Organizational cultures of higher education institutions operating amid turbulence and an unstable environment: the Lebanese case (original) (raw)
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Higher Education in Lebanon: Management Cultures and Their Impact on Performance Outcomes
Thesis, 2004
The social and economic development of a country and its competitiveness in continuously shifting international markets depends on the skills and competencies of its people achieved through education, particularly higher education. This research study takes a close look at the higher education system in Lebanon. It attempts to identify the principal management cultures in seven institutes of higher education each adopting a different educational system – American, French, Egyptian and Lebanese. McNay’s quartet of collegium, bureaucracy, corporation and enterprise was used as a main reference, with positioning on the model determined by the two dimensions of policy definition and control over implementation each defined as either ‘loose’ or ‘tight’. The study describes and analyzes the organisational structures of the institutions in an attempt to determine the characteristics of the power and authority relationships of each culture and the modes of decision-making. The research study further investigates the degree of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, the measures of accountability and the mechanisms of internal and external scrutiny adopted by the institutes. The impact of culture and other elements such as history, structure, organisational effectiveness and quality on faculty and staff satisfaction, student satisfaction, student destinations and the responsiveness of the organisation to new demands are also examined. To achieve this end, firstly faculty and staff members’ perceptions of various issues related to the management culture, the power authority relationships, the decision-making processes and the modes of operation of the institutions were surveyed through specifically designed faculty questionnaires. This was supported by data from semi-page 4structured interviews with faculty members at varying levels of the organisational hierarchy and information from documents provided by the institutions. Secondly, students’ perceptions of the management cultures and their satisfaction with the quality of the educational experience they were attaining were surveyed through a student questionnaire. The findings suggest that the institutes of higher learning, consisting of several private institutes and one public institution, operate within a competitive market environment. While McNay’s typology served as a base to begin to categorise the management cultures of these institutes, no neat categorisation emerged from the combination of the various data sources used in the study. On the contrary, elements of all four cultures exist in all universities, with dominance for features of the bureaucratic and the corporate cultures. Factors such as the degree of secularisation of the institutions and the cultural origins of the institutions, whether Lebanese, Arab or Western, seem to impact on institutional culture and are manifested in a distinctive personalised mode of management that emphasises control, power and loyalty, which are deep seated cultural traits of the people of Lebanon and the region. In evaluating the changing environment of higher education, student views on ‘quality’ are also important. In terms of educational outcomes, students in all institutions expressed satisfaction with the education they were receiving. All students were attaining a solid theoretical education; however students in American patterned universities were exposed to a more liberal form of learning whereby they are actually involved in the creation of knowledge by participating in research and project activity. Moreover, through regular programs and extra curricula activities, they are page 5provided with opportunities to develop skills and competencies in areas they find personally fulfilling. The implications of the findings for higher education policy in Lebanon are discussed.
THE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. CASE STUDY
Journal of Intercultural Management and Ethics, 2019
The aim of this paper is to analyse the functioning of a faculty from different insiders' perspectives on academia, based on organizational culture. 'Insiders' in this case are academic leaders, evaluators, and students. Universities are complicated social organizations with characteristic cultures. On the one hand, academic freedom, critical thinking, and autonomy are protected values and, on the other hand, changing environmental conditions exert powerful impact on the primary functions of universities. Understanding of organizational culture is not a panacea to all problems in higher education. A deep understanding of culture, for example, will not automatically increase enrollments or increase quality of teaching or decrease corruption. This case study is employed for the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEAA) within the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University (UAIC) in Iasi, Romania that faces the challenges of transition to democracy and free market economy. The findings of this paper suggests a close link between organizational culture and quality in state higher education.
Organizational Culture in Higher Education: Learning from the Best
European Journal of Social Sciences Education and Research, 2016
In this paper we discuss organizational culture of higher education institutions whose components have been thoroughly described by authors such as Tierney (1988) and Valimaa (1998). We focused on the elements of organizational culture which outlines the identity of a higher education institution: why does the institution exist? How does the institution reach its goals and mission? What does the institution offer to its internal and external public? As such, we analyzed the mission, structure, governance and decision making processes, teaching and research in a comparative perspective: Harvard University (HU) and the University of Bucharest (UB), Romania. By looking into the organizational culture of the best, we learnt some lessons that may inspire, motivate and urge action if UB wants to progress so as to become one day a top leader in higher education worldwide.
