Abstract
This article develops an organizational scheme that explains how administrative structure influences the long term viability of communication programs in higher education. Drawing on organizational theory, it crosses composition and governance dimensions to build a two by two matrix that positions departments along continua from compositionally unified to compositionally diffused and from organizationally coherent to organizationally isolated. Through conceptual argument grounded in bureaucratic analysis, this article advances four propositions linking structural position to instructional capacity, research collaboration, external funding, resource allocation, political influence, and curricular flexibility. It contends that programs located in the unified coherent quadrant capitalize on economies of scale, integrate interdisciplinary inquiry, and secure campus authority, whereas diffused isolated units suffer from fragmented decision lines, duplicated governance, and limited resilience. The framework provides communication administrators, policy makers, and scholars with actionable criteria for strategic restructuring, resource planning, and academic program sustainability.
Recommended Citation
King, Stephen W.
(1990)
"The Value of Fuzzy Lines,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 71, Article 7.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol71/iss1/7
