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Institutional Contradiction in the Community College

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Critical discourse analysis was employed to examine the narratives collected from 40 community college administrators who were asked to recount their experience in an event, activity, or decision that challenged their values.The analysis yielded three findings. First, contradictions emerged between the administrators’ educational and professional values, on the one hand, and managerialism (pressure from above), on the other hand. Second, participants either acquiesced to managerialism or resisted through insubordination or advocacy. Third, the styles enacted by the administrators in the face of these contradictions included the alienated victim (who felt that his or her authority had been usurped), the survivor (who eventually recovered or at least feigned a positive attitude), or the institutional entrepreneur (who successfully aligned a policy or practice with his or her values).The latter successfully advocated for change, suggesting the need for future research on leadership strategies and organizational climates that foster institutional entrepreneurship.

Key Words: administrator values • managerialism • discourse analysis • critical incident technique

Community College Review, Vol. 37, No. 2, 165-184 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0091552109348042


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