1. Changing Organizational Culture in Higher Education
Rana ZEINE, MD, PhD
Cheryl BOGLARSKY, PhD
Patrick BLESSINGER, MS
Michael HAMLET, PhD
KELLER GRADUATE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
HUMAN SYNERGISTICS Inc.
HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHING & LEARNING

2. 12 Cultural styles constructive defensive
Achievement
Self-Actualizing
Humanistic – Encouraging
Affiliative
PASSIVE
Approval
Conventional
Dependent
Avoidance
AGGRESSIVE
Oppositional
Power
Competitive
Perfectionistic
From Organizational Culture Inventory
by Robert A. Cooke and J. Clayton Lafferty, 1987,
Plymouth, MI: Human Synergistics International.
Copyright © 1987, 2011 by Human Synergistics, Inc.

3. Organizational Culture Inventory® Circumplex
SATISFACTION NEEDS
ORIENTED
TASK
ORIENTED
PEOPLE
Research & Development by Cooke & Lafferty,
Copyright © by Human Synergistics International.
All rights reserved.
SECURITY NEEDS

4. OCI vs. OCI-Ideal OCI measures OCI-IDEAL
(1) BEHAVIORAL NORMS members understand are EXPECTED of them to “FIT IN” and meet expectations in their current position at their organization
(2) OUTCOMES: Individual, Group & Organizational
OCI-IDEAL
“DESIRED state”
cultural benchmark:
asks members to indicate
the extent to which
behavioral norms SHOULD (in their opinion) be expected in order to maximize their organization’s effectiveness
OCI vs.
OCI-Ideal

5. Constructive styles Constructive Cultures encourage members to
interact with people and
approach tasks
in ways that will help them to meet their
higher-order satisfaction needs for
affiliation,
esteem and
self-actualization
Encourage communication, cooperation, flexibility, consultation, coordination

6. ACHIEVEMENT Culture 11:00 Do things well
Value members who set and accomplish their own goals.
Members are expected to set challenging but realistic goals, establish plans to reach these goals, and pursue them with enthusiasm.
(Pursue a standard of excellence;
Openly show enthusiasm)
Effective organizations
Problems are solved appropriately
Clients and customers are served well,
Healthy orientation

7. self-actualization Culture 12:00
Value creativity and quality over quantity
Value both task accomplishment and individual growth
Members are encouraged to gain enjoyment from their work, develop themselves, and take on new and interesting activities.
(Think in unique and independent ways;
Do even simple tasks well)
Innovative organizations
Offer high-quality products and/or services,
Attract and develop outstanding employees

8. Humanistic-Encouraging Culture 1:00
Managed in a participative way
Person-centered
Members are expected to be supportive, constructive and open to influence in their dealings with one another.
(Help others to grow and develop;
Take time with people)
Effective organizational performance
Providing for the growth and active involvement of members
High satisfaction and commitment of members

9. affiliative Culture 2:00
Place a high priority on constructive interpersonal relationships
Members are expected to be friendly, open, and sensitive to the satisfaction of their work group.
(Deal with others in a friendly, pleasant way;
Share feelings and thoughts)
Enhance organizational performance
Promoting open communication, good cooperation, and the effective coordination of activities.
Members are loyal to their work groups and feel they “fit in” comfortably.

10. Passive / defensive styles
Passive/Defensive Cultures are those in which members believe they must
interact with people in ways that will not threaten their own security
conflicts are primarily resolved by either accommodation or withdrawal
consequences include unresolved conflicts, de-motivation, work avoidance and high turnover

11. Approval Culture 3:00 Conflicts are avoided
Interpersonal relationships are pleasant – at least superficially
Members feel that they should
agree with others (Go along with others)
gain the approval of others
be liked by others (Be liked by everyone)
Can limit organizational effectiveness
Minimize constructive “differing”
Inhibit the expression of ideas and opinions

12. conventional Culture 4:00
Conservative, Traditional
Bureaucratically controlled
Members are expected to conform
Follow the rules
Make a good impression
(Always follow policies;
Fit into the “mold”)
Can interfere with effectiveness
Suppressing innovation
Preventing the organization from adapting to changes in its environment

13. dependent Culture 5:00 Hierarchically controlled Non-participative
Do not empower their members
Centralized decision making
Members do only what they are told
Clear all decisions with superiors
(Please those in positions of authority;
Do what is expected)
Poor performance
Lack of individual initiative, spontaneity, flexibility, and timely decision making

14. avoidance Culture 6:00 Fail to reward success Punish mistakes
Negative reward system
Members shift responsibilities to others
Avoid any possibility of being blamed for a mistake
(Wait for others to act first;
Take few chances)
Survival of the organization is in question
Members are unwilling to make decisions, take action, or accept risks