The Influence of Organization Culture in Higher Education
2021
One is truly honored to serve as the new Provost of this distinguished private 4-year liberal arts institution. One's extensive experience at other higher educational institutions and skill in the various anarchistic perspectives have led one to observe a particular cultural structure within this institution. Lackluster responses to a Provost request for agenda items and confirmation of availability lead one to the notion that this institution operates under a traditional perspective of the collegium. The collegial viewpoint is a culturally and tradition-rich method of higher education organizations (Manning, 2018). It appears that this institution also practices characteristics of faculty self-governance, peer review, control of the curriculum, and tenure. As a faculty member and institutional leader, one must balance the demands of multimillion-dollar higher education operations and the areas in which faculty and exert their influence. This essay will further examine how collegial perspectives are represented in faculty behavior and organizational culture.
Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies, 2007
Differences between two types of organisational cultures – American and American-based universities – were studied in Lebanon. American and American-based universities are American in both academic and administrative structures. American universities operate in Lebanon; however they are subject to the laws of the State of New York, particularly in terms of the management of the institution. American-based universities are local entities subject to rules and regulations delegated through the Near East church authorities. In both types of organisations, academics share exactly the same values, beliefs and assumptions. American higher education organisations exhibit greater cohesive administrative and academic cultures than the American-based institutes (Nauffal, 2005). The study highlights the differences between the two institutional types in relation to student perceptions of quality and satisfaction with their overall educational experience, such as teaching and learning experience...
Organizational culture is a vital element of effective management practices in universities. Lately, researchers are motivated to study on the organizational concept to provide managerial effectiveness in the universities. Furthermore, one should analyse the typologies of organizational culture to understand the organizational behaviours in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of current organizational culture at private universities in Kuala Lumpur so the effective management strategies will be developed. The Competing Values Framework was employed to identify the organizational culture type displayed by the university faculty. This framework assesses the dominant organizational culture based on four culture types: Clan, hierarchy, adhocracy, and market. According to the results of this study, private university faculty exhibits hierarchy culture type as dominant in the current situation. The hierarchy culture represents University as an organization that concentrates on internal maintenance with stable and where individuals follow procedures, and leaders effectively coordinate and organise activity to maintain a smooth running organisation. However, the strategic objectives of University emphasize the attributes of mainly adhocracy and clan culture types and market culture to some extent. This implies that private University's mission, goals, and strategic objectives are not mostly being met with the dominant current culture type. On the other hand, the second dominant culture type for University is the market culture which is mostly adequate to the strategic objectives of the university. The market culture organization concentrates on results to be achieved and the competition is the significant attribute in this type. Researches on organizational culture indicate that mission, goals and strategic objectives of an organization shouldn't conflict with the current culture and they must work together to enhance effectiveness of the organization
Organizational Culture in Higher Education Organizational Culture in Higher Education
The organizational culture of academic higher educational institutions was analyzed using the Human Synergistics International (HSI) Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®) Survey. Cultural norms characteristic of Passive/Defensive and Aggressive/Defensive behavioral styles were overrepresented, while those characteristic of Constructive styles were underrepresented, as compared to Ideal profiles. The results reflect predominance of task-centered over people-centered organizational orientations and of lower-order (security) over higher-order (satisfaction) needs. Both current and ideal profiles were derived from the responses of higher education faculty and administrators who are active at non-profit or for-profit organizations worldwide. Targets for cultural change were identified, and recommendations were developed to assist higher education institutions approach their ideal organizational cultures.
2016
The article offers an analysis of the organizational culture at a higher education institution as in the case of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, conducted in order to study the students’ involvement in this culture and to draw conclusions as to what organizational culture principles are internalized by the students. The study used survey methodology and the OCAI (Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument) tool. The article’s content is based on the methods of analyzing, synthesizing and aggregating the data acquired during the empirical study. The article concludes that, in the students’ opinion, a hierarchy culture prevails at the university and that the students potentially expect some changes in the style of that organizational culture; it should be pointed out that this piece of diagnostics sets the direction for further development in terms of which the progress of the university’s organizational culture will have to be consistently adjusted and stimulated.
Cultivating the organizational cultures in higher education
2014
This research is to describe the strategies for cultivating the organizational cultures in Higher Education and the role of leader on it. The main purpose of research is to describe the leadership strategies in cultivating organizational culture and values to member of organization. The research adopts the qualitative approach through interview and observation. Research is conducted at State Islamic Malang University in Malang Indonesia. The findings showed the leader has important role to promote the organizational cultures in organization. Although the organizational culture may be conceptualized as something emerging from social interaction and shared cognition of knowledge and belief, but the role of leader is more important aspect on it. The leader willingness to create, promote and control organizational values has positive impact on the existing of organizational cultures