This two-volume work is intended to help readers develop powerful new ways of thinking about organizational principles, and apply them to policy-making and management in colleges and universities. The book is written with two audiences in mind: administrative and faculty leaders in institutions of higher learning, and students (both doctoral and Master's degree) studying to become upper-level administrators, leaders, and policy makers in higher education. It systematically presents a range of theories that can be applied to many of the difficult management situations that college and university leaders encounter. It provides them with the theoretical background to evaluate knowledgeably the many new ideas that emerge in the current literature, and in workshops and conferences. The purpose is to help leaders develop their own effective management style and approaches, and feel confident that their actions are informed by appropriate theory and knowledge of the latest research in the field. The authors approach the theory of the organization and administration of colleges and universities from three quite different perspectives, or paradigms, each relying on different assumptions about the "reality" of organizational life in colleges and universities. This "multiple paradigm" approach enables readers to become more cognizant of their own assumptions, how they may differ from those of others in their organization, and how those differences may both create difficulties in resolving problems and expand the range of alternatives considered in organizational decision making. This book begins with a Foreword by D. Bruce Johnstone. This book is then divided into two volumes. Volume I: The State of the System, provides alternative ways of theoretically conceiving of the more stable and persisting conditions that exist at virtually all higher education institutions--including organizational and departmental design, structure and roles, the institution's external environment, its culture, and the influence of individual motivation, group dynamics and interpersonal relations. From the theories presented in this volume, administrators will be able to recognize the elements in their institutional dilemmas that have been found commonly to recur across many institutions; understand the conditions that may have caused the problem to arise; and, by utilizing the theories presented, identify successful remedies that have been employed to address them. Volume II: Dynamics of the System, deals with the more dynamic conditions of organizations--conditions that arise less predictably and that often challenge the status quo. It addresses the management of conflict, power and politics in higher education, types and stages of organizational decision-making, managerial and individuals' styles and roles in decision-making, organizational learning, strategy, accountability and assessments of effectiveness, change and the complexities and challenges associated with organization-wide change, and finally, approaches to leadership. While this volume refers to and utilizes concepts and theories introduced in Volume One, it can be read and understood independently.