Managing successful organizational change for faculty in higher education: an innovation study

2018-04-11This mixed methods study examined the pace of change at the Prism School of Social Science to help future leaders create successful change environments for faculty that value innovation and seek to establish healthy workplace environments. The research questions for this study explored the knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors that influenced the success of Prism organizational change efforts. The research methods included a 50-question survey for all full-time faculty members, 12 interviews with volunteer faculty from a variety of roles, a document review, and an observation. This researcher gained approval through school leadership, the school’s research council, and the university’s Institutional Review Board. ❧ The data analysis produced 10 themes: three addressing knowledge gaps, two addressing motivation gaps, and five addressing organizational gaps. The themes were: 1) training faculty on change; 2) implementing new curriculum with realistic deadlines; 3) understanding the duality of faculty existence as both embracing and worn out by change; 4) improving workplace environments; 5) overcoming organizational distrust; 6) changing how change happens; 7) leading the field; 8) needing resources and support to lead change; 9) engaging faculty in creating change; and 10) translating individual readiness for change to organizational readiness. ❧ Recommendations included aligning administrative resources to support change; valuing faculty members’ health and psychological well-being as they execute the organizational changes; examining failure as a means to improve future change efforts; setting realistic deadlines for course preparation; and training faculty in change adaptation. In addition, leaders should harness faculty members’ inherent drive for innovation while acknowledging them; form a change management team with a communications officer; hold regular change conversations; and engage faculty continuously in change planning, implementation, and evaluation