| This ethnographic study investigated how to enable organizational change in a loosely coupled system---an institution of higher education. Persistence as a consequence of loosely coupled systems can have both positive and negative consequences; perpetuation is not selective and therefore either innovation may flourish and/or archaic traditions may persevere. Gender equity and work/life issues in higher education form subtexts for this inquiry.;Utilizing a two-phase design methodology, the inquiry was conducted by collecting and analyzing empirical, archival human resource data from five campuses representing a large public university system. During 1993--2003 the five campuses involved in this study followed the reported national trends related to academic workforce composition such as: significant increase in the number of women entering the tenure track; fewer women than men progressing to the rank of associate and full professor; a decline in the number of tenure track positions; and an increase in the number of non tenure instructional staff (AAUP, 2004; Benjamin, 2003; Ehrenberg & Zhang, 2004; Finkelstein & Schuster, 2001; Mason, 2004; National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2002a; Trower & Bleak, 2004).;The quantitative data reflecting these persistent trends were shared with workgroups on five university campuses and became the basis for exploring the possibility of organizational change in order to increase flexibility in academic career paths.;Analysis of process data demonstrated that sensemaking is fundamental to understanding persistence as an organizational outcome of loosely coupled systems and therefore is essential to enabling change. Socialization of members of the organization and establishing mechanisms to pick up on cues for change emerged as potentially important contributors to countering persistence and enabling change in these loosely coupled systems. The department chairs were identified as untapped and underdeveloped points of intervention for improving organizational effectiveness. |
