An examination of front-line student services staff’s experience transitioning from a traditional to an integrated model of student service

The purpose of this qualitative comparative case study was to understand how front-line student services staff experience transition from a traditional model of service to an integrated model of service. There were three fundamental questions framing this research study: 1. What strategies and support systems were utilized by staff making the transition from a traditional model of student service to an integrated model of student service? 2. In what ways did staff perceive the control they had over their changing role during the transition? 3. How did the reorganization impact issues of motivation, satisfaction, productivity, and service quality? Twenty participants from three 2-year community colleges and two 4-year private, liberal arts institutions took part in the study. The colleges and participants were given pseudonyms. Participants completed a written reflection and were involved in a series of three interviews. Following the data analysis, three themes emerged from the data: Namely, all participants (a) desire to improve, but don’t want to change; (b) need opportunities to process announcements of transition; and (c) need time to find how they fit into new professional roles. Three emerging themes supported by nine patterns depict the lived experiences of front-line staff making the journey from a traditional model to an integrated model of student service. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are also given