Finding Your Way Through the Maze: Navigating Internal Organizational Structures

Why Spend Time on This? May have only worked in one college and it is good to know the variations Can help you understand your own organization better Useful in considering future positions at other colleges

Typology Single college - one campus Single college with outlying centers Single college with multiple campuses Macomb Community College Main Campus Hall Road Campus University Center

Typology Lone Star College Multi-college district More than one college under a board of trustees College or district president/chancellor Campus presidents or chancellors Lone Star College Florida State College at Jacksonville

Typology A sub-unit of a four year institution University of Arkansas – Fort Smith WI two-year transfer campuses Ohio state university branch campuses A statewide system—several colleges, a statewide board Ivy Tech Community College

The Good and the Bad Which type is closest to your setting? What’s good about it? What’s not so good?

Internal Organizational Structure

Internal Organization Most common structure: all units are grouped (think VPs) Instructional Student Services Fiscal/operations Human Resources/Personnel Institutional Effectiveness Foundation Workforce Education and Training?

Internal Organization Provost Model Instruction Student Services Workforce Education and Training? Administrative Services Model Business Office – Fiscal Operations Foundation Human Resources

Never Forget….. It is a political organization Collaboration but….. Budget, space, faculty positions, staffing are all “fighting words” Collaboration but…..

Important Players Senior leadership Operational Offices Faculty fiscal, HR, maintenance, foundation Faculty Academic Senate Curriculum Committee

Important Players Collective Bargaining Units Support Staff Board of Trustees

Never Forget….. Buried somewhere in all of this is the goal of student success Important that you are able to distinguish between what’s on paper and how it really works organizational culture

Workforce Education Models Myriad of Structures!

Workforce Education Models - Traditional Vice President of Instruction or Academic Affairs Dean or AVP of Workforce Education Division Deans CTE Programs Noncredit Programs

Workforce Education Models - Equalizing Provost VP or AVP Academics VP or AVP of Workforce Education CTE Programs Noncredit Programs

Workforce Education Models - Evolving President Vice President of Academics Vice President of Workforce Education CTE Programs Noncredit Programs

Workforce Education Models - Emerging President Vice President of Academics Vice President of Workforce Education CTE Programs Noncredit Programs

Workforce Education Models - CTE CTE Programs are Integrated CTE Programs are Separated departments are concentrated in one or more divisions

Workforce Education Models - Noncredit Where is adult basic education and English Language Learning? Humanities? General Education? Workforce Education? How does contract training relate to the rest of the institution? Credit? Noncredit?

Nomenclature Workforce and Economic Development Workforce Solutions Continuing Educating and Training Workforce Development and Basic Studies Workforce Development and Community Education

All of the Models in the Room! Where do you fit in? What do you like about where you fit in the organization? What don’t you like?

Knowing All of the Players in the Maze! Student Services Fiscal/Budget Human Resources Operations/maintenance Institutional Effectiveness Grants Foundation Strategy for success—ask how you can best work with them

Being Successful in the Maze Do your job well (obvious but…) On time –reports, meetings, evaluations Own your mistakes Choose your battles Do you really want to die on that hill today? Lose gracefully

Being Successful in the Maze Understand and respect the perspective of the decision-makers above you They have more information than you do and make decisions based on that information Don’t get caught up in gossip or innuendo Use data Communicate, communicate, communicate