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Researcher Situatedness

Communication Instructor (13 years)

taught Organizational Communication and Communication Theory
prompted interest in Social Exchange Theory within higher education
exposed to informal discussions about faculty challenges and frustrations related to Drive to 55

Faculty Liaison for TBR: The College System of TN (2 years)

facilitate learning communities for community college faculty
faculty mention initiative fatigue and job satisfaction related to Drive to 55

I have worked as an Assistant Professor of Communication and an adjunct instructor at four different public 4-year universities including one in Tennessee for 13 years. For the past two years I have also worked at TBR: The College System of Tennessee’s Office of Student Success serving as a faculty support liaison with the high impact practice teaching initiative funded by a five-year Gates Grant. This governing agency oversees the state’s 13 public two-year community colleges and 27 technological colleges.

As a communication instructor, teaching Organizational Communication and Communication Theory courses prompted my interest in the study of Social Exchange Theory within higher education organizations.

As a faculty member, over the years I have been privy to informal discussions regarding the system-wide organizational changes brought about by the Drive to 55 collegiate completion initiatives including the challenges and frustrations some faculty have experienced, such as the changing student demographics and a lack of intrinsic motivation within students who attend on the TN Promise free-tuition scholarship.

As the TBR faculty support liaison, I have facilitated system-level learning communities for faculty within the state’s 13 community colleges, increasing awareness of best practices for student retention and success. There faculty have occasionally discussed experiences regarding initiative fatigue and job satisfaction.

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Introduction

Collegiate completion initiatives such Tennessee’s Drive to 55 free-tuition Promise and Reconnect scholarship programs represent a recent organizational change for many community colleges in the United States (Littlepage, Clark, Wilson, & Stout, 2017).

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Problem Studied

The general problem is organizational change in higher education can:

lead to faculty job dissatisfaction and attrition (Ambrose et al., 2005)

reduce positive student-faculty interactions such as classroom instruction and negatively impact student retention (Dee, 2002; Kleim & Takeda-Tinker, 2009)

inhibit the success of organizational change, preventing systemwide goal success (Arnold, 2017; Bateh & Heyliger, 2014; Ellett et al., 2015; Wisse & Sleebos, 2016)

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Study Purpose

The purpose of the current qualitative instrumental case study was to explore how full-time community college general education faculty members’ social exchange experiences of systemwide organizational change relate to faculty job satisfaction.

In fulfilling that purpose, the goal was to develop a rich, in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of faculty job satisfaction during implementation of a free-tuition Promise program.

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Research Questions

RQ1. How do full-time community college general education faculty members’ experiences of social exchanges within the community college environment during the Drive to 55 systemwide organizational change initiatives relate to faculty job satisfaction?

RQ2. How do experiences of administrative trustworthiness during systemwide organizational change relate to faculty job satisfaction?

RQ3. How do experiences of workplace autonomy during systemwide organizational change relate to faculty job satisfaction?

RQ4. How do experiences of workplace recognition during systemwide organizational change relate to faculty job satisfaction?

RQ5. How do experiences of institutional collegiality during systemwide organizational change relate to faculty job satisfaction?

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Theoretical Framework

Social Exchange Theory in Organizations (Thiabaut & Kelly, 1959)

Evaluates positive and negative communication interactions between management and employees (Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005)

Posits that responses are based on perceived costs and resulting rewards (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005)

Social exchanges that influence job satisfaction during organizational change:

trust in management
employee empowerment and autonomy
intimate exchanges with colleagues
fair rewards (Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005)

. The current qualitative research study was situated in a theoretical framework of social exchange that evaluates positive and negative communication interactions of community college faculty and administrators during times of systemwide organizational change implementation.

a framework for understanding how the research areas may be related, specifically how faculty perceptions of social exchanges and experiences of organizational change may affect faculty job satisfaction, and how faculty job satisfaction may, in turn, affect the success of organizational change initiatives within higher education.

Social exchange theory provides a theoretical framework for organizational employment relationships using social exchanges between management and employees (Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005). These social exchanges are governed by attitudes and behaviors as each party decides what communication to utilize or what actions to take based on the perceived costs and resulting rewards (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005).

Three bodies of literature framed the current study. These are faculty job satisfaction, organizational change, and social exchange theory.

The theory framing the current case study was social exchange which posits that faculty will experience job satisfaction and demonstrate positive workplace behaviors if the institution exhibits administrative trustworthiness, provides workplace autonomy, creates a positive collegial community, and acknowledges faculty contributions (Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005).

