Looking back over the 14-year history of Oakton Community College (OCC) with its cluster system of organization, this paper examines the distinctions between discipline-oriented organization and the cluster system, and discusses the current rationale for OCC's maintenance of this approach. First introductory material describes how the president and deans of the new institution originally established three faculty groups, each representing a cross-section of the entire curriculum, as the basis for OCC's cluster system of organization. This section also reviews efforts by the administration, faculty, and Board of Trustees to reexamine the ideas underlying the founding of the college. Next, the origins of the cluster approach at OCC are discussed, and information on the organizational structure of the college is provided. A comparison is then drawn of the traditional department/division approach and the cluster approach in terms of content, the role of faculty, and the duties and qualifications of administrative leaders. After placing the shift of focus of academic institutions from subject matter to process in a historical context, the paper contrasts the values inherent in traditional and cluster systems. Concluding comments assert that the cluster approach is still appropriate for a community college. (LAL)