 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
  |
|||||
 |
 |
Departmental Reorganization
By Charles Boone
Director of Residential Life for the Lincoln Center Campus
Fordham University
Thinking about completing a departmental reorganization? Whether you are thinking about large or small changes in departmental structure, the "how-to" of implementing the change can go a long way towards helping staff understand and buy into the changes.
I have recently completed two major reorganizations. First, three live-on graduate positions and one full-time live-off professional position were consolidated to one professional live-on position and two live on graduate positions. Housing space was a primary consideration in this case, as only three living spaces existed.
The second change occurred at a different institution and was an overhaul of a desk staff program. The program, providing coverage for five residence halls on a 24/7 basis, had previously been staffed by a variety of full-time, part-time, and student desk receptionist. One of the full-time receptionists served as Desk Manager, and coordinated the staffing schedule. In an effort to strengthen the program, University Security was brought in to staff the desk in the overnight (11 pm to 7 am) shift. This change required a significant overhaul of staffing for the program, including the elimination of five full-time and all (15) part-time positions.
Staff shortages, budget fluctuations, new initiatives, and housing demand all may be forces that challenge housing professionals to constantly adjust their staffing structure. Hopefully, the items listed below can help you effectively implement change where needed.
- Examine
all the forces working for or against the change. Examine the situation
and the players. Is the change something you desire, is it being "forced"
upon you by people or factors outside of your control? Each of these
factors will play a role in how others may perceive the change and the
level of resistance that may be encountered.
- Take
a step back and assess the needs of the area/department independent
of the people. Examine your mission. What staffing structure can best
accomplish these goals? The individual strengths that current staff
possess may be a helpful tool in assessing your area. However, too often
I believe we look at our people first and design the program to fit
them instead of looking at what we want to accomplish and then designing
the program to meet those goals. I do not mean to gloss over the impact
that current staffing patterns have on implementing change. Unions,
contracts and seniority all are serious considerations to take into
account when implementing change. However, designing jobs specifically
because of the strengths/weaknesses of current staff members may serve
only as short-term fixes.
- Determine
how much, if any, feedback will be utilized from current staff. Our
profession tries to be inclusive at all times. There are times; however,
when attempting to have all staff play a role in decision-making may
not be helpful. For example, in the desk restructuring that I spoke
earlier, decisions were made without input from the current staff. Part
of the reasoning behind this was that some staff positions were going
to have to be cut, and the decision needed to be made objectively, without
stirring up a great deal of controversy that would not have been helpful
to the situation. Examine your situation and make a determination of
how much feedback needs to be gathered and what the most appropriate
venue for that feedback would be. Also realize that these discussions
may also lead to a great many rumors about potential changes.
- Once a decision is made, be honest and up-front with people about when and how the changes will be implemented. People always feel uneasy about change. That uneasiness can be reinforced if people feel they do not understand what changes will take place and when the changes will occur. Being up-front, even if the news may not be received positively (and it is hard to tell people their positions are being eliminated) goes a long way to helping people adapt to the change.
I attempted to provide some general information for you. The local environment (structurally and politically) will always play a very large role in the details of these areas. As such, it is extremely important to assess not only how, but when change should be implemented. You must become the expert on understanding your environment. Our field will always see a great deal of change, and staffing structures will need to adapt with the changing times. The more effective we are at adapting to our surroundings, the more effective our programs will be in serving our students, and the more effective we will be as managers.
About the Author
Charles Boone is currently the Director of Residential Life for the Lincoln Center campus of Fordham University. He has also worked at Central Missouri State University, Marquette University, Marshall University and Drexel University. He currently serves as the Newsletter Editor for NEACUHO and is active in ACUHO-I. He previously served on the executive board of the MACUHO region.