Social Exchange Theory posits that trust, employee development and autonomy, interpersonal relationships, and employee recognition are key elements of successful workplace relationships (Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005).

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Conceptual Framework

HIGHER EDUCATION

Rewards & Salary
Work & Career Satisfaction
Relationships
Benefits and Job Security

(Rosser, 2005)

Social Exchange Elements of Job Satisfaction within…

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Trust in Management
Intimate Exchanges with Peers
Empowerment & Involvement
Fair Rewards

(Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005)

Social Exchange Elements of Job Satisfaction for

Higher Education Faculty amidst Organizational Change

Administrative Trustworthiness
Faculty Autonomy

Faculty Recognition
Collegiality

Social Exchange Framework for Faculty Job Satisfaction amidst Organizational Change

Three bodies of literature framed the current study.:

faculty job satisfaction

organizational change

social exchange theory

Organizational change research has established that the same four factors are impacted by organizational change, affect job satisfaction, and influence the success of organizational change initiatives (Oreg et al., 2011).
Faculty job satisfaction research echoes the importance of trust between administrators and faculty that leads to faculty autonomy, a cohesive collegial community, and recognition for faculty accomplishment (Bozeman & Gaughan, 2011; Dee, 2002).

a framework for understanding how the research areas may be related, specifically how faculty perceptions of social exchanges and experiences of organizational change may affect faculty job satisfaction, and how faculty job satisfaction may, in turn, affect the success of organizational change initiatives within higher education.

faculty will experience job satisfaction and demonstrate positive workplace behaviors if the institution exhibits administrative trustworthiness, provides workplace autonomy, creates a positive collegial community, and acknowledges faculty contributions (Gould-Williams & Davies, 2005).

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Research Gap

The literature review revealed gaps in:

the understanding of the experiences of community college faculty (Gumport, 2007)

the knowledge base of faculty job satisfaction for community college faculty (Levin et al., 2006)

the empirical understanding of faculty job satisfaction during organizational change (Fleischman et al., 2017)

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Research Method

Qualitative research captures:

how participants make and hold meanings ascribed to the situations, actions, and events
the context within which participants act, and how that context relates to action
spontaneous participant identification of phenomena or new aspects that emerge within open-ended interviews
how participants perceive events and actions taking place
any complex causal associations made with the phenomenon under investigation (Ambrose et al., 2005).

Qualitative Methods

Seek to…

illuminate & examine personal experiences of phenomena in a specific context and at a particular time (Merriam, 2009)

gain a holistic rather than reductionist understanding (Merriam, 2009)

capture an individual participant’s point of view, evaluate constraints of everyday life, and secure rich descriptions of experiences (Harrison et al., 2017)

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Research Design

The current study meets the three primary characteristics of qualitative case studies Merriam (2009):

Particularistic: focuses on the four aspects of social exchange in higher education that comprise faculty job satisfaction during systemwide organizational change
Descriptive: provides layers of description from interview replies and documentary evidence
Heuristic: an advanced understanding of the aspects of faculty job satisfaction amidst organizational change was gained

Instrumental Case Study

is most appropriate when the case for inquiry binds the unit of analysis (Stake,1995)

is a tool that facilitates understanding of a specific phenomenon (Stake, 1995)

makes a case a comparative point across other cases in which the same phenomenon might be present (Grandy, 2010)

The phenomenon of faculty job satisfaction cannot truly be separated from the institutional context in which it occurs and can best be investigated through case study research (Yin, 2013).

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Selected Case

The case of the selected Middle Tennessee community college amidst year four of a 10-year systemwide organizational change initiative binds the unit of analysis which is the full-time general education faculty, making a qualitative instrumental case study the appropriate research design for the current study (Yin, 2013).

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Population and Sample

Documentary Evidence by Census Sampling

regarded system gen ed requirements or systemwide academic initiatives
contained communication of, or about, full-time faculty since the Fall 2015 semester
were publicly available

Three independent samples were selected:

Faculty Members by Purposive Sampling

employed as a full-time faculty member

teach gen ed courses

taught at least two courses since Fall 2015

employed within the TBR System for 2+ consecutive semesters since Fall 2015.

