Abstract
As a result of shifting market forces affecting institutions of higher education, implementation of enhanced resource management practices has become a strategic imperative for many colleges and universities. An increasing number of universities have adopted decentralized budgeting practices to enhance stewardship of resources and foster entrepreneurial pursuits. Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) is designed to support increasingly budget conscious organizations. While innovative, onboarding RCM in academic settings has intrinsic challenges, including appropriately selecting, developing, and supporting organizational mid-level administrators charged with essential decisions.
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions, insights, and lived experiences of successful mid-managers (MMs) working in large, 4-year public institutions of higher education that have adopted RCM. The research question addressed was “What MM experiences and skills support leadership success in an RCM environment?” The study drew on the research literature, insights of institutional leaders with significant RCM experience, and the principal investigator’s professional experience training academic leaders to assume roles as RCM managers. Senior and mid-level administrators were recruited from comparable RCM institutions, to participate in semi-structured, open-ended interviews. Areas of focus included identifying and describing: 1) significant challenges MMs face in an RCM environment, 2) dynamics associated with high turnover of MMs in organizational conversions to RCM, and 3) leadership knowledge, experiences, and skills that best prepare MMs to succeed in an RCM environment. The study concluded by proposing evidence based and theoretically grounded strategies in support of identifying, developing, and sustaining competent MMs in RCM-driven institutions of higher education.