%0 Thesis %1 dewey_exploratory_1998 %A Dewey, Marvin Lee %D 1998 %K ADMINISTRATION, EDUCATION, Higher, INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY, %T An exploratory study of the relationship between cognitive complexity of college administrative teams in private liberal arts colleges and organizational health as one dimension of organizational effectiveness %X Profound challenges confront those in higher education leadership. Some advocate stronger leadership, while others encourage leadership from multiple sources for organizational effectiveness. The unique attributes of colleges, along with a growing complexity in the internal and external environment, add difficulty to their task. Greater complexity requires more information, analysis, and interpretive ability to provide effective leadership. One way to address this need for greater capacity is through a carefully selected leadership team. This study explores the relationship of cognitive complexity among college administrative teams and organizational health as one dimension of organizational effectiveness. A literature review provides the theoretical framework for this relationship. The field research focuses on 50 private liberal arts colleges in Baccalaureate I and II, with leadership teams having at least four vice presidents. Cameron's (1978) organizational effectiveness instrument was used to measure the effectiveness of these colleges. Due to the breadth of the construct of organizational effectiveness, one dimension (organizational health) comprised the focus of the field research. The population included five faculty members from high- and low-consensus disciplines (N = 500). The response rate reached almost 58\%. An important step was taken in the development of a new instrument to measure cognitive complexity in a team setting. The five primary thinking roles identified by Neumann (1991) and Bensimon and Neumann (1993) formed the structure for evaluating the complexity of administrative teams. Questions for the instrument, employing a 5-point Likert-type scale, rose out of the richness of this qualitative research. The Cognitive Role Organizing Among Teams (CROT) questionnaire was tested for its validity and reliability. The response rate for this questionnaire (N = 276) reached 71\%. The relative cognitive complexity of an administrative team and institutional strategy were found to be predictors of organizational health.

@phdthesis{dewey_exploratory_1998, abstract = {Profound challenges confront those in higher education leadership. Some advocate stronger leadership, while others encourage leadership from multiple sources for organizational effectiveness. The unique attributes of colleges, along with a growing complexity in the internal and external environment, add difficulty to their task. Greater complexity requires more information, analysis, and interpretive ability to provide effective leadership. One way to address this need for greater capacity is through a carefully selected leadership team. This study explores the relationship of cognitive complexity among college administrative teams and organizational health as one dimension of organizational effectiveness. A literature review provides the theoretical framework for this relationship. The field research focuses on 50 private liberal arts colleges in Baccalaureate I and II, with leadership teams having at least four vice presidents. Cameron's (1978) organizational effectiveness instrument was used to measure the effectiveness of these colleges. Due to the breadth of the construct of organizational effectiveness, one dimension (organizational health) comprised the focus of the field research. The population included five faculty members from high- and low-consensus disciplines (N = 500). The response rate reached almost 58\%. An important step was taken in the development of a new instrument to measure cognitive complexity in a team setting. The five primary thinking roles identified by Neumann (1991) and Bensimon and Neumann (1993) formed the structure for evaluating the complexity of administrative teams. Questions for the instrument, employing a 5-point Likert-type scale, rose out of the richness of this qualitative research. The Cognitive Role Organizing Among Teams (CROT) questionnaire was tested for its validity and reliability. The response rate for this questionnaire (N = 276) reached 71\%. The relative cognitive complexity of an administrative team and institutional strategy were found to be predictors of organizational health.}, added-at = {2018-06-19T15:18:45.000+0200}, author = {Dewey, Marvin Lee}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/278d9d9bb789f6cf0b82c3c9b4f5c61dd/prophe}, interhash = {b5a967157fd152cf2d8bf0d2009c8128}, intrahash = {78d9d9bb789f6cf0b82c3c9b4f5c61dd}, keywords = {ADMINISTRATION, EDUCATION, Higher, INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY,}, school = {Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University}, shorttitle = {An exploratory study of the relationship between cognitive complexity of college administrative teams in private liberal arts colleges and organizational health as one dimension of organizational effectiveness}, timestamp = {2018-06-19T15:18:45.000+0200}, title = {An exploratory study of the relationship between cognitive complexity of college administrative teams in private liberal arts colleges and organizational health as one dimension of organizational effectiveness}, type = {{PhD} {Thesis}}, year = 1998 }