Administrators by Purposive Sampling

employed as a full-time administrator

worked within one of the selected gen ed departments for 2+ consecutive semesters since Fall 2015

For the selection of participants within the current instrumental case study, a nonprobability purposive sampling strategy was utilized with the goal of obtaining the richest, most in-depth information regarding the phenomenon under investigation within the sample participants from the accessible population. Additionally, a census sampling strategy was used to review all potential archival documents and obtain the selected sample which specifically related to the experience of full-time faculty. The sampling processes supported the purpose of the current qualitative instrumental case study which was to explore how full-time community college general education faculty members’ social exchange experiences of systemwide organizational change relate to faculty job satisfaction. Three independent samples were selected for the current research: (1) documentary evidence, (2) full-time general education faculty members, and (3) administrators within general education departments.

The selection criteria for the sample of documentary evidence was that the documents be (1) records regarding system requirements for community college general education and curricular structure or systemwide academic initiatives, (2) documents including departmental meeting minutes, faculty council meeting minutes, institutional effectiveness reports, or institutional employee satisfaction surveys, (3) contained communication of, or about, full-time faculty since the Fall 2015 semester, and (4) be publicly available via the institutional website. The selection criteria for the sample of faculty members was that the instructors must (1) be employed at the community college as a full-time faculty member, (2) teach general education courses excluding corequisite courses, (3) have taught at least two general education courses since Fall 2015, and (4) have been employed as a full-time faculty member within the TBR System for at least two consecutive semesters since Fall 2015. The selection criteria for the sample of administrators was that the administrators must (1) be currently employed at the community college as a full-time administrator and (2) have worked within one of the selected general education departments for at least two consecutive semesters since Fall 2015.

Initial plans for data collection for the current instrumental case study included interviewing three administrators and 12 faculty members from the purposive sampling of potential participants. Given the selection criteria for the current case study, 46 faculty and 9 administrators were invited to participate via email at various stages throughout the data collection period. The dates of invitation and responses of those invited are shown in Table 1. Of those recruited for the current study, 29 did not return email requests or phone calls to consider participation in the study. Thus, due to responses from only 22 potential faculty participants and four potential administrative participants, with nine faculty and one administrator responding with no desire to participate and one faculty member ineligible to participate due to lack of time at the institution, 12 faculty and three administrators were interviewed as part of the current research study, meeting the initial study goals.

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Data Collection

3 data collection methods were used:

Review of documentary evidence
Semi-structured interviews of faculty
Semi-structured interviews of administrators

The researcher was the primary instrument of data collection.
Data collection began with a pilot study to test and externally validate interview protocols and provide practice for the researcher.
Invited potential voluntary participants by email, eligibility was confirmed by phone and interviews were scheduled at the convenience of the participant.
Participants signed Informed Consent Forms prior to the recorded interviews and reviewed interview summaries following for verification of accuracy.

The three data collection methods used for the current qualitative instrumental case study were (1) a review of documentary evidence, (2) interviews of full-time faculty, and (3) interviews of administrators.

The interview data collection method provided the researcher with direct access to participants’ feelings, perceptions, knowledge, experiences, and opinions in the participants’ own words (Denzin & Lincoln, 2011), enabling the researcher to ask participants questions while listening to, watching for, and making note of participant responses. Additionally, the review of documentary evidence allowed the researcher to review passages, excerpts, and quotations within documents and records in order to extract selected items of relevance to the current study. Specifically, relevant items included all organizational communication that related to faculty social exchanges through which elements of faculty job satisfaction were revealed.

All interviews were semi-structured in that the open-ended questions asked aligned with the research questions that framed the study.

The researcher was the primary instrument of data collection. As the main research instrument, the researcher reviewed documentary evidence, asked questions, interacted with the study participants, and interpreted the results.

The current research began with a pilot study consisting of 10% of the original maximum sample size to test both semi-structured interview protocols designed to be used during data collection (see Appendices D & E). Conducting the pilot study helped to externally validate and hone both the interview question wording and the style with which the researcher conducted the interviews, as well as tested the reliability of the interview questions, whether they would generate responses relating to the research question and sub-questions using non-statistical methods.

Two test interviews were conducted which verified that the interview questions asked of both faculty and administrators would elicit responses to the research questions that contained valuable, rich descriptions of participant experiences from which trends and themes could arise. The test interviews also provided the researcher the opportunity to practice using interview skills and recording equipment as well as technology for teleconferencing and transcription. Based on the feedback from the pilot study interviews, the interview questions were validated, and no changes were made to the interview protocols (see Appendices D & E). In keeping with the purpose of a pilot study, information involved in validating the interview protocols was not part of the data collected for use within the current study.

