Community colleges are under intense pressure to change in response to shifts in an increasingly complex environment. Stakeholders are placing simultaneously contradictory demands on colleges for more and better service, increased accountability, and more efficient use of resources in order to get the most from colleges in tough economic times. These demands have contributed to cultural fragmentation in community colleges as staff are pulled in competing directions by events beyond their control. The upshot is a circumstance in which leaders are finding that culture is perhaps the most powerful element affecting organizational performance and change. The old saw culture eats strategy for breakfast epitomizes the importance of culture as a means for enhancing the long-term viability of an organization. This book provides fresh analysis of organizational culture in the community college context with a critical examination of the relationship between organizational culture and change. Readers will benefit from frank advice with insights to drive change by transforming and leveraging culture to shape the future of community colleges.

Randall VanWagoner has served as president of Mohawk Valley Community College (New York) since 2007. He is also the co-facilitator of the Strategic Horizon Network a consortium of forward-thinking community colleges focused on learning about disruptive innovation and the future of postsecondary education.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Understanding CultureChapter 2: Transformation: Where Does Culture Fit?Chapter 3: Driving Cultural Transformation through LeadershipChapter 4: Building Colleges into CommunitiesChapter 5: Todays Cultural Imperative: A Culture of InquiryChapter 6: Tomorrow: A Culture of AnticipationAppendix A: Cultural Leadership Orientation& 100-Day Action Plan Mohawk Valley Community CollegeAppendix B: Strategies, Programs, and Events to Build Connections, Community, and a More Cohesive CultureAppendix C: Start RightSuccess Program for New Employees Mohawk Valley Community CollegeIndexAbout the Author