Focused on academic departments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States, we attempt to map department chairs' awareness of family friendly policies and investigate possible determinants of their knowledge levels. Based on a sample of STEM department chairs in American research universities, we find…

Four models of possible predictors are advanced and tested using data collected from 1,164 faculty in 80 university departments and from published sources. Results indicated that there is no single set of factors that can reliably predict improvement or decline in prestige across all disciplines. (Author/LBH)

Evaluations of widely used computer simulators identify a number of technical and organizational factors that are related to the simulator's success. Two aspects of organizational behavior that previous investigations have ignored--myth and ritual--are identified, and cost simulation models and a discussion of their evaluation are provided.…

Patterns of decision making were described at six institutions in one study and perceived legitimacy of governance on the part of faculty was assessed on the same campuses. Discussion of findings explores effects of decision issue, institution, and type of institution on each pattern and on relationships between governance patterns and perceived…

Institutional research in higher education is seen as comprised of three levels of intelligence/information: (1) technical and analytical; (2) understanding of student, faculty, financial, and facilities issues; and (3) contextual intelligence concerning the culture of higher education and the particular institution. Knowledge and skills required…

Based on a national survey of college administrators' (n=3,333) views of planning, this study investigated the relationship between having a chief planning officer to coordinate planning functions and perceptions of and attitudes toward campus planning. Results suggest the presence of a planner increased perceptions of more rational and…

Using national data from diverse institutions and science disciplines, a study investigated links between internal organizational conditions and black faculty representation. Although discipline-specific labor supply is a powerful constraint, selective organizational contexts are also influential. Black faculty are most often found where…

Measures of attributes of leadership situations faced by department chairmen were theoretically and empirically related. Findings indicated that high task structure (faculty homogeneity and academic task structure) is associated with better member relations and greater cooperation on administrative matters. Implications for administrators are…

A study of nine four-year public colleges found that organizational climate is a relevant factor at the organizational level in distinguishing campuses from one another, but subunits account for the greatest variation. Administrators have more positive perceptions of organizational climate than faculty, and faculty attitudes are affected by…

Using a theoretical model of institutional culture, organizational climate, and faculty motivation, a study examined how faculty (n=1,123) and administrators (n=381) in 10 colleges differed in their perceptions, whether differences were affected by institution type, and to what extent faculty and administrators had different implicit models of…

New developments emerging from a study of organizational effectiveness in Australia's system of higher education are reported, and a second study is also described. The results have established a four-group typology of institutions: classical universities, institutes of technology, colleges of advanced education, and other institutions.…

The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework for defining organizational quality is widely accepted in for-profit organizations. A study examined the validity of the proposed relationships among MBNQA dimensions using data from higher education. The empirical results help identify a modified model that has implications for…

A study compared the preferences of students, faculty and administrators in a public, four-year college for five types of institutional goals. Significant differences were found between these campus groups on all five types of institutional goals. Findings are discussed in relationship to previous research, and future research needs are suggested.…

An investigation of the relationship between informal interaction with students and the accuracy with which faculty members project students' perceptions of the institutional climate showed that "high" interactors consistently projected more accurate student ratings of the climate on a bureaucracy factor and less consistently predicted more…

Results from a questionnaire returned from 354 faculty members at a large university showed that their sensitivity to job satisfaction items centered primarily in three areas of concern: extrinsic job factors, department head actions, and promotion and salary. (Author/LBH)