. Upon IRB approval, the researcher collected the documentary evidence which included the online institutional directory. Utilizing the email addresses provided within the online institutional directory, the researcher sent emailed invitations that included an overview of participant expectations (see Appendix A) to solicit voluntary and confidential participation in the current research study. Respondents to the emailed invitations were asked pre-screening questions in the subsequent telephone conversation (see Appendix C) to confirm that the potential interviewee met the required criteria for eligibility in the current study. Once eligibility was confirmed, participants were provided with information regarding the process for withdrawing from the study at any time without penalty and the researcher scheduled the interviews. Prior to the interview, each participant was required to read, sign, date, and return the Informed Consent Form (see Appendix B) either electronically or in person. Data collection was conducted from October 27, 2018 through March 1, 2019. The collection of the data for the study followed the processes outlined in Chapter 3.

The semi-structured interviews were conducted at dates, times, and places convenient for the participant. Participant questions were addressed and answered prior to the start of the recorded interview. Participants were reminded that the researcher sought to obtain individual unique perspectives and that any question could be skipped or returned to at any time during the interview. A digital recorder was used to record all semi-structured interviews with participants. The researcher also took field notes during each interview to use as part of the data analysis process.

Following the interview, the researcher composed a summary of primary themes contained within the conversation and provided the summary to the participant for review and verification of accurate data collection. This process reinforced credibility of the interview data by member checking. The researcher also ensured that participants’ responses were interpreted in the correct context by providing professional perspective as a fellow educator and administrator within the Tennessee Board of Regents System.

Additionally, the researcher used snowball sampling in an attempt to generate additional potential participants. The process of contacting potential participants, confirming eligibility, obtaining informed consent, interviewing, verifying, and utilizing snowball sampling was used by the researcher with each of the study participants throughout data collection for the current study. Snowball sampling did generate a few suggested participants. However, suggested participants who did not meet eligibility criteria for the current study were excluded from invitation, and those suggested participants invited to participate chose not to participate.

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Research Question 1, Theme 1

Faculty expressed experiences of social exchanges related to job satisfaction with teaching in emotionally positive ways.

All faculty RQ1-related responses included terms such as “enjoy,” “like,” “fun,” “rewarding,” and “love,” and administrators also expressed that faculty were satisfied with their profession.
Findings align with:

job satisfaction research where emotions are seen as aids to organizational change responses (Owoseni, 2015) that help maintain workplace commitment (Owen et al., 2018).
research on community college faculty responsibilities where emotional labor has been identified as a normalized expectation. “Community colleges rely upon faculty members’ emotions to compensate for insufficient public investments” (Gonzales & Ayers, 2018, p. 458).

The benefits of the positive emotions expressed by study participants have fortified faculty members’ commitment to their profession and college even amidst the disruptive costs of the Drive to 55 initiatives.
“The personal satisfaction of this job far outweighs anything I’ve ever felt as far as a negative” (Participant 2).

Theme 1: Faculty expressed experiences of social exchanges related to job satisfaction with teaching in emotionally positive ways.

All faculty participants responded to the semi-structured open-ended interview questions with answers that included positive emotional terms such as “enjoy,” “like,” “fun,” “rewarding,” and “love.”

Faculty and administrators expressed that faculty were satisfied with their profession.

Participant 2 even declared, “the personal satisfaction of this job far outweighs anything I’ve ever felt as far as a negative.”

The findings of the current study support recent research on emotion and job satisfaction. Within job satisfaction research, emotions are viewed as more than workplace distractions; rather they aid individuals in responding to changes in the organizational environment (Owoseni, 2015) and in maintaining organizational commitment (Owen et al., 2018).

Findings from the current study are also in alignment with contemporary research on community college faculty responsibilities and expectations of emotional labor. Within today’s work of community college faculty, teaching is often identified as not only the primary responsibility (Martinez, 2019), but also the most fulfilling aspect of the job (Cohen et al., 2013).

this kind of output of emotional labor from community college full-time faculty has recently been identified as a normalized expectation in the United States, almost to the point of being required, according to Gonzales and Ayers (2018). These researchers assert that in the current economy, “community colleges rely upon faculty members’ emotions to compensate for insufficient public investments” (Gonzales & Ayers, 2018, p. 458).

By all observations, though, the benefits of the positive emotions expressed by the study participants have served to fortify faculty members’ commitment to their profession and position at the selected Middle Tennessee community college even amidst the somewhat disruptive costs of the implementation of Drive to 55 collegiate completion initiatives.

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Research Question 2, Theme 2

Faculty experienced decreased job satisfaction without a respected voice and support from administrators amidst organizational changes.

