Abstract
This chapter examines the practice of internal recruitment and internal advancement of administrative personnel within higher education. The purpose of this chapter is to determine the perceived success of one campus’s approach to internal promotion from the view of the promoted. Additionally, the chapter discusses the rationales for promotees’ views in relation to current literature and provides a contextual analysis of best practices related to internal promotion within higher education forums. The data analysis indicates that even within a single campus, practices vary widely, with little consistency or predictability. There is a correlation between the perceptions of job efficacy to support and access to mentoring from higher-level administration.
TopBackground
A guiding premise behind the creation and utilization of advancement pools lies in the fact that most organizations have complex management structures (Twombly, 1990). Staff members who demonstrate excellent potential for leadership are sometimes looked over in favor of an outsider with more experience. These up-and-comers within the organization, if given appropriate training and opportunity, could easily become managers of specific areas, transforming them into loyal leaders who experience high levels of job satisfaction. Advancement pools are also generally accessible to the entire body of the organization that allows staffers who are “late bloomers” to experience the same potential for advancement that new hires enjoy. This also provides a perfect resource from which the administration can draw members for assignments to special task forces or perhaps delegate increased levels of administrative responsibility as discussed in van Ameijde’s (2009) discourse on distributed perspectives. In this situation, the leadership team will understand individual contributions to the organization, while providing a clear picture of an individual’s ability to balance his or her own desires for advancement with the needs of the organization (USA Today, 2001).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Steering by Engagement: An approach created by Lillis (2007) whereby both the top down and bottom up methods of leadership are utilized to attempt synergy within the organization.
Shared Governance: A process by which the administration of an organization allow for planning, input in the decision making process, and recommendations by all personnel within the organization.
Hierarchical Leadership: A clearly delineated chain of command from the lowest to highest levels within an organization.
Turn Around Leadership: A leadership model developed by Fullan and Scott (2009) that emphasizes the contributions of more than the leadership of an organization to create a transformative culture of change.
Leadership: Any position within an organization that allows personnel to serve other personnel by communicating clearly, assisting with strategic planning (whether through a single project or global planning), and providing guidance and feedback to others.
Informal Mentoring: An unstructured program whereby a novice administrator self-selects an more seasoned administrator at their institution or at another institution or organization to gain advice and guidance.
Formal Mentoring: A structured program whereby a more experienced administrator, usually in a higher position, provides guidance and advice for novice administrators.
Succession Planning: A process by which the current leadership of an organization provides leadership opportunities and professional development for employees that are identified as potential leaders.
Advancement Pool: A formalized program that identities and provides professional development for potential and novice administrators.
Novice Administrator: Any administrator serving within their first two years in an administrative position.