Abstract
This article advances a conceptual approach to departmental administration centered on the management of informational power and the regulation of expectations within academic units. It argues that the departmental executive officer occupies a unique position of informational advantage that must be exercised strategically in mediating among faculty, students, administrators, and external stakeholders. The analysis draws on the theory of relative deprivation, suggesting that stability depends on maintaining value expectations at levels that can be consistently met while avoiding conditions that produce decremental deprivation. The article further considers how mild deprivation may serve developmental aims if it is directed toward individual initiative rather than collective unrest. It also identifies problems of balance and consistency when subordinate and superordinate administrators do not share the same managerial philosophy. The discussion concludes by noting additional administrative principles that complement the approach but are not elaborated within the essay. A photograph on the final page depicts the 1985 ACA President engaged in discussion with an Executive Committee member.
Recommended Citation
Bowers, John Waite
(1985)
"Departmental Administration and the Principle of Minimal Expectations,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 52, Article 19.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol52/iss1/19
