This paper examines how institutions of higher education can achieve more diverse academic communities. It is argued that modernist interpretations of organizations limit academic change designed to encourage the voiceless members of society through an overemphasis on outcomes and efficiency. Section 1 discusses the general debate between conservative educators and multiculturalists, i.e., whether a core curriculum should be rooted in a limited set of Western ideals designed to promote a unifying cultural experience, or whether culturally diverse experiences should be created, not only through curricular diversity, but through increased participation of underrepresented groups among both students and staff. Section 2 discusses organizational theory, delineating five modernist conceptions of organizations: the bureaucratic perspective; the human relations perspective; the political perspective; the cybernetic perspective; and the cultural perspective. Section 3 examines modern and postmodern conceptions of organizations, their theoretical origins, assumptions, conceptions of the process of change, and the role that leaders play in the process of change. The final section provides a practical examination of academic innovation and change, focusing on efforts to create a multicultural academy. Contains 100 references. (GLR)