Social identity and shared governance

Abstract

Based on the assumption that faculty voice is foundational to the contemporary enterprise of higher education, this study provides additional information about potential barriers inherent to a faculty member's identity that may confound attempts, however well-intentioned, to improve governance through structural change. Through the theoretical lens of Social Identity Theory, faculty perceptions of their level of influence and level of satisfaction with shared governance will be examine vis-à-vis their self-identification with various social groupings, both internal and external to the university. The intent is to provide a basis for institutional changes, enhancements, incentives or other interventions that are more nuanced and effective than a generic view predicated on time spent in decision-making activities and stratified by basic categories such as rank or gender. The findings of this study highlight a fundamental unionist orientation that buttresses faculty satisfaction with their influence in decision-making processes. The alignment with the unionist identity can be seen as a symptom of a constricted or prescribed faculty voice. Regardless of the venue of influence and decision-making-faculty senates, departments, or other formal and informal settings-the unionist identity is a key factor. The other markers of faculty identity in this study explain, at best, only a fraction of the variance in satisfaction. Potential interventions and structural changes must be approached using a sociocultural lens, such as social identity theory.