Community college organization at the department level, with diverse disciplines and semiautonomous faculty members, presents important leadership issues for the newly appointed department chair. Faced with an existing culture that looks upon the administration with some mistrust, the chair must work within a leadership perspective of a faculty peer rather than a military commander. The author concludes that the most appropriate theoretical model for a department chair is democratic leadership emphasizing faculty empowerment as a way to overcome faculty resistance to change.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Angelo, T. (2000). Transforming departments into productive learning communities. In A. Lucas (Ed.), Leading academic change: Essential roles for department chairs. (pp. 74-89). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2.
Austin, A. (1994). Understanding and assessing faculty cultures and climate. In M.K. Kinnick (Ed.), Providing useful information for deans and department chairs. (pp. 47-63.) New Directions for Institutional Research, No. 84.
3.
Birnbaum, R. (1988). How colleges work: The cybernetics of academic organization and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4.
Blanchard, K., Carlos, J., & Randolph, A. (1996). Empowerment takes more than a minute. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
5.
Blase, J., & Anderson, G. (1995). The micropolitics of educational leadership: From control to empowerment. New York: Teachers College Press.
6.
Cohen, A., & Brawer, F. (1987). The collegiate function of community colleges: Fostering higher learning through curriculum and student transfer. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
7.
Cohen, M., & March, J. (1974). Leadership and ambiguity: The American college president. New York: McGraw-Hill.
8.
Creswell, J., Wheeler, D., Seagren, A., Egly, N., & Beyer, K. (1990). The academic chairperson's handbook. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.
9.
Dressel, P. (1981). Administrative leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
10.
Edwards, R. (1999). The academic department: How does it fit into the university reform agenda?Change, 31 (5), 16-28.
11.
Fife, J. (2000). From quality promised to quality certain: Creating a systematic approach to mission fulfillment. Paper presented at the International Conference on Quality in Higher Education, University of Oxford.
12.
Gillett-Karam, R. (1990). Midlevel management in the community college: A rose garden? In R. Gillett-Karam (Ed.), Preparing department chairs for their leadership roles. (pp. 5-511-1). New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 105. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
13.
Gmelch, W., & Miskin, V. (1993). Leadership skills for department chairs. Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company.
14.
Gmelch, W., & Miskin, V. (1995). Chairing an academic department. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
15.
Goldenberg, M. (1990). Common and uncommon concerns: The complex role of the community college department chair. In J. Bennett & D. Figuli (Eds.), Enhancing departmental leadership: The roles of the chairperson. (pp. 42-48). New York: Macmillan.
16.
Hall, G., & Hord, S. (2001). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and pot holes. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
17.
Hecht, I., Higgerson, M., Gmelch, W., & Tucker, A. (1999). The department chair as academic leader. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
18.
Hines, M. (1992). Community college leadership. Liberal Education, 78 (5), 30-34.
19.
Lucas, A. (1994). Strengthening departmental leadership: A team-building guide for chairs in colleges and universities. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
20.
Lucas, A. (2000). Leading academic change: Essential roles for department chairs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
21.
Mellow, G. (1996). The role of the community college chair in organizational change: Chaos, leadership and the challenge of complexity. Paper presented at the Annual Mid-Atlantic Community College Chair/Dean Conference, Blue Bell, PA.
22.
Miller, M. (1999). The department chair as speaker of the house: Shared authority in the community college department. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 23 (8), 739-746.
23.
Myram, G., Zeiss, T., & Howdyshell, L. (1995). Community college leadership in the new century: Learning to improve learning. Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges.
24.
Rusch, E., & Perry, E. (1999). Resistance to change: An alternative story. International Journal for School Reform, 8 (3), 285-300.
25.
Scott, J. (1990). Role of community college department chairs in faculty development. Community College Review, 18 (3), 12-16.
26.
Seagren, A., Creswell, J., & Wheeler, D. (1993). The department chair: New roles, responsibilities and challenges. Washington, D.C: The George Washington University School of Education and Human Development.
27.
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Currency Doubleday.
28.
Short, P., & Johnston, P. (1994). Exploring the links among teacher empowerment, leader power and conflict. Education, 114 (4), 581-583.
29.
Smith, A., & Stewart, G. (1999). A statewide survey of new department chairs: Their experiences and needs in learning their roles. In R. Gillett-Karam (Ed.), Preparing department chairs for their new role. (pp. 29-36). New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 105. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
30.
Sokugawa. (1996). Faculty perceptions of organizational culture in community colleges. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.