Enrollments and student support needs swelled, increasing the need for effective faculty/administrator communication, cooperative shared governance, and consistent administrative support.
Every participant expressed uncertainty, a lack of voice, and a lack of administrative support when lobbying for more resources and staff support, additional faculty positions, and class caps. Responses included “concern,” “frustration,” and “fear.”
Documentary evidence cited efforts to improve administrator/faculty communication.
Participants doubted system administrators gave any consideration to how faculty might be affected.
Like Ford (2005) warned, a focus on the content of the change equated to a focus on student enrollment and success rather than on faculty costs like added requirements, increased expectations, and lived experience.
“Other things and other focuses have taken priority over who faculty is” (Participant 5).

revealed by both participant responses and documentary evidence

Theme 2: Faculty experienced decreased job satisfaction without a respected voice and support from administrators amidst organizational changes.

Within Theme 2, the topic of administrative support engendered the strongest response.

Ford (2005) warned that when implementing change in higher education, change agents and administrators need to keep in mind that relationships and people critical to the success of the implemented change often go unseen or ignored due to a focused approach on the content of the change. In the instance of the selected case, a focus on the content of the change equated to a focus on student enrollment and student success rather than on the costs incurred by faculty in regard to added requirements, increased expectations, and lived experience.

Both faculty and administrator participants in the current study expressed concern with the lack of communication from the TBR System and institutional administrators alike, as if the faculty were not included as a part of the change implementation conversation

Participant 2 said, “I don’t always feel that we are heard.” Participant 5 expressed belief that “Other things and other focuses have taken priority over who faculty is.”

Documentary evidence supported these sentiments with mentions of alterations to governance structure that might improve communication between administrators and faculty members, as well as provide more opportunity for faculty voices to be heard. Similarly, participants conveyed doubts that change agents gave any consideration during the planning stages of the implementation process to how faculty might be affected.

Overall, faculty participants expressed belief that the situations created by the organizational changes and the new needs experienced as a result of the change implementation were not seen or heard state or institutional administrators.

every participant offered concerns regarding the lack of voice and administrative support, as well as the cost of uncertainty created by that deficit.

This lack of agency experienced by faculty at the selected Middle Tennessee community college amidst the change implementation was felt in several areas of faculty work life including lobbying for increased resources and staff support, requesting additional faculty positions, having a say over class sizes/caps, and making committee recommendations.

increased enrollments and subsequent student support needs swelled classrooms and presented new challenges such as the need for more effective faculty/administrator communication, more cooperative shared governance, and more consistent administrative support. Emotional descriptions of social exchange experiences were also generated within this discussion but were less positive and included words such as “concern,” “frustration,” and “fear.”

faculty participants expressed disappointment that the professional needs of the professoriate were not also addressed during preparation or implementation of the organizational changes.

A need for support staff was voiced by several faculty respondents. Resource allocation and a need for more faculty were repeated concerns voiced by many of the study respondents.

current full-time general education faculty members feel over-burdened carrying the weight of the load of increased enrollment brought about by the Drive to 55 collegiate completion initiatives without the addition of support staff and instructors.

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Research Question 3, Theme 3

Morphing responsibilities decreased faculty’s experience of job satisfaction.

Participants expressed frustration about increasing responsibilities creating negative aspects within faculty/administrator social exchanges.
Faculty had very little control over three alterations in responsibilities: larger class sizes, teaching overloads, and more students to advise.
Faculty had a required 5/5 teaching load with frequent course overloads and student advising for which they did not feel adequately trained.
Like Kleim and Takeda-Tinker (2009) warned, the increasing responsibilities created more perceived costs and reduced autonomy, as well as prompted faculty burnout and attrition.
Increased enrollment paired with a loss of instructors created a burden for the remaining full-time faculty.
All of a sudden it was like, ‘We’re gonna do this initiative, but no one is going to get raises out of it and we’re gonna have higher expectations of you’,’’ (Participant 9).

Theme 3: Morphing responsibilities decreased faculty’s experience of job satisfaction.

revealed through notes from documentary evidence as well as by interview responses from both faculty and administrators

participants expressed frustration and concern that in addition to a lack of resources, support staff, and new faculty positions, responsibilities for full-time general education faculty continued to increase as the initiative implementation progressed and enrollment increased, leading to additional negative aspects within the social exchanges among and between faculty and administrators in addition to prompting some faculty attrition.

Participant 11 summed up the overriding sentiment of respondents, “The workload can be overwhelming because of our enrollment numbers.”

