An organizational culture study of Missouri State University faculty/staff in relation to the University's public affairs mission

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to address a problem of practice of the public affairs mission through the perceptions of faculty and staff members at Missouri State University (MSU) of the University's organizational culture. This study took the three pillars (community engagement, cultural competence, and ethical leadership) of the public affairs mission at MSU and examined how faculty and staff members' perceptions of MSU leaders compared with the embedding mechanisms (Schein, 2010) that influence organizational culture. Schein's (2010) six primary embedding mechanisms: (a) What Leaders Pay Attention to, Measure, and Control, (b) Reaction to Organizational Crises, (c) Role Modeling, (d) How Resources are Allocated, (e) Allocation of Rewards, and (f) Recruitment, Selection and Dismissal shaped questions for the participants. The methods for the research included both interviews of leaders within the organization and focus groups with MSU faculty (tenured and non-tenured) and staff members from two of the main areas of the university. The findings for the three pillars did not reflect a significant connection to any of the embedding mechanisms. The study does provide what the themes were for each embedding mechanisms and comments related to the three pillars for future growth. Given the importance the university has placed on the public affairs mission, MSU leaders must ask themselves how the embedding mechanisms in MSU's culture are reflective of the mission.