Date of Submission

6-22-2018

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

university governance, institutional trust, organizational culture change, authentic leadership

Abstract

In recent years, the governing bodies of several universities became the centre of attention for the wrong reason: they were implicated as the cause of institutional-level trust failures, involving senior university executives and chairs of the governing bodies. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores a Problem of Practice (PoP) that revolves around the university community’s lack of trust in the governing bodies of Organization Y due to an organizational-level trust failure. The review committees established after the event determined a deep-seated dissatisfaction of the community with the operations of the governing bodies, and with the culture and leadership of the organization. Public consultations also revealed serious deficiencies in the community’s knowledge about governance. The goal of this OIP is to recommend the establishment of a university-wide governance education program, which could significantly increase stakeholders’ knowledge. It is envisioned, that through the sharing of more information about the governing bodies, and by involving senior executives in the delivery of the program, a meaningful organizational culture shift could be achieved and a more trusting and collaborative environment could be established. The OIP recognizes that cultural changes are often difficult to accomplish and it will take time for Organization Y to arrive to the envisioned state; however, the comprehensive governance education program could be the first step in the process of creating trust and positively moving the organization forward towards a more trusting and collaborative culture.

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