Faculty burnout

three primary alterations in the faculty work responsibilities over which the professoriate had little control arose as a result of the free-tuition TN Promise and TN Reconnect scholarship implementation. These three alterations were larger class sizes, teaching overloads, and more students to advise.

classes were fuller than expected due to the administrative additions of students to full courses without faculty approval. Document AD2. At that time, a Course Cap Policy Proposal was passed

Not only did increased enrollment affect class sizes, it also affected the number of classes taught each semester, creating a challenge for administrators assigning faculty schedules. As Participant 4 noted, “Staffing issues make heavy workloads.” the increased enrollment paired with the loss of instructors created a burden for the remaining full-time faculty.

. In addition to the required 5/5 teaching load and frequent course overloads, full-time general education faculty members at the selected Middle Tennessee community college must also advise students. With the fall 2015 implementation of the Drive to 55 collegiate completion initiatives, the number of students for faculty to advise rose significantly. faculty could use further support and training for the compulsory advising of these new student populations.

The lack of autonomy experienced by community college faculty members with regard to work performed, students taught, and courses offered has been a topic of academic discussion and research for more than 30 years (Kim et al., 2008).

when faculty experience increasing pressures from outside sources in addition to growing administrative duties, then autonomy declines, and faculty members’ professional identities can be negatively affected (Levin et al., 2006) sometimes to the point that, particularly in public two-year colleges, the dissatisfied faculty members decide to quit (Kleim and Takeda-Tinker, 2009).

faculty at the selected institution experienced increasing responsibilities as initiative implementation progressed and enrollment increased. These additional responsibilities created more perceived costs for faculty and prompted some faculty attrition. “All of a sudden it was like, ‘We’re gonna do this initiative, but no one is going to get raises out of it and we’re gonna have higher expectations of you,’’ shared Participant 9.

Ultimately, the faculty members at the selected community college enjoyed autonomy in many areas but had very little control over three primary alterations in work responsibilities that resulted from the implementation of free-tuition TN Promise and TN Reconnect scholarship programs: larger class sizes, teaching overloads, and more students to advise.

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Research Question 3, Theme 4

Changing classroom dynamics decreased faculty’s job satisfaction.

Since 60%+ of incoming first-time freshmen require some form of remediation (Tingle, 2019), faculty expressed concern for attending to the needs of the variety of students.
More courses were offered online, via ITV, or as hybrids which increased both faculty workload and concern for student success since many students are not computer savvy
Participants repeatedly referred to students as “needy” or “needier,” or “in a different place than where they used to be,” saying that the required “handholding” takes a great deal of energy, does not help students in the long run, and takes a negative toll on faculty.
Faculty experienced a change in the level of respect received from students, especially with the incoming adult non-traditional students who viewed themselves as equals.
Faculty have noticed a decrease in student motivation for learning with free tuition and no money for textbooks.
“The challenge with many TN Promise students is that they are here just because Mommy and Daddy said, ‘You’re going’,” (Participant 1).

Theme 4: Changing classroom dynamics decreased faculty’s experience of job satisfaction.

revealed by interview responses from both faculty and administrators.

The uncertainties created for faculty by the Drive to 55 collegiate completion initiative implementation went beyond a lack of resources and support, increased class sizes, larger advising loads, and course overloads to additionally include changing classroom dynamics, specifically morphing classroom composition, course delivery, and student behavior. Not only did faculty at the selected Middle Tennessee community college experience a large influx of students, but those students first flooded in as recent high school grads in Fall 2015, then as adults coming back to school in Fall 2018. Many of the new students in both groups did not have the academic or financial preparation and study habits traditionally expected of collegiate enrollees, and most had work and family responsibilities that took precedence over personal educational attainment. Thus, classroom dynamics regarding student preparation and motivation underwent significant and sometimes surprising changes for faculty twice during the first four years of the Drive to 55 initiatives, negatively impacting faculty job satisfaction.

Just over 60% of incoming first-time freshmen in Tennessee community colleges now require some form of remediation (Tingle, 2019). These demographics left faculty concerned for adequately attending to the needs of everyone in the class, especially the middle-ground students who may not receive adequate engagement. Additionally, the increased enrollment required more courses to be offered online, via ITV, or as hybrid courses which increased both faculty workload and faculty concern for student success since many students are not computer savvy

. Participants repeatedly referred to current students as “needy” or “needier,” or “in a different place than where they used to be.” “handholding” or “being a crutch” takes a great deal of energy, does not help students in the long run, and takes a negative toll on faculty due to the increase in energy needed to provide support to the less-prepared students. Similarly, faculty experienced a change in the level of respect received from students, especially with the incoming adult non-traditional students. Participant 2 faced power struggles in the classroom

faculty at the selected institution are still in the process of finding that fine line between enabling and supporting this new population of students

In addition to increased student need, faculty at the selected institution also experienced a decrease in student motivation for learning. Therefore, the lack of student motivation in the classroom brought on by the organizational change initiatives negatively affected faculty job satisfaction by increasing faculty workload and concern for the student plight as well as by decreasing faculty motivation in the classroom.

