talent and administrative "genius" in Europe when people in Maryland aren't even half educated, when we don ' t have half enough high rise dormitories or a half decent football team, or half enough control over student unrest or half enough teachers half enough paid.
About half of our graduating class, 1967, got sent off to that half war, half around the world before we could finish them off in the half-sized classes we ran all over Europe this past year half hoping that DeGaulle was only half mad at the US and only half serious about kicking us out of France. We know precisely how Wilson of England is feeling, and he isn't either half in or half out of the Common Market.
What is left of the class of '67, and it is still larger than all but three we have graduated, is mostly Air Force types, those fly-boys, those scholars in blue who either have wings or keep the wings airborne; and bless them and all their classmates in khaki and navy blue and civvies, bless them all, they're not doves and they're not hawks. They're not birds and they're not politicians. They're not young and they're not old. They don't fit Winston Churchill's clever dichotomy of being young enough to still sow wild oats or old enough to grow sage.
The grads of '67 on this education front aren't the hawks that you find in the sprawling, unmanageable universities of today, forming revolution-of-the-month clubs in Latin American universities, four letter word societies and LSD tyrannies in US multiversities. And they aren't the doves cooing around nervously in the status quo, forgetting that education has something to do with changing as well as retaining civilized living. They aren't those tiresome zealot-crusaders, shouting down opposing views with jeers and cat-calls, insisting that infallibility is more theirs than it is the Pope's in Rome. Nor are they the clay-like pigeons ducking every responsibility in sight, creatures which caused Arthur Goldberg to remark that what this country needs is not so much a good fivecent cigar as a good eleven-foot pole --because so many people refuse to touch so many issues with a ten-foot pole .
These are people who suspect that the university may still be the noblest institution of man, who are finding out that the university remains civilization's principal repository of knowledge, haven of painstaking scholarship, place of detached perspective, of peaceful meditation, of objective analysis, AND of vigorous and varied viewpoint. These are people who dimly, if not brightly, perceive that the university is an atmosphere, even in these remote European enclaves in this sprawling University of Maryland, an atmosphere of creativity which leads mere men brilliantly to unfold the shrouded secrets of the chemical and physical universe, tenderly to turn black and white lines into inspired Shakespearean poetry, majestically to transform dead inkspots into the "Passion According to St. Matthew," humbly to elevate man, inch by inch, one more stage above the jungle which spawned him.
These are people who are not so remote from the humble, aged Michelangelo and his credo : ANCORA IMPARO --"I am still learning."
These are people who will always be learning. Their education front is where they are, in Ramstein Air Base in Germany or Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Vietnam. And when we understand that breed of bird for what he is we have gone a long way to understanding what we are doing here with our professorial talents and administrative "genius." And Maryland is stronger because we are here and because we are graduating them in Tokyo and in Heidelberg, and honoring them, and their wives and their advisers and commanders in settings like this in Ramstein and Tan Son Nhut.
This feeble old administrator, robin red-breast cum magpie, shares with you in Europe an anxious time, a time of transition and anxiety in Army and Air Force circles, a time of transition and anxiety in old Academe. Our worlds are in transition and neither the doves nor the hawks have the answer. But this is not a new condition -to be in transition. Adam is quoted as having remarked to Eve that they were facing a time of transition -right after she plucked that apple and he did a little sampling of the most obvious temptation.
What a different kind of transition; American Academe on the European education front -and American Academe on the home front. We shift with the air bases and supreme headquarters as casually as dominoes from country to country, and hopefully reform a scattered student body. They build a whole new campus and a thousand acre parking lot just as casually.
And what a different breed of bird these students are, or so I am told, and our professors are told, when we talk of transition with stateside administrators and professors. They tell us about the Russian roulette going on in the stateside classroom, the Great Grade Chase which asks a self-respecting university professor to assume the kind of power that decides if this or if that student goes off to fight in Vietnam, to make the report card into a scorecard for Russian roulette. In the context of the rough, tough war in Vietnam, are the issues which are ripping colleges and universities apart in white hot debate, and making the dove sometimes a nastier, dirtier bird than the hawk. When our society makes military service a form of banishment; when our government is caught in the bizarre position of anathematizing the very activity it considers essential to our survival; when the party in power proclaims in effect that its draftees are intellectually inferior and therefore fit for the fighting front rather than the classroom....... Well, when a society and a university are in that kind of transition, where are we, indeed?
Well, one place WE are not is in the midst of academic Russian roulette. Rather, we are in the midst of the proof that about the only thing that is ESCALATING on the education front -on the fighting front, and on the cracked but not yet entirely crumbled NATO front -is the demand for more and more education.
