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Five Common Hindrances
to Navigating Disruption in Higher Education
Despite your institution's level of funding, prestige, budget or Carnegie class at least one of these hindrances is likely interfering with your progress across campus.
1. Underestimating the tumultuous impact of change on the institution’s capacity to achieve the mission. Capacity consists of an ecosystem of people, organizational culture, systems, processes, and resources.
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2. Overabundance of disparate initiatives that compete for the same limited bandwidth (e.g., timing, staffing, resources, and systems).
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3. Inconsistent institutional agreement about shared governance (decision-making authority, process, and protocol) and academic freedom and freedom of speech.
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4. Ineffective stakeholder communication and engagement with diverse stakeholder groups.
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5. Underestimating the level of courage necessary to fill the gap between words and actions.
Publications
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Buchanan, Donna M. 2024. "Managing Change, Part 2: Successful Planning."The Department Chair. 34 (4): 9-12
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Buchanan, Donna M. 2024. "Managing Change, Part 1: Pivoting into the Future."
The Department Chair. 34 (3): 10-12 -
Buchanan, Donna M. and Gail Evans Grayson. 2023. “Building Strategic Agility to Balance What Is Desirable with What Is Possible.” The Department Chair 33 (3): 4–5.
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Buchanan, Donna M. 2022. “Managing Change: Five Common Hindrances to Navigating Disruption in Higher Education.” The Department Chair 33 (1): 23–25.A