Perception In Leading Change: The Role Of Academic Leaders as Change Agents

Too often organizational change is seen as a negative force. This perception of the specific change as bad causes tremendous disruption and misunderstanding among faculty and academic leaders. This study contends that the more relevant issue is whether academic leaders communicate the vision and strategy for change effectively. Furthermore, the crux of the matter is not whether high-quality, rich communication exists but depends more heavily on the perception of faculty undergoing change. In this article, the authors will compare nine faculty members’ responses to a perceptual survey dealing with organizational change, interviews with questions created using the survey as a basis, and archival data showing the availability and opportunity for involvement in the change process. This comparison will allow similarities and discrepancies to be examined between faculty perceptions of leaders, while also taking the institutional context into account.