Date of Award

6-2002

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

Abstract

The role of goal conflict on job satisfaction within auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University was the focus of this study. The continuing decline in state appropriations has caused state-funded colleges and universities to change their operational model in order to become more fiscally responsible. This change in operational focus has led to a shift in the balance between the goal of educating students and the goal of generating revenue. This shift creates goal conflict among many of the employees whose role it is to bolster the sagging operational budget. Conflict within job goals impacts on job satisfaction and ultimately leads to the ineffective delivery of the academic mission. During the winter semester of 2002, a survey was sent to all full-time employees within five auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University. The questionnaire was designed to give the participants an opportunity to express their understanding of their unit’s mission along with the level of their job satisfaction. Forty-one respondents completed the 60-item survey. Analysis of the data collected determined that there was a significant relationship between goal conflict and job satisfaction within the auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University. Additionally, 10 interviews were conducted with participants who completed the survey within each of the five auxiliary enterprise units. The interviews were conducted to get a better understanding of any abnormalities detected in the survey This study found that there was a significant relationship between goal conflict and job satisfaction within the auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University. It also found that there was no significant difference between the mean scores for goal conflict or job satisfaction in each of the units. The interviews revealed that there is some level of goal conflict between educating students and generating revenue within the auxiliary enterprise units at Western Michigan University. The level of goal conflict that does exist has a definite impact on an employee’s opinion about their job and how they fit into the overall university mission.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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