Title

Developing and implementing institutional priorities for an adult-oriented college through a system of management objectives

Author

Margaret R. Shearon, Nova Southeastern University

Date of Award

1981

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Department

H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship

Advisor

Carl Cooper

Committee Member

Richard Hodgetts

Committee Member

Martin Veiner

Abstract

Nova College, the undergraduate center of Nova University, was faced with the need to make additional organizational and structural changes in order to meet mandated requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as well as to accommodate increasing student enrollment and growing competition from a large public university. This study was concerned with the changes made in the Business Programs and Career Division of Nova College.

An assessment was done to determine the areas most in need of change. This led to developing and implementing institutional priorities through a system of managerial objectives. Several research questions were asked in the process of investigating the problem: 1) Was there a need to make internal structural changes and was there an awareness of this need? 2) Could the perceived problems be diagnosed and corrected in reasonable time? 3) Was there an effective operating framework and could one be developed if needed? 4) Did mission statement and goals exist for the College and could these be further developed if needed? 5) Was the current organizational structure meeting the institution's goals and could the structure be altered if needed? 6) Were the necessary skills for managing an academic division defined and could they be be defined?

The central thesis was that the specific strategic approach of developing and implementing a system of management objectives would establish institutional priorities for Nova College thereby leading to a more effective use of resources. The methodology used in this research project was a case study presented with historical descriptions. Four management models were used to assess, evaluate and diagnose the current situation. The goals which existed at the beginning of the project were compared to the new system of institutional priorities implemented by the conclusion of the project.

The conclusions or results of this research project demonstrated that the central thesis was valid: the operation, administration and management of an academic unit can benefit from the adoption of clearly defined managerial objectives. More spec ~ fically th~ findings showed that: 1 ) A need did exist to make internal structural changes in the Career Division and Business Programs at Nova College and key personnel were aware of the need. The redesign of the organ ization is consistent with and supportive of the mission and goals of the College. 2 ) Some of the problems which existed were resolved through the creation of a new organizational framework and the development of a series of systematic operational procedures for both the Career Division and the Business Programs. 3) No mission statement existed at Nova College. Therefore, one was developed which became the first step in the process of developing and implementing institutional priorities and goals. 4) The skills necessary to manage the Business Programs had not been defined. A skills inventory was developed using as resources those writings which had addressed the issue of managerial competencies such as the AMA Masters Program and the McBer Report about leadership of non-traditional college programs. Finally, a combination of management skills and concepts were applied in seeking a solution to the problem. The most easily identified was management by objectives (MBO), but the author also employed the analysis of the critical contributing factors, an adaption of systems management techniques, an assessment of structure and strategy, and the major components of an organization development intervention model. Further continuing research and adaptation will be necessary to achieve all of the goals for Nova College set forth in this paper.

NSUWorks Citation

Margaret R. Shearon. 1981. Developing and implementing institutional priorities for an adult-oriented college through a system of management objectives. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship. (124)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hsbe_etd/124.