Abstract
This article examines the complex relationship between departmental leadership, faculty participation, and administrative accountability in decision-making within academic units. Drawing on literature from organizational management and personal experience across both public and private institutions, the analysis argues that the degree of faculty involvement in departmental decision making is less a matter of chair preference than a product of institutional structure and administrative culture. While participatory models—such as Theory Z and Likert’s human relations frameworks—are often idealized, actual practice is constrained by hierarchy, accountability, and resource dependence. The essay proposes that effective chairs must balance consultation with authority, aligning faculty expectations, personal leadership style, and institutional demands. It concludes with a pragmatic five-step framework emphasizing self-awareness, faculty assessment, hierarchical analysis, administrative interpretation, and calibrated participation as the basis for effective governance and departmental stability.
Recommended Citation
Morlan, Don B.
(1987)
"Faculty Involvement in Departmental Decision Making,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 59, Article 8.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol59/iss1/8
