The Impact of Unexpected Leadership Changes and Budget Crisis on Change Initiatives at a Land-Grant University

Abstract

The problem and the solution. One of the greatest challenges to successful organization development is managing the impact of unexpected events on planned institutional change initiatives. Too often, in the face of crises, organizational development efforts are put on autopilot and attention is shifted away from identified objectives to the immediate problem at hand. This article examines three organizational change initiatives undertaken at a Midwestern land-grant university during the period 2000 to 2004. Along with planned change, the authors examine the impact of unexpected budget cuts and leadership turnover, which threatened to derail the change initiatives. From this case study, they elucidate some of the unique challenges for implementing change strategies in institutions of higher education and the particular challenges posed by the emergence of unanticipated circumstances.