Toward Defining Institutional Culture

The term "institutional culture" is used widely in describing the personality of institutions. Culture is ubiquitous. Every organization, every department, every little informal work team has a culture. People are constantly surrounded by culture, and their behavior is shaped by it. Culture makes its presence known whenever a new leader appears or there is a change in managerial style. The fact that an institution has a culture implies that institutions are living and changeable entities, as are the people who comprise them. Campus climate is closely intertwined with culture, and Cal Poly Pomonas has been a subject of keen interest since WASC raised it in 1990. There is, however, no easy definition of "institutional culture," as there is no one single characteristic of an institution that can be cited to define this culture. Neither does institutional culture develop overnight. Moreover, much of the research related to organizational or institutional culture has been centered on corporations rather than on universities such as Cal Poly Pomona. As we approached the area of institutional culture, Theme One writers drew from a review of the literature on institutional culture by team member Dr. Vinita Dhingra. (Her work is included for background in the Support Documents File, along with additional materials in the Team Room.) Theme One writers from the outset agreed that an institution is not a place: it is a system, and in the case of Cal Poly Pomona, that system functions -- whatever its degree of coherence and integrity -- as a de facto community. If the WASC Self-Study has taught us anything, it is that "institutional culture" means many different things to the thousands of individuals who contribute to Cal Poly Pomona and that it is continually in transition. The main objective of this theme assessment is to account for these different meanings and directions, so that we may be better able to meet and shape the future.
The Theme One Issues <top of page

To reach a comprehensive perspective on Cal Poly Pomona as an institutional culture at this point in time, where it has been, and where it is going, the writing team focused on eight issues, which have consistently remained at the forefront of Cal Poly Pomonas institutional consciousness. Some are covered in a historical context (over the past 10 years); other issues are covered only in the context of more recent events. Though all are related to campus climate, the principal focus of our new research, the first four were felt by respondents to be most deeply implicated. Therefore, this chapter presents only these four issues. The remaining four are addressed in essays contained in the Support Document File in the Team Room. These other issues are also part of the support research for Themes Two, Three, and Four. 1. Organizational Continuity and Integrity: The Cal Poly Pomona context is one in which our campus has limited autonomy (within parameters set by agencies in Washington, Sacramento, and Long Beach). We ask if the campus leadership in both structure and practice -- is as effective as possible in the areas of long-range "controlled change" and organizational consistency? Also, pursuant to WASCs

Standard One, does the university vigorously support and protect academic freedom for all the members of its community? 2. Diversity: Diversity at Cal Poly Pomona includes (among other variables) ethnic, religious, disability, gender and financial status. The fact that this campus is recognized as one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, with respect to the student population, does not mean ipso facto -- that Cal Poly Pomona people are "better" or "more advanced" in valuing diversity as a learning resource and "capitalizing" on it (as it were) in its classrooms and daily life. Nonetheless, our Strategic Plan puts diversity at the core of Cal Poly Pomonas institutional identity, and issues of diversity are the foci of much dialogue and a notable number of campus programs. 3. Leadership and Shared Governance: The structure of university governance and the balance of power between the administration and the faculty Senate have undergone a major transformation during recent years, a change in institutional culture. Relations continue to be challenging. 4. The Culture of Evidence and Assessment: An issue not well addressed in the last WASC self-study, this section focuses on the current situation in which the campus confronts the Accountability Process and other assessment pressures. 5. Economics: The availability and allocation of funding is crucial to the understanding of Cal Poly Pomonas present institutional culture (see Theme Three for the effects on finances and planning). The lean economic times of the early 90s constitute an overlay crucial to ones understanding of the present day institutional culture at Cal Poly Pomona. (See Support File and Theme Three.) The Division of University Advancement, development officers, and grant and contract efforts have added considerably to the economic health and security of the university, while changing its culture. 6. Changes in teaching and learning: This topic includes responses to (including denial of) the changing role of faculty, as new pedagogies emerge and in the contexts of "Cornerstones," the changing market for disciplines, the "professionalization" of new areas of study, and the growth of the "student as consumer." 7. Technology: In the last ten years, remarkable changes in teaching and learning have occurred in combination with an escalating reliance on technology in all facets of university life. This transformation has added a layer of urgency and stress that affects daily life at Cal Poly Pomona. (Support File and Themes Two, Three, and Four.) Faculty support centers, the Division of Instructional and Information Technology, and the schools and colleges are all involved in the construction of a new technology plan. 8. Changes in the Physical Environment: This issue includes the development of the Campus Master Plan, the on-going and anticipated new construction, and the roles

of Campus Planning and Facilities Planning and Management (as well as the new university budgeting and accounting systems) in the transformation of the "campus as place." (Support File and Theme Three.) Within these issues, and also crucial to reaching a comprehensive perspective about the university, one finds the perspectives of Cal Poly Pomonas "communities of shared interests": its Divisions and its faculty, students, staff and administrators. Note that some of the data for this Theme has been empirically tested and relates to perspectives and feelings which have been conveyed to the Committee at various points during our research; while it is difficult (if not impossible) to confirm the validity and reliability of such information, the Team has been requested to include (for example) the comments from focus groups as well as other "feedback" and to develop the analysis in as objective a manner as possible. Theme One concludes with an assessment of the status of the institutional culture, reflections on progress the institution has made in the past ten years, and recommendations for the future. A broad depiction of our institutional culture was presented in Chapter I. This study is based on extensive consultation on and off campus, analysis of documents, focus group, and survey research. Participant observation was another method employed to gather data.
The Campus Climate Survey
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The most significant piece of research conducted in relation to this theme, indeed, in relation to the entire self-study, was the Campus Climate Survey study, a set of comprehensive surveys of the population of workers and students developed in 1999 and administered at the beginning of 2000. The topics were those identified in preceding focus group research as being of the greatest interest and urgency to the community. Results reported here are not final. (more...)