Conflicting Goals In A Higher Education Environment

Abstract

Marie O’Shutt is the MBA Director, a mid-level management position, at an institution of higher education (a university). She inherited Amy, an underachieving administrative assistant (AA) when she was asked to take the MBA position. Marie has concerns related to ethics and integrity surrounding some of Amy’s actions, including recording hours worked that cannot be substantiated. Marie’s goal is to employ a productive AA in order to operate an efficient and effective MBA program. Amy strongly desires to retain in the position of MBA AA and to maintain the status quo of reporting hours worked at hours when the university was not open and which cannot be substantiated. Upper level management at the university; i.e., the Dean of Business and the Director of Human Resources, has a goal of wanting to avoid having Amy sue. Members of management in this institution of higher education appear to have conflicting goals and are not seeking goal congruence, and the issues involve integrity