15. Aggressive / defensive styles
Aggressive/Defensive Cultures expect members to
approach tasks in forceful ways to protect their status and security
value confrontation, criticism, coercion and overconfidence
consequences include insecurity, disempowerment, disrespect, and punishment

16. OPPOSITIONAL Culture 7:00
Confrontation prevails
Negativism is rewarded
Members gain status and influence by being critical
Reinforced to oppose the ideas of others (Point out flaws;
Be hard to impress)
Make safe (but ineffectual) decisions
Can lead to unnecessary conflict, poor group problem solving and “watered- down” solutions to problems

17. POWER Culture 8:00 Non-participative
Organization structured on the basis of the authority inherent in members’ positions
Members believe they will be rewarded for taking charge and controlling subordinates
Responsive to the demands of superiors
(Build up one’s power base;
Demand loyalty)
Power-oriented
Less effective than members think
Subordinates resist control, hold back information, and reduce their contributions to the minimal acceptable level.

18. COMPETITIVE Culture 9:00 Winning is valued
Members are rewarded for out-performing one another
Members operate in a “win-lose” framework
Believe they must work against (rather than with) their peers to be noticed
(Turn the job into a contest;
Never appear to lose)
Can inhibit effectiveness by reducing cooperation and promoting unrealistic standards of performance that are either too high or too low.

19. PERFECTIONISTIC Culture 10:00
Perfectionism, persistence, and hard work are valued
Members feel they must avoid any mistakes, keep track of everything, and work long hours to attain narrowly-defined objectives
(Do things perfectly;
Keep on top of everything)
Can lead members to lose sight of the goal, get lost in detail, and develop symptoms of strain

20. “High reliability” organizations
Military
Nuclear Plant
Emergency Medical
“life and death” nature of operations
Constructive norms are desired and important for success because they help people to understand the reasons why orders need to be followed, and the benefits of faithfully implementing best practices in performing critical duties.

21. OCI® RESULTS CURRENT CULTURE IDEAL CULTURE N=63 N=33
ZEINE, R., Boglarsky, C.A., Blessinger, P., and Hamlet, M.T. Organizational Culture in Higher Education.
Chapter in Kazeroony, H. (Ed.), The Strategic Management of Higher Education Institutions: Serving Students as Customers for Institutional Growth. Business Expert Press, Williston, VT 2011.
Research & Development by Cooke & Lafferty, Copyright © by Human Synergistics International. All rights reserved.
Zeine, Boglarsky, Blessinger & Hamlet (2011). Ch.3 In Kazeroony (Ed.), The Strategic Management of Higher Education Institutions: Serving Students as Customers for Institutional Growth. Business Expert Press, Williston, VT.

22. Not-for-profit, Public 38% 33%
Organization Level
 OCI
Ideal
Faculty/Professor
40%
45%
Director
24%
12%
Department Chair 6%
Associate. Dean
Dean
11% 9%
Provost/Dean AA 2% 3%
nd*
18%
Education
OCI 
Ideal
Bachelor’s degree 2% 3%
Master’s degree
21%
15%
Doctorate degree
52%
58% MD
MD/PhD
19%
18%
Other -
nd*
Organization
 OCI
Ideal
Less than 6 mo 5% 6%
6 months to 1 yr 3% 0%
1 to 2 years
16%
18%
2 to 4 years
17%
24%
4 to 6 years 9%
6 to 10 years
13%
10 to 15 years
More than 15 yrs
22%
15%
nd* -
Institutional Type
 OCI
Ideal
For-profit, Public
17%
12%
For- profit, Private
21%
24%
Not-for-profit, Public
38%
33%
Not-for-profit, Private
16%
18%
nd* 8%
Zeine et al. 2011

23. Gap analysis for culture styles in hEds
PERCENTILE SCORE
CLUSTER
IDEAL
CURRENT
GAP
HUMANISTIC-ENCOURAGING 98 73
-25
CONSTRUCTIVE
ACHIEVEMENT 67
-31
SELF-ACTUALIZING 61
-37
AFFILIATIVE 92 55
OPPOSITIONAL 57 10
AGGRESSIVE/DEFENSIVE
COMPETITIVE 31 63 32
PERFECTIONISTIC 23 52 29
POWER 50 27
AVOIDANCE 15 59 44
PASSIVE/DEFENSIVE
DEPENDENT 14 41
CONVENTIONAL 54
APPROVAL 9 46

24. ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES
Individual Outcomes Motivation, Performance, Satisfaction, Stress Group Outcomes Teamwork, Inter-Unit Coordination, Unit-level Quality Organizational Outcomes Organizational-level Quality Customer Service Quality External Adaptibility
Cooke, 1987