Maryland's third largest overseas center is right now Saigon. Doug Beakes escalates this education front every few minutes with another graduate program. The GI bill is in effect and is beefed up every time congressmen let their conscience work a little overtime. Post-service career guidance and training is taking hold for the man in service so that he doesn't turn into a social drop-out the moment he is a military drop-out. Right here in Germany, with the Air Force, Maryland launches its first overseas industrial teaching certification program so that some of these highly skilled and experienced technicians can pass on that experience and talent in the classrooms of America in the years ahead. USC tailors a graduate program to service needs in a daring cross-disciplined curriculum that admits that this is the space age, an age where our fine feathered friends, the doves and the hawks, will be as obsolete as the dodo. Man -the education front in Europe is escalating.
And I trust you will forgive me, the old magpie flapping nervously about on the front, if I crow with a little pride at what is happening here tonight, a little pride for these professors, these "genius" administrators, and these solid, determined students whom we are honoring in the presence of their greatest supporters, their advisers, commanders, librarians, AND spouses. In the whole marvelously bizarre operation which brings these men and women to that academic moment which will be so solemnly staged in Heidelberg in a couple of weeks, I know only too well that we "genius" administrative magpies are the least element in the mix. But we get confused and we flap around importantly and try to get in the act too; and, well, you just have to humor us, you have to let us speak once or twice a year, even though thirty minutes would be sheer disaster. We are, to leave the magpie metaphor, like the beat up old whale who got all worked up over a submarine. He nuzzled it and rubbed up against it and carried on something awful. When all at once it let go with a torpedo and he charged to the surface and began passing out cigars
UMUC - European Division - Mason G Daly - Hunter farewell speech - September 28 1962
No full textEurope;Hoffmann, RosemaryIt is a difficult assignment, this one, to carry out Russ Wise’s assignment, to bring to this gathering a spirit of raillery. It is a hard a word to work with. To rail, railed, railerous, railroaded/derailed, more likely to be carried out on a rail. Some of you linguists ought to straighten out that use and abuse of that word in the English language.
Bert Hunter, I have long known, is a man of judgment. I have had to live with that knowledge, for an uncomfortable 10 years. He is a man of destiny. I have had to live with that knowledge for an uncomfortable ten years. He is a man of deep insights, almost clairvoyance. I have had to live with that knowledge for ten long uncofrable years. Raillery be hanged I am going to tell you the awesome, almost gruesome truth that has hung over me all of this time . I have never admitted it to Maryland officials and colleagues. To be sure I have never admitted it to the ranks of the GED. Indeed, I do not believe I have ever dared admit it to my wife. Once when I was XXXXXXXXXXX first a Maryland pick-up, a part-timer, teaching my first classes at Stuttgart and Vaihingen, I was innocently led to the slaughter. I met Bert Hunter. An advisor knew of my tenuous employment with Maryland and one day said there was a guy visiting at Robinson Barracks who might talk to me about better, more stable employment. Well, I went and got my first haircut in several months, cleaned my fingernails, two-blocked my tie, spit a little on my shoes, turned my shirt cuffs under, and went in to see this man. It was devastating. Like most things you want to forget I have managed to shut out the particulars of that interview, but I have never been able to shut out its conclusion. It ended with Bert rubbing his hands a little, drawing them across firmly tightened Iips - you all know the gesture -and then the pronouncement: “son, he said, you stay right where you are. Maryland XXX XXXXXXXXXX deservesXX you and you deserve Maryland.” *You have been trained for the classroom* [Text between asterisks struck through]
Well, I was shook , but not too shook to know when I had failed in an interview. I just fled, and that man of judgment, insight, and destiny if he had not outfoxed himself, if he had just hired me and put me in some godforsaken education center where I would not have caused him any difficulties.
had he been willing to take a chance on something that didn't look too good that day in 1951, if he had not outfoxed himself, if he had just hired me and put me in some godforsaken education center where I would not have caused any difficulties.
Oh, Bert has had his difficulties, as you all have had, with Maryland and its
long line of
directors. He has struggled with each of us to educate us, to keep us in line, to show us the way. It has been a spirited, eventful time. The lessons we have learned from him, the guidance he has given us will not soon be forgotten. It is a hopeless task to develop that point as it should be developed. The history of the GED in Europe , which includes the history of Maryland in Europe, will have to be the testimony to this man and xx
In the spirit of the, evening, not forgetting the railery business, I wish to represent Maryland in giving to Bert Hunter an item which may jog his memory of that long colorful history from time to time, and which will suggest tha