Date of Award

12-1982

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Harold W. Boles

Second Advisor

Dr. James Sanders

Third Advisor

Dr. Shirley Van Hoeven

Abstract

As higher education administrators examine the applicability of management principles to education, the management of innovation comes into focus. This study was concentrated on the relationship between concern for innovation and other variables, namely: "Institutional Esprit," "Meeting Local Needs," "Self-Study and Planning," "Democratic Governance," and organization size. Relationships examined were based on perceptions of two groups--faculty and administrators--compared over a 12-year time period divided into two discrete, 6-year periods.

Ex post facto data from six systems (public universities, private universities, liberal arts colleges, state four-year colleges, community colleges, and private junior colleges) were purchased from the Educational Testing Service. Data resulted from institutional administrations of the Institutional Functioning Inventory.

The population included U.S. higher education institutions categorized in each of the six systems. The self-selected sample included those institutions that administered the IFI during the 12-year period.

Methods of analysis used were the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, the t test, the correlated t test, and a descriptive rank order of scores. Since data were unavailable for private junior colleges and state four-year colleges for the later test administration, means were based on data from 1971-1976. Means for the remaining four systems were based on data from 1971-1982.

Results of testing the hypotheses indicated that Concern for Innovation was strongly supported by Institutional Esprit and by Self-Study and Planning; Democratic Governance tended to be a facilitator of innovation, while Meeting Local Needs was a positive though not significant factor. In addition, administrators as a group scored significantly higher on Concern for Innovation and Democratic Governance than did faculty members.

Of the systems examined, liberal arts colleges scored higher on Concern for Innovation than all other systems combined. Community colleges, compared with all other systems, also reported highly significant Concern for Innovation. Public universities and private universities each reported a highly significant but negative relationship to Concern for Innovation.

Finally, of all variables examined for all systems, the mean scores for Advancement of Knowledge indicated least concern. Aggregate system data were found to exhibit significantly greater Concern for Innovation in the earlier (1971-1976) than in the later (1977-1982) test period.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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