‘Hidden assets’ in higher education administration: the structures and lived experience of ‘organisational power’ among associate deans at US universities

ABSTRACT

This study uses the concept of ‘organisational power’ – control over the environments in which others interact – to investigate the structures and lived experience of power among academic associate deans at public, research-intensive universities in the US. Previous research claims that the associate dean role lacks ‘legitimate power.’ Through in-depth analysis of semi-structured interview data, this study shows that the associate dean role requires a strategic mode of power that is not socially recognised in universities. Associate deans therefore must manage perceptions of power in order to be effective in an environment that does not acknowledge such power. It is argued that higher education’s failure to legitimise organisational power obscures the role and limits leadership capacities. Empowering academic and administrative staff with knowledge regarding power and power practices in academic middle management through continued research is essential to safeguarding collegial processes and ensuring the longevity and vitality of the university.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher education
• academic administration
• middle management
• associate dean
• organisational power
• research universities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 This study was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board of the University of South Florida and certified as exempt (IRB #Pro00039012).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karla L. Davis-Salazar

Karla Davis-Salazar is associate professor of Anthropology at the University of South Florida where she also served as an academic associate dean. Her research interests lie in the anthropology of higher education, with a focus on educational policy and practice. Current projects include academic administrator experiences, faculty-administrator relations, and the impact of organisational change on university life.