The Language of Leaders: Executive Sensegiving Strategies in Higher Education

Brown, Joshua Travis

doi:10.1086/712113

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Field notes and interview transcripts with all participants were coded using MaxQDA using an iteratively based coding scheme. After using prior research on school counselors to create an interview questionnaire focused on how their jobs were structured within schools (particularly Holland 2013), during my field work and prior to coding (Brown 2021), I found that these interviews and observations suggested the use of institutional theory to explain the conflicts counselors encountered. When all data were collected, I constructed ''parent'' codes using holistic and provisional coding to label conversations and interactions that were used to describe the logic of their professional training and identity and the logic of their work in public high schools (Saldana 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Institutions are ''inhabited'' by people who understand, create, and communicate new and existing rules and norms through everyday behavior and interactions with others in their organization (Everitt 2012;Hallett 2010;Scott 2014;Thornton et al 2012). People can choose whether or not to follow the implicit rules and, thus, may influence and change the rules themselves through embedded agency (Brown 2021;Thornton 2004). For example, teachers may not adopt institutionally based practices that go against their professional logics (Bridwell-Mitchell 2013), or they may adapt the logics based on their prior education and teaching praxis (Coburn 2004).…”

Section: Translating Institutional Logics Into Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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School-Level Bureaucrats: How High School Counselors Inhabit the Conflicting Logics of Their Work

Blake

2023

Sociol Educ

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Through three years of training, school counselors build a professional identity based on providing social-emotional, academic, and postsecondary guidance to students. But school counselors face conflict in meeting these expectations in a bureaucratic environment that asks them to prioritize efficiency when meeting with students rather than building one-on-one relationships. I draw from interviews with high school counselors and school personnel and a year of observations to study the institutional logics that govern their work and use inhabited institutional theory to study how time scarcity shaped how counselors interpreted these conflicting macro-level logics in their micro-level interactions. The counselors in this study developed patterns of practice that helped them manage this conflict, negotiating but eventually settling with nonideal strategies in the best way they could with the resources made available to them. Efforts to reject the efficiency model were met with pushback from school leaders and unintended consequences for counselors and students alike. The conflict inherent in their work left little room for the mental health or postsecondary counseling they expect and are trained to provide.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Translating Institutional Logics Into Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

School-Level Bureaucrats: How High School Counselors Inhabit the Conflicting Logics of Their Work

Blake

2023

Sociol Educ

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“…Although much of this research does not explicitly use an institutional logics framework, the viability of such sensegiving efforts depends on the degree to which they are understood by and meaningful to their audience and hence their connection to legitimate institutional logics. In this vein, Brown (2021), in a study of eight religious colleges and universities, found that university presidents framed new and potentially disruptive initiatives using the symbols and language of accepted professional, religious, and market logics to establish legitimacy for them. Large gifts from a new capital campaign, for example, were described as "God's provision," in line with the school's religious logic.…”

Section: Sensemakingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Integrated Framework for Studying How Schools Respond to External Pressures

Diehl

Golann

2023

Educational Researcher

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The changing educational landscape requires new organizational frameworks to understand how schools and universities make sense of and respond to broader institutional forces like accountability, diversity, and the market. In this article, we draw on recent innovations in organizational theory to propose a model that identifies two general processes through which pressures from the environment shape educational practice in schools: filtering and local adaptation. We review three areas where researchers have studied filtering and local adaptation—routines, sensemaking, and networks—to illustrate how these processes are currently being applied in education and how this work can be extended. We also identify studies that have begun to integrate these different areas of scholarship and propose directions for future research. This article offers education researchers new to the field conceptual tools for guiding their analysis and assists more seasoned researchers in situating their studies in a broader context of institutional maintenance, change, and heterogeneity.

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“…Sensegiving is how public communication is understood in the context of higher education. Public discourse on university websites helps institutional frame characteristics for different audiences (Brown, 2021;Holland & Ford, 2021).…”

Section: Sensegivingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mission statements help convey organizational values (Brown, 2021;Hartley, Matthew & Morphew, 2008). Slogans help garner support within the community (Brown, 2021;Gonzales & Pacheco, 2012). Admissions viewbooks entice prospective students (Brown, 2021;Hartley et al, 2008).…”

Section: Sensegivingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The leadership style of women of color in college presidencies: a content analysis of their leadership communications

Dulatre

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Dr. P -I am honored to be your final doctoral student. Thank you for getting me to the finish line. You believed in the value of my work and pushed me to think deeply about the data.Your mentorship has lifted me into a space where I am confident and hopeful about the impact I can have on this world.Dr. Morris and Dr. Avalon -While our time together in this process was short, you are now both part of my community. I look forward to our future collaborations where we can continue to pave the way for other women of color to come into their light.Dr. Nickel -I hope that when you come across my work one day, you will know that you were instrumental in shaping its path.Greta and Timmy -You are my rocks. You both came into my life at a time when I was convinced that I was destined for a solo journey. I live everyday with happiness, joy, and love because of you.Lindsay -I am so grateful that you stuck by me after all these years. Our bond is now memorialized in this work since I made you edit the first three chapters. Growing old together is going to be a great adventure.Mama and Papa -I understand deeply your sacrifice and determination to ensure that I live a full and thriving life. I want to do good for this world because you taught me well.Ayayaten kayo nga duwwa un-unay.To all my friends, family, colleagues, mentors, coaches, and professors -Through your words and actions, you have showed me who I am: I am light and laughter. I am a phenomenal, tenacious, authentic leader. I am a pathfinder and a lighthouse. I am courageous, ready to fight for good, and willing to do what it takes for self-growth and transformation.

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The Language of Leaders: Executive Sensegiving Strategies in Higher Education

Cited by 9 publications

References 76 publications

School-Level Bureaucrats: How High School Counselors Inhabit the Conflicting Logics of Their Work

School-Level Bureaucrats: How High School Counselors Inhabit the Conflicting Logics of Their Work

An Integrated Framework for Studying How Schools Respond to External Pressures

The leadership style of women of color in college presidencies: a content analysis of their leadership communications

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