Leadership and Organizational Cultures in Higher Education

Catalog description

This class will explore the relationship between leadership and organizational cultures by focusing on two essential questions: 1. What does it mean to be a “good” leader in higher education? 2. How and why may leaders adapt to—or change—the culture of a college or university? Drawing on organizational theory and case-studies, the class will begin with an examination of organizational culture within higher education. We will focus, in particular, on the ways in which institutional policies and practices shape the cultures of institutions, and the experience of working and learning within them. We will then bring in contemporary theories of leadership to ask: What is “effective” leadership within different institutional cultures? How might higher education leaders “match” their leadership style to their institutions? Open to Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs students; others with Marxe School permission.