60% of students needing some form of remediation, challenging faculty in the classroom.

many students are also not financially prepared. No textbooks

TN Promise students is that they are here just because Mommy and Daddy said, ‘You’re going,’” related Participant 1.

The increased enrollment necessitated offering more courses online and via ITV or in a hybrid modality which affected the faculty workload and increased faculty concern for student success.

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Research Question 4, Theme 5

Faculty expressed that job satisfaction could be improved by the addition of adequate compensation or acknowledgement for consistent workplace contributions over small-scale recognition and limited competitive awards.

Participants expressed desire for increased compensation and recognition for the additional responsibilities. Responses included concerns about the personal costs of inadequate pay and a lack of recognition for doing the job well.
Faculty responses included a want for improved and increased official recognition and acknowledgement of day-to-day contributions.
Findings aligned with research that showed faculty do not always need monetary awards, but job satisfaction can increase by improving morale with tangible expressions of gratitude (Stegen & Wankier, 2018).
“Since the Drive to 55, we are sometimes overworked and less appreciated” (Participant 3).

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Research Question 5, Theme 6

Increased workplace responsibilities and reduced time available for collegial conversation decreased faculty job satisfaction.

Alterations to faculty work resulted in a lack of time available for thoughtful conversations with colleagues outside of meetings and has reduced faculty job satisfaction.
Faculty experienced social costs related to reduced engagement with colleagues.
Findings supported research stating pressing time demands and increasing responsibilities often limit opportunities for faculty to engage in informal conversations (Kezar, Chambers, & Burkhardt, 2005), and that open faculty/administrator communication during organizational change is essential to faculty job satisfaction (Dee, 2002).
Increased student interaction outside of office hours and class time has proved challenging.
“I have very little time available for thoughtful conversations with faculty members” (Administrator 1).

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Significance of the Study

The findings of the study advance the literature about organizational change and faculty job satisfaction in three ways:

provide a more detailed analysis of social exchange experiences of full-time community college general education faculty members amidst systemwide organizational change than has been presented previously

highlight the importance of social exchanges among administrators, faculty, and students to faculty job satisfaction

propose a new social exchange framework for faculty job satisfaction amidst organizational change

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Implications of Study Results

Results of the current qualitative instrumental case study may:

Add a community college perspective to the literature on faculty job satisfaction and collegiate completion initiatives as a type of organizational change

Broaden understanding about faculty job satisfaction and organizational change in higher education

Prompt institutional considerations of changes in infrastructure, human resource processes, institutional communication, and faculty professional development opportunities to ameliorate factors that reduce faculty job satisfaction

Facilitate more effective success in future system-wide organizational change implementation

Benefit scholars, as well as institutional administrators who craft communications to faculty regarding change initiatives

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Recommendations to Practitioners

Recommendations for practitioners based on the findings of the current study include four primary suggestions:

Regarding improving administrative trustworthiness

effectively share expectations and information regarding change processes
provide faculty with a voice in decision-making
find ways to improve faculty supports

Regarding improving faculty autonomy

actively listen to faculty about the additional burdens placed upon them
provide faculty with some sense of control over the changes

Regarding improving faculty recognition

implement habits of gratitude or a faculty recognition system which cultivates a culture of appreciation

Regarding improving campus collegiality

make a concerted effort to develop and cultivate meaningful and fulfilling relationships throughout the organization

, administrators and change agents can benefit from a better understanding of how building trust in administrators, supporting faculty autonomy, recognizing important faculty work accomplishments, and fostering collegial relationships within departments and across the institution relate to faculty job satisfaction when seeking to improve organizational change initiative success. Specifically, the study of how faculty experience job-satisfaction-related social exchanges in the context of systemwide organizational change may benefit change agents and institutional administrators as they craft communications to faculty regarding change initiatives and engage in interactions during the change processes.

