Department of Educational Administration
Date of this Version
Spring 4-4-2011
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The use of enrollment performance measurement systems can enable the provision of intelligence information to inform strategic decision-making and the effective management of enrollment. A review of the literature indicated that the development of enrollment intelligence systems was a nascent area in which only a select few institutions had successfully developed applications. In addition, no published models or guidelines were found for assessing an organization’s capacity for success in developing advanced enrollment performance measurement capabilities linked to enrollment performance improvement.
The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to identify the culture value orientations and organizational capacity conditions that existed at the time of the initial stages in the development of ‘advanced’ enrollment performance measurement systems at a purposeful sample of ‘leading-edge’ public North American colleges; and (b) to develop a set of guidelines for conducting a self-assessment of an organization’s capacity for developing an advanced enrollment performance measurement system to support effective strategic enrollment management (SEM).
A two-phase, explanatory sequential mixed methods study design was used. Research results indicated that there was no culture value orientation that best characterized the ‘real’ culture conditions at the time of the initial stages in the system development. However, the ‘ideal’ culture was best characterized as having a leaning toward a collaborative culture. In terms of organizational capacity areas of importance to the success of the initial development of the system, Strategic Leadership was identified as ‘most’ important, and Human Resources and Financial Management were least important. The relative importance of each of the following five other capacity areas was situational to the institutional context: Organizational Structure and Governance, Program Management, Inter-organizational Linkages, Process Management, and Infrastructure. From this research, 13 foundational guidelines for success were developed that may offer guidance to other institutional leaders in conducting a self-assessment of an organization’s capacity for implementing an advanced enrollment performance measurement system. Implications for use of the guidelines by other institutions are also discussed.
Comments
A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Education, Major: Educational Studies (Educational Leadership & Higher Education), Under the Supervision of Professors Ronald Joekel and Alan Seagren. Lincoln, Nebraska: May, 2011.
Copyright 2011 Lynda R. Wallace-Hulecki