Becoming a Great Place to Work: A Case Study of Change at Metropolitan University

• In Event: 60.084 - Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: 60.084-8 - Leadership and Transformational Change in Higher Education

Abstract

The research presented in this paper seeks to add to the literature on institutional change in general, and climate assessment through surveys and other means of data collection, in particular. It describes “The Great Place Initiative (GPI)” at a major research institution, in which an interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and administrative leaders sought to affect structures and individuals with the goal of making the university a more transparent, just, and supportive place to work. Through a case analysis, including a discourse analysis, based on climate survey, focus group, and town hall meeting data collected in the Spring of 2013, this paper examines the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the university climate and the workplace “immunities to change.”

Authors

• Micol Hutchison, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Maike I. Philipsen, Virginia Commonwealth University