ERIC Number: EJ1467937
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-5627
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1758
Available Date: 2024-10-24
Moving toward Institutional Culture Change in Higher Education: An Exploration into Cross-Functional Professional Learning Communities
Adrianna Kezar1; Ronald E. Hallett1; Zoë B. Corwin1; Liane Hypolite2
Innovative Higher Education, v50 n2 p687-714 2025
This article explores the implementation of cross-functional professional learning communities (PLCs) involving faculty, staff and administrators at three different institutional types -- research, urban regional, and rural regional universities -- with the goal of learning about and then implementing a culture change approach to support academic and psychosocial success for historically marginalized student groups. The action research-based study explores the research question: Do cross-functional PLCs help support institution-wide culture change? And if so, how? Our findings identified that PLCs can act as a vehicle for the beginning steps of institutional culture change if they adopt four organizational strategies for spreading learning. Given the complexity and size of campuses, PLCs can act as a strategizing team for developing a broader culture change approach that ultimately impacts the overall institution. Armed with the skillsets related to culture change that they learn in the PLC, they can become change agents that plan and spread culture change. They do this by moving from a PLC that learned together for a year to a coordinating group that utilizes their newly gained skills to execute and create a set of culture change strategies. The PLCs make the transition to a coordinating group by expanding and adding new members and/or connecting to units throughout campus, creating an extended network. They also implement four key strategies -- data/assessment, communications, professional learning and auditing/mapping.
Descriptors: Organizational Culture, Organizational Change, Educational Change, Higher Education, Communities of Practice, Action Research, Educational Strategies, Change Strategies, Strategic Planning, Coordination, Networks
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA; 2Cal Paly Pomona, Pamona, USA