ARTIFACTS, RITUALS, AND HEROES: ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP 2013 NEW YORK STATE ACE WOMEN’S NETWORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE Carol Van Der Karr SUNY Cortland

Introductions and Goals  Globalization and higher education  Organizational culture theory  Assessing institutional culture through symbols  Implications for leadership  Your experiences and possibilities

Globalization + Higher Education  Globalization is not easily defined or quantified  Higher education responds to, engages in and works to have an impact on globalization  Higher education are unique organizations  Result: Complex, dimensional, dynamic concepts within complex, dimensional, dynamic organizations  How do we communicate, operate and lead?

Picture This…  The experience of the people drawing  What happens when it’s seems simple to you and others don’t get it?  The experience of audience  What do we do when we don’t understand what that person is drawing?

Shared Understanding  More challenging as concepts and issues become more complex  Dependent upon experiences and perspectives of individuals  Does not have to mean agreement  Can enhance communication and functioning within an organization

Theory of Organizational Culture  Symbolic framework  Institutions are dynamic systems open to interpretation and multiple meanings may exist within an organization  Looks at the ways meaning  definitions, values, assumptions, beliefs, priorities  Are expressed through  communication, history, environment, products, relationships, processes, and behavior  Different models and approaches  Schein’s levels of culture  Chaffee and Tierney’s dimensions of culture  Masland’s windows on culture

Effectiveness in Organizations “Surely, quantitative analyses, applied statistics, and economic models are absolutely essential to any organization’s viability, and yet the cultural anchors, basic values, and behavioral dynamics of organizations set the foundations and guidelines for how the more logical, rational and measurable variables will be understood, used, and implemented.”

Organizational Symbols  Artifacts  Structures: processes and policies, governance, funding, committees  Rituals and Traditions  Saga and Myths  Heroes and Saints (and Villains)  Language

Tierney’s Cultural Investigation  Examine mission  Socialization of new members  Information—who defines, how is it communicated?  Strategy—how are decisions made and who is involved?  Leadership—what is expected, who are formal and informal leaders?

Can You Dig It? 1000 years from now, an archeologist stumbles upon your campus—perfectly preserved. What artifacts would she find that represent globalization or internationalization on your campus? What would they reveal?

How to Research Culture  Cultural Audit or Inventory  Can go in with a specific value or initiative in mind  Where do I see international students experience and support?  Naturalistic/qualitative methods  Asking why people hold a view, not just what they think  Interviews and open ended surveys  Observations  Media analysis (documents, publications, social media)  The process can strengthen understanding

Analysis  Clarity and richness of explanations  What values, priorities are being expressed?  Themes: Recurrent ideas, definitions, views  Different or opposing themes or values  Subcultures and cohorts  Resonance: Do the symbols support with what we espouse or assume  All of the above lead to congruence  Where is meaning shared Converge Diverge Conflict  Degree or strength

Leading: Uses of Cultural Exploration  Profile organizational evolution and how it operates  Strengthen sense of identity or purpose  Institutional effectiveness Understand strains, resistance, and conflict Increase communication  Monitoring culture to assess change  Connect and anchor different ideas and initiatives  Strategy to achieve a specific goal Build consensus and infuse meaning through symbols Seeking balance to help move organization

Leading: Promote Understanding  Encouraging Shared Understanding  Create opportunities for ambitious dialogue  Engage divergent views and encourage others to do so  Create a web of understanding

Leading: Expressing Our Values  Reflect on our own values  What does my own culture say about me?  Are my priorities and values represented in organizational culture?  How am I being interpreted?  Am I consistent and clear?  Authenticity  Maximizing opportunities for people really get to understand your perspective  Builds appreciation, trust and increases your authenticity  People understand where you are coming from

Experiences and Possibilities  What have been your experiences with the culture of your organization?  What artifacts have you created?  What is your saga?  When have you been the hero or villain?  What cultural strategies have you used, or would you think about using, to support globalization or other areas?

Contact Carol Van Der Karr, PhD Associate Provost for Academic Affairs SUNY Cortland