Leading Organizational Change: A Comparison of County and Campus Views of Extension Engagement

Feeling pressure from stakeholders, Cornell Cooperative Extension has responded using the Kellogg Commission report on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities as a blueprint for organizational change. Results of interviews revealed both similarities and differences in county and state staff views of engagement. The most significant difference is that county staff view their jobs as the critical link between community needs and university resources, while campus staff view them as implementers of programs. This finding suggests a need to engage all staff in a mutual dialogue of roles and expectation if change based on Extension engagement is to be successful