25. SUBCULTURES CURRENT IDEAL OCI® NON-PROFIT FOR-PROFIT N=34 N=17 N=24

26. SUBCULTURES in higher education
Academic staff
administrators
Differentiation
Different Priorities & Interests
Individualism
Independence, Autonomy, Individual Goals
Fragmentation
Lack of Interaction & Understanding
Interaction
Collegiality, Interpersonal Dynamics
Different Stakeholders & Work Styles
‘ I ’ Emphasis & Anarchy
Bureaucracies & Skepticism
Professionalism & Open Dialogue
Interviews (n=18) about Perceptions
(1) Professional, (2) Differential, (3) Fragmentary RELATIONSHIPS
Kuo, J. Higher Education Policy & Management. 31(1):43-54

27. Students as Customers or Products:
Pitman, T. (2000). Perceptions of Academics and Students as Customers: a Survey of Administrative Staff in Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 22(2),
Halbesleben, J.R.B., Becker, J.A.H. and Buckley, M.R. (2003).
Considering the Labor Contributions of Students: An Alternative to the Student-as-Customer Metaphor. Journal of Education for Business, May-June, pp
Obermiller, C., Fleenor, P. and Raven, P. (2005).
Students as Customers or Products:
Perceptions and Preferences of Faculty and Students. Marketing Education Review, 15(2),
Akinyele, S.T. (2010). Customers: Identifying the Needs in Higher Education. Educational Research, 1(7),

28. LEADING CHANGE
1) Use belief systems (vision, mission, core values) and performance measures to strike an effective balance between creativity and control. Become living symbols of the newly minted organizational culture and assist executives to fulfill this requirement by providing training and appropriate feedback systems.
2) Plan for, create and celebrate progress and work accomplishments.
3) Enlist people: highly talented, intelligent, energetic, tenacious, committed to placing the interests of the organization above their own self-interests.
4) Empower change enthusiasts with communication and consultation skills.
5) Establish effective conflict resolution processes.
6) Convey a sense of urgency by increasing awareness of the need for change.

29. LEADING CHANGE
7) Identify, replace or eliminate rules and policies (i.e. compensation, performance-appraisal systems, organizational priorities) that are incompatible with the new vision. Implement open-door policy.
8) Ensure inclusive involvement and participation in shaping the transformative process.
9) Build trust by disseminating information to people in all roles and at all levels throughout the organization.
10) Inspire imagination and creativity by safeguarding freedoms, encouraging risk-taking and protecting research time.
11) Search constantly for newer and better ways.
12) Developing a shared vision and ensuring congruency of action.
13) Supporting one another, working together, encourage open-mindedness, innovation, problem-solving.

30. Seven Practices of High Performing Organizations
1) Employment security, or employment opportunity alternatives (externships, internships, work-study, career development and placement services)
2) Selective hiring, or selective admission alternatives
3) Self-managed teams and decentralization of decision making, or participative cultural alternatives (feedback, communication, consultation)
4) Comparatively high compensation contingent on organizational performance, or academic support alternatives (grants, fellowships, scholarships)
5) Extensive training including leadership, management and communication skills
6) Reduced status distinctions and barriers
7) Extensive sharing of financial and performance information throughout the organization
Pfeffer (1998). In The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First Boston, MA Harvard Business School Press.

31. CULTIVATING CONSTRUCTIVE CULTURES
1) Ensure that all members are given the opportunity to work to their full potential
2) Balance expectations for taking initiative and thinking independently with those for consensus, power sharing
3) Expect participation without domination
4) Elicit unique perspectives and concerns while working towards agreement
5) Value quality over quantity
6) Value creativity over conformity
7) Judge effectiveness at the system level rather than the component level
8) Practice empowerment and transformational leadership which are prescriptive (guide and direct) rather than restrictive (constrain and prohibit) practices

32. CULTIVATING CONSTRUCTIVE CULTURES
9) Adopt approaches for continuous, system-wide, improvements including problem solving, strategic planning, innovation, and benchmarking
10) Inspire innovation by allowing people to express themselves, experiment and learn from mistakes
11) Increase accomplishments by encouraging people to set challenging goals, and by providing them with necessary resources
12) Cultivate mentors by investing in training and development, and by providing opportunities for expansion
13) Enhance cooperation by letting people communicate, get to know one another, contribute, share ideas
14) Inculcate humanistic values of mutual encouragement and support

33. CULTIVATING CONSTRUCTIVE CULTURES
15) Develop organizational mechanisms to collect and respond to feedback, implement good suggestions
16) Remember that education institutions are “Learning Organizations” which emphasize creativity, individual development and systems thinking
17) Treat all members of the organization with respect and dignity
18) Provide equitable pathways for advancement (or alternative opportunities for placement elsewhere)
Zeine et al. 2011