The Dean's Squeeze: The Myths and Realities of Academic Leadership in the Middle

Abstract

The article discusses the myths and realities that underpin the understanding of the deanship in the modern U.S. university. Deans juggle multiple roles and a myriad of expectations from diverse constituents. Squeezed from above and below as well as from inside and outside the university, deans are caught in the jaws of conflicting cultures, pressures and priorities. Constrained by traditions and tensions inherent in the role, they are increasingly accountable for outcomes over which they have little influence and less control. At public universities, all this is compounded by an inordinate amount of paperwork and shrinking state budgets for higher education. Deans are, in essence, classic middle managers: They have enormous responsibilities, little positional power, insufficient resources and limited authority. They navigate daily the circular rhythms of life in the organizational middle, pleasing up to secure the resources needed to please those below who do the work that leads to unit success.