Spans of responsibility; an evaluation of the organization of selected institutions of higher education

148 Pages·010.424 MB·English

by  Schroeder, Henry John

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of SoXoctod Institutions of MU&im idoootloa.
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UMI Number: DP71092
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Mm Brolontioa of tii#
of 3ol«et*d Institutions of Hlgbor M ention
Chapter Duo latro&tiotorar
CSiapter Two Bestow &o$ atatoraomio ©fPriuoipXen*
Chapter thro# f$*o 3%«aftjr of £g*M of Control
Chapter Four Sosowupy Omsltoloai
162880
The major objective of this study is to present a picture of the
organisation of institutions of higher education in tbs Xfolted itates*
The organ!zational plans of Lost institutions shoe a generally
consistent pettorn but vary widely in the details of relationships
among the components of specific colleges and universities* An effort
is made in this dissertation to discover organisational principles
and factors which are cosason to most ©f our stronger universities and
to evaluate the deviations from this eon&aoa pattern* ar attempt is
also made to measure effectiveness of various organisational plan®
developed at specific inatituticma of advanced education*
t4y view-point is one of impartial curiosity rather than critic a l
judgment or judicial evaluation# I believe# furtberiaora# that such m
study w ill give valuable insight into the organisation of universities*
1 accept the proposition that any complex organizational structure
is m&® tip of mmll groups# each supervised# for a time at least# by a sin­
gle individual# Juch a complex organization w ill have a specific mission
or objective* The groups which are component* of this complex organi­
sation in turn sm$ have varying missions and objectives# but a ll missions
support the overall objective of the complex organization* m addition#
as these small groups are integrated into larger groups# a next higher
level is constituted* made up of the lenders of the basic groups* vhe
responsible heads of these groups of leaders in turn form a third level
of responsibility# Thua a pattern of small groups* each with its
ii
responsible leader may bo integrated into a complex organinational
structure, bat th is complex organisation retains throughout th©
principle of small groups ®&©h with clear and non-over lapping
missions,
ilany of the statements and eon© las Ions arrived at in this study
w ill be obviously colored by ay experience with educational in sti­
tutions and projects connected with the Armed Forces* In some
th irty-five years of experianee with various ©opponents of the Armed
forces, about three-fourths of my tints was spent at educational in sti­
tutions* my experience was almost equally divided between education­
al institutions under the supervision of the Amy or the combined
anna and those which were civilian colleges and universities* Almost
as Much tine was spent In teaching as was spent in some student capac­
ity , research, or the writing of textbooks or articles for the Arxoed
Forces*
Eecently 1 spent six yeara at the Command and General Staff Col­
lege at Fort Leavenworth$ both during and after the Far years* 'ill®
wholesale adueatlon of some fifteen thousand Reserve and Regular o ffi­
cers, called in fro at theaters from Africa to the Philippines and from
Oslo to Okinawa, offered an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness
of the educational background© of those specially selected students*
ihey averaged about thirty years old* They ranged from high school
graduates to Ph* Dfa*# with the Mod® at two years of college* There
were many reasons to question the effectiveness of our institutions
of higher education, in training these specially selected m ilitary
leaders when measured by their advancement in collegiate credit hours
ill
or years of study at our universities. It almost seeded that,
amsured by leadership in and during war operations, peak effective**
mm was reached before the students achieved their degrees froaa
college*
More recently iay experiencs as an assistant to the Dean of the
College of Education at the University of Maryland, as a representative
for the United Nations Information Center, and subsequently as Assist**
ant to the Dean, of the College of % #cial and Continuation Studies,
have ohanged m aterially £§r views on the functioning of institutions
of advanced education* hy experience with the College of .ipeclal
and Continuation studies included frequent conferences and coordina­
tion with most of the other deans of the University and their depart-
