Stakeholders’ perception of who influences the decision‐making processes in Ontario’s public postsecondary education institutions

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study conducted on stakeholders’ perception of who influences the decision‐making processes in Ontario’s public postsecondary education institutions. The study identified and interviewed representatives of those stakeholder groups that are frequently written about as the main forces behind decision making in colleges and universities. This is a qualitative research study in which four institutions were selected for case studies. The findings suggest that administrations are the most influential, and faculty unions/associations are the least influential in Ontario’s (Canada’s second largest and most populated province) public colleges and universities. It is concluded that those in central positions with access to information from all levels, and who are in close proximity to the gatekeepers of the institutions, will dominate the decision‐making processes in postsecondary education institutions. They will be the generators and harvesters of ideas and implementers of decisions.

Keywords:

• decision making
• education
• influence
• institutions
• perception
• postsecondary
• stakeholder