Bergen Community College: Case Study

The governance of Bergen Community College is shared among the board of trustees, the administration, and the faculty. The faculty has primary authority over the academic area, including such matters as the curriculum, standards of faculty competence, and standards of student achievement. The board and administration have primary authority over mission, strategic direction, physical plant, and fiscal resources. These factors have changed the dynamics of shared authority and understanding in ways that were not intended during the early and mid-twentieth century, when basic governance agreements were created (Gaff, 2007).
As the Director of Finance my role I was focused on educating faculty on financial concerns as they relate to the function and growth of the college and student success.
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I believe trust is established through action and remaining consistent in all that I say and do, while being relatable. In order for a leader to establish trust he or she must demonstrate transparency by communicating in a timely manner. As a transformational leader, in order to create involvement and participation, Schein (1994 ) discusses how a leader must be able to not only be able to lead, but; also to listen, to involve the group in achieving its own insight into its cultural dilemmas, and to be genuinely participative in his or her approach to learning and change,
In the article “How to Build Trust in an Organization” by Chris Hitch, Ph.D. he references the mnemonic HR by Corsum Consulting (O’Neil, 2009) which are:
T=Teach. Teaching employees how things work and being transparent.
R=Reward. Reward when necessary and make sure the reward system is aligned with the organizations values and goals.
U=Unconditional Support. Give employees permission to “think outside the box”. Encourage innovation. Create an environment where mistakes are an opportunity to learn, not