ment heads as w ell as the two hundred instructors and professors
teaching the off-campus courses each sweater* Included in this
task were most of the adiainistrative functions pertaining to the
Dean1® office but au&aented by such practical and basic work as the
actual advising and enrolling of students at off-campus centers# the
designing and adjusting of programs of courses at soma forty o ff-
campus centers, and the coordination of these courses with the In­
formation and Udneation personnel at centers pertaining to the
Armed forces*
Problems connected with these off-campus programs included the
in itiation of measures tending to safeguard such essentials as
academic student advising, xsalnten&ncs of academic standards, the
preparation and ju stification of budgetary data to support these
iv
©xtensiv© program and trie coordination of details of the program
with the irest&ent and his principal staff member©* including the
Dean of the Faculty* the Director of Admissions* the Begistrsr* the
Comptroller* the Personnel and Placcaiejit Officer* and ©there* To
their friendly advice and official assistance as well as their imfail<*
ing good humor are due many of the mellower reservations and limiting
atateiaeni© contained in this study*
I take pleasure in acknowledging the assistance and guidance of
a number of person© who helped in the preparation of this study* With*
out Dean Harold Benjamin*s stim ulating advice and personal guidance*
both on and off the campus* this study probably would have remained in
note form* To Professor Clarence >4* Newell is due my gratitude for
hi® discussions on school administration* including primary* secondary
and advanced educational institutions* and the legal structure© which
govern and support such institutions* Professor Jam©© _,* Van Twoll
contributed valuable material© on the financial structure and support
of educational institution©* His discussions on the principles of
public relation© mm applied to advanced ©ducation were ©specially
stimulating* To Professor Gladys A* Wiggla I am indebted for her
seminar and discussion© on the techniques of research and historical
writings* Professor .Alvin T* Schindler*© inspiring talk© on @duee~
tlon&l leadership* both from the historic and the current and practi**
cal view points* did much toward explaining imny of the variations
amongst our leading colleges and universities*
w
in&t fin a lly , to iagr w ife, lariatte, goes $sr heart-felt grati-
tud© for h®T understanding ia prm idling a quiet place to work and
study*
Henry J * sehroadar
7B0S Colosnrillo Hoad
College Hark, Maryland
my I960
CQNTSIITS
Brefae© 1
Introduction 1
1* The 'Problem 1
2# The Treatemt of the Irobles 10
5* Limitations 12
4« Tslu© or Uses of th is study 14
Hm tm and Staterasnt of Principle* 16
1* Control 16
£* Organ18fttion 25
3* Leadership 42
4* 'ihe Span of Control §2
The Study of Spans of Control 57
1* Uodea in Spans of Control 57
theoretical 57
Some Actual Trends 76
2* Spans of Control at Selected Institutions 82
3* a» Application to a Typical Institution 116
SuEnmry and Conclusions 127
1* Aug^cry 127
2 m aee oaxaande t i one 131
3« Suggestions for Further study 132
Bibliography 133
CHApfsa t
immmmiow
1. fHS FB0BL3M.
The purpose of this dissertation is to study current practices and
trends in the organisation of institutions of higher education* with the
objective of indicating some methods of implementing such organizational
and control patterns as w ill conform to generally accepted principles of
organization and control* The need for a study of this type is indicated
in the brief review of some of the organisational problems which univer­
sitie s and colleges have encountered during the past decade. Some of
these problems are outlined in the paragraphs following.
Institutions of higher education have grown rapidly is number and
in size during the past half century. The ten years from 19*40 to 1930
present a particularly disturbing pattern. During 19*40-^5 students and
instructors were lost to the War effort. During 19^5-50 classes were
swollen by students delayed because of their absence in the Armed forces,
by veterans programs and benefits, and by a general turning toward more
education as a panacea for national and world-wide disturbances and un­
rest. The situation in 1930 was made worse by the tendency of teachers
of a ll levels to be held in or attracted to federal or commercial em­
ployment.
Organization and leadership in higher education and the correspond­
ing control of our colleges and universities have fluctuated correspond­
ingly. Before and during the war years, institutions of advanced