Higher Education Case Study: Weston University

Weston University

Case Summary

The new president of Weston University, Dr. Diana Ball, took over in late 1995, succeeding Dr. Harold Powers. Dr. Powers led the prestigious private university for fifteen years from a human resource frame to tailor the organization to individuals (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 16). Moreover, during Dr. Power's tenure, the reputation of once-leading private university in the Midwest diminished. Dr. Power's reputation as a scholar gained him the presidency; however, his leadership abilities fell short in dealing with the faculty. Weston's board outlined the skills needed, which included both academic standing and business acumen, for their new president to restore Weston University's reputation and lead the college toward excellence. Dr. Ball became the first woman president and impressed the board in her first few months on the job.

Primary Problem

For over fifteen years at Weston University, Dr. Powers operated from a human resource view, providing the faculty with security and stable working conditions (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 16). As a result, the leader's authority is derived from making sure that the faculty's individual needs are the highest priority, rendering a servant leader as a pushover (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 56). The contrast of leadership styles is primary problem in this case. Dr. Power's longtime human resource frame to Dr. Ball's new structural frame following a set of rules governing performance that utilizes a hierarchy of offices (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 46).

Secondary Problem

The board's vision is to restore Weston's diminishing reputation and to hired Dr. Ball, a newcomer and the first woman president at Weston, who would achieve this goal (Bolman & Deal, 2013, p. 334). T...

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...l develop to correspond with her business acumen to properly implement her incentive proposal and rebuild Weston University's prestigious reputation.

Works Cited

Baldridge, J.V., Curtis, D.V., Ecker, G.P., & Riley, G.L. (1977). Alternative models of governance in higher education. In G.L. Riley and J.V. Baldridge. Governing academic organization. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan Publishing.

Bolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cohen, M. D., March, J. G., & Olsen, J. P. (1972). A garbage can model of organizational choice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(1), 1–25.

Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Higher Education Case: “Weston University”

http://www.wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/u97/2014/HE-Case1.pdf Web. 6 October 2015.