Recommendations for practitioners based on the findings of the current study include three primary suggestions:

Regarding improving administrative trustworthiness, if administrators effectively share expectations and information regarding change processes, provide faculty with a voice in decision-making especially in regards to items like class caps, and find ways to improve faculty supports including additional instructors and office workers to share the increased work load, administrators will appear more trustworthy to faculty and more satisfactory work conditions will be created.

Regarding improving faculty autonomy, if administrators will actively listen to faculty about the additional burdens placed upon them throughout the change implementation process, such as swelling class sizes, increased course loads, and required advising responsibilities, and provide faculty with some sense of control over the changes or partnership in creating solutions, faculty will be less likely to disengage from the change process and leave their positions or the institution.

Regarding improving faculty recognition, an easy and cost-effective way administrators and change agents can work to improve job satisfaction and increase faculty retention rates is to implement habits of gratitude or a faculty recognition system which cultivates a culture of appreciation rather than competition, letting faculty members know that administrators care, and that job-related contributions and accomplishments will be recognized and supported (Stegen & Wankier, 2018).

Regarding improving campus collegiality, faculty job satisfaction is increased when administrators make a concerted effort to develop and cultivate meaningful and fulfilling relationships throughout the organization, promoting and providing tools to manage workplace stress, and meeting faculty where they are.

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Potential Study Limitations

Researcher-Related Limitations

Employment and relationship bias related to participant responses, as well as data collection, data analysis, interpretation, and presentation to readers (Simons, 2009).
Inexperience with data collection, interviewing, and data analysis using qualitative instrumental case study procedures and techniques and NVivo 12 analysis software

Study-Related Limitations

Results may not generalize to faculty within other higher education contexts.
A lack of voluntary participation or participant openness could have skewed results.
A small sample size may not have provided sufficient data about the phenomenon studied.
Input from non-general education faculty and administrators or adjunct faculty was not included.
Participant inaccurate recall and inadequate articulation may have skewed data collection and processing (Yin, 1984).
Distortion of time-based reality may mean the data revealed may no longer accurately represent the present (Simons, 2009).

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Recommendations for Future Research

Replications of the current study at institutions within community college systems undergoing extensive change to gain a more complete picture of faculty satisfaction

Quantitative studies to investigate whether different facets of social exchange have distinct effects on job satisfaction

A national survey of community colleges offering free-tuition Promise scholarships focused on faculty experience, job satisfaction, implications for faculty work, and faculty expectations, addressing issues related to faculty intent to leave and morale which both surfaced in this study

Explorations of the ways faculty are fulfilling new expectations

Investigation of how and to what extent the implementation of free-tuition collegiate completion initiatives has influenced faculty-student interactions at the community college

Since faculty job satisfaction is a crucial element of successful, sustainable systemwide organizational change in higher education, a clearer understanding of how faculty members experience social exchanges that support job satisfaction during organizational change processes may improve administrative understanding of successful change management. Thus, the researcher suggests:

conducting replications of the current study at institutions within any community college system undergoing extensive change to get a more complete picture of faculty satisfaction.

Further research is also needed to determine whether different facets of social exchange have distinct effects on job satisfaction and might best be accomplished using quantitative methods.

Future studies should aim to explore faculty job satisfaction within changing community college contexts. A national survey of community colleges offering free-tuition Promise scholarships focused on faculty experience, job satisfaction, and implications for faculty work would offer a larger view. In addition to inquiring into matters such as faculty work expectations and job satisfaction, the survey could focus on issues related to faculty intent to leave and morale which both surfaced in this study.

Future studies should also seek to explore the ways in which faculty are fulfilling new expectations. For example, although faculty are overloaded due to increased enrollments and lack of instructors and advisors, they work hard to communicate with students and reach them where they are both personally and academically.

Given that implications for faculty carry implications for students, future studies should work to understand the student experience of faculty within free-tuition community college contexts. For example, researchers may explore how and to what extent the implementation of free-tuition collegiate completion initiatives has influenced faculty-student interactions at the community college.

As more community colleges nationwide adopt Promise programs, it is essential that the academy gain a better understanding of the implications of this trend for faculty, especially since they directly influence student success. In sum, these studies will assist colleges in making informed decisions on a growing trend that is likely to persist.

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Disseminating Research Results

Share with my colleagues, Vice Chancellors, and Executive Vice Chancellor at TBR

Present the findings of the study at a national conference such as The POD Network convening in November

Construct and publish a scholarly article based on the study in one of the four primary journals of higher education

Higher Education
Journal of Higher Education
Studies in Higher Education
Review of Higher Education

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References

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