The Challenge
A prestigious college of nursing reorganized its leadership structure to break down silo’s and facilitate more effective collaboration and support for students and faculty. While the faculty were excited about this change, they continued to be confused about the work of the departments and how it related to the committees. Faculty perceived that committee priorities were unclear, they weren’t engaged in meaningful work, and the faculty voice was not being heard.
The Tandem Solution
With the Associate Dean, we created a workgroup of faculty that represented the departments, committees, and leadership. With a structured facilitative approach, the work group clarified the work of the departments and redesigned the committee structure. This included dissolving several committees as the work better aligned with that of the department. We designed a new governance structure that aligned the work of the departments and committees, emphasized collaborative decision making, and amplified the faculty’s voice.
The Results
This resulted in realizing the initial intent of the reorganization, with clarity for the departments and the committees, clear communications and decision making. The faculty overwhelmingly approved the changes and have embraced this transformation to move from a culture of compliance for faculty participation to one of a highly engaged community to advance the aims of the school.
Are You Ready to Work in Tandem?