ERIC Number: EJ1156092
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1539-1590
EISSN: N/A
Synching the Law to Resolve the Disconnection between Awareness and Action in Legally Mandated Diversity Hiring Practices in Higher Education Institutions
Dejean, Jacqueline Sylvia
Journal of Research Administration, v46 n2 p34-54 Fall 2015
Conflicting regulatory demands on higher education institutions (HEIs) contribute to an environment of increasing legal risk for HEIs. In addition, the increasing cost of non-compliance jeopardizes institutional viability as HEIs struggle to adjust to the pressure created by these legally-mandated changes. The legal risk to HEIs can be attributed to the breakdown that employees experience between their awareness of policies and their follow through in carrying out those legal actions. HEIs would benefit from implementing legallymandated change in a way that maximizes compliance and therefore minimizes risks. This study investigates the relationship between the elements (legal rule, legal procedure and legal agents) of a new model, Synching the Law, that synchronizes the law with organizational characteristics allowing the organization to understand itself in the context of the legal rule and adapt successfully to the legal mandate. While this paper is primarily focused on making institutional legal change, the study used diverse hiring practices of research administration hiring managers to reveal the role of legal agent self-identity in the legal change decisionmaking process. This study reinforces the need for guidance in making legally-mandated changes that embed effectively within organizations using principles from organizational psychology and therapeutic paradigms. The study confirms that psychological decision making cannot solely be affected by an awareness of the rule of law and legal procedures. In fact, setting the law as a priority is insufficient to motivate compliance to the law by those who must carry out these legal rules.
Descriptors: Legal Responsibility, Compliance (Legal), Diversity (Faculty), Minority Group Teachers, College Faculty, Teacher Selection, Models, Institutional Characteristics, Educational Administration, Online Surveys, Attitude Measures, Training, Teacher Recruitment, Geographic Regions, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Statistical Analysis
Society of Research Administrators International. 500 North Washington Street Suite 300, Falls Church, VA 22046. Tel: 703-741-0140; Fax: 703-741-0142; e-mail: membership@srainternational.org; Web site: http://www.srainternational.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A