Organizational Change in an Academic Unit of a Mexican State University: The case of the Oceanographic Reserach Institute (IIO)
BALLESTEROS GARCIA, MARIA (2012)
BALLESTEROS GARCIA, MARIA
2012
Hallintotiede - Administrative Science
Johtamiskorkeakoulu - School of Management
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2012-12-31
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-23291
https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:uta-1-23291
Tiivistelmä
In recent years, organizational change in higher education institutions has been studied from numerous different conceptions. Universities being organizations of particular characteristics tend to be analyzed in a very different manner than other social organizations. Therefore, the main objective within the present thesis is to define what organizational changes has an academic unit presented during a certain period of time, being the focal point of this research asuis generisacademic unit the Oceanographic Research Institute from an autonomous state university in Mexico (UABC).
Also, the present study is structured and developed under the light of several studies regarding organizational change in Mexico and Latin America, as well as the Institutional Development Plans from UABC and IIO. From these documents six main dimensions were determined: Financial area, administrative area, legal framework, research projects, plans and programs and the relation to other academic entities (social organizations, enterprises and government). Furthermore, since the study focuses on all the changes observed from the origins of IIO until today, in order to clarify on the matter, periods were assigned on the basis of significant shifts that defined a new stage for both the academic unit and the university. This, to subsequently conclude and illustrate on atypologyregarding organizational change throughtwocomplementing yet not necessarily contradictingperspectivesproposed by Gornitzka (1999): The neo-institutional and resource dependence perspectives.
In order to display the changes observed during the course of five decades, several layers of significance were observed throughout a small-scale qualitative case study with an exploratory and descriptive purpose. The main data gathering strategy was through nine in-depth interviews with key individuals that heldimportantstrategicpositions in the academic unit of study.
The relevance of thisthesisremains in the factthat thiskindofstudy has never been developed within an academicunit of UABC. Furthermore,there is an increase in the creation of Institutional Development Plansin Mexican universitieswith a clear strategic perspectivenot only at aninstitutional level but also in the academic units themselves. Due to this, theanalysisof the organizational change in a specific set of timesas presented study may be of a practical nature forother similar academic units.
The main conclusions lead to a drift fromthe changes during the origins of IIOthat were predominantly neo-institutional in nature to a resource dependency perspective.Mainly,as a resultto important sociopolitical movements in the 1970s in Mexicothis gave way to governmental policies strictly oriented to quality improvements through evaluation instruments.Nevertheless, IIO has achieved to preserve and maintain an important capacity of decision making.
Asiasanat: Organizational change, academic unit, higher education
Also, the present study is structured and developed under the light of several studies regarding organizational change in Mexico and Latin America, as well as the Institutional Development Plans from UABC and IIO. From these documents six main dimensions were determined: Financial area, administrative area, legal framework, research projects, plans and programs and the relation to other academic entities (social organizations, enterprises and government). Furthermore, since the study focuses on all the changes observed from the origins of IIO until today, in order to clarify on the matter, periods were assigned on the basis of significant shifts that defined a new stage for both the academic unit and the university. This, to subsequently conclude and illustrate on atypologyregarding organizational change throughtwocomplementing yet not necessarily contradictingperspectivesproposed by Gornitzka (1999): The neo-institutional and resource dependence perspectives.
In order to display the changes observed during the course of five decades, several layers of significance were observed throughout a small-scale qualitative case study with an exploratory and descriptive purpose. The main data gathering strategy was through nine in-depth interviews with key individuals that heldimportantstrategicpositions in the academic unit of study.
The relevance of thisthesisremains in the factthat thiskindofstudy has never been developed within an academicunit of UABC. Furthermore,there is an increase in the creation of Institutional Development Plansin Mexican universitieswith a clear strategic perspectivenot only at aninstitutional level but also in the academic units themselves. Due to this, theanalysisof the organizational change in a specific set of timesas presented study may be of a practical nature forother similar academic units.
The main conclusions lead to a drift fromthe changes during the origins of IIOthat were predominantly neo-institutional in nature to a resource dependency perspective.Mainly,as a resultto important sociopolitical movements in the 1970s in Mexicothis gave way to governmental policies strictly oriented to quality improvements through evaluation instruments.Nevertheless, IIO has achieved to preserve and maintain an important capacity of decision making.
Asiasanat: Organizational change, academic unit, higher education