Two Degrees of Separation: Faculty Infighting at Big Southern State University
In the fall of 2020, the provost (chief academic officer) at Big Southern State University (BSSU) asked the heads of the three academic departments of the School of Music (SOM) to jointly compose a job description to help recruit a new dean to lead the SOM. However, the process quickly floundered as two of the heads disagreed about key issues, and worse, suspected each other of using gamesmanship to manipulate the process. The provost, who was a strong advocate for faculty governance, was reluctant to mediate the conflicts and provide asked-for guidance, and tensions mounted between the Heads and among the faculty until it was unclear if the process could move forward without causing significant cultural and relational damage within the school. BSSU had always been such a friendly place to work; so why was this happening?
Upon completion of this assignment, students should be able to:
1. Define and identify examples of organizational politics in a specific organizational context.
2. Analyze the conditions in a specific organizational context that increase the likelihood that organization members will engage in political behaviors.
3. Conduct a power analysis of organizational members in a particular organizational context.
4. Explore conflict management approaches applicable to particular organizational contexts.