An adaptation of Cameron\u27s model of organizational effectiveness at the academic department level in two-year community colleges

The objective of this study was to determine if differences existed in organizational profiles (both effectiveness and culture) in two types of academic departments--a profession-based department (Business) and discipline-based department (English) in the two-year community college environment. The survey instrument used in this study was an adaptation of one used by Kim Cameron in his studies of four-year institutions. The first part of the instrument asked respondents to rate, on a seven-point Likert scale, the extent to which they perceived certain organizational characteristics operating in their departments. On the second part of the questionnaire respondents were asked to distribute 100 points among four descriptions of higher education departments in order to identify the department culture. The third part of the instrument collected demographic data on the respondents to determine if differences existed due to these variables. The survey instrument was mailed to faculty and department heads in 10 community colleges with the State University of New York (SUNY) during November, 1985. Of the 161 responses (60% of the total), a total of 158 were usable for purposes of the study. The general results of this study indicate that: (1) Significant differences exist in the perceptions of faculty and department heads in two types of academic departments, i.e., a profession-based department (Business) and a discipline-based department (English) on organizational effectiveness characteristics, but (2) No significant differences exist in their perceptions of the organizational culture of their departments. (3) Selected demographic variables have no significant effect on one\u27s perceptions of organizational effectiveness characteristics and organizational culture within academic departments. Future research should include additional studies of organizational effectiveness in two-year colleges, both private and public, as well as other sectors of higher education. In addition, further testing of Cameron\u27s model seems warranted to determine its generality to other samples. Finally, there is a need to identify other variables that may impact organizational effectiveness studies. This work can be the beginning of a body of research directed toward understanding the critical characteristics of organizational effectiveness and organizational culture and their impact at the academic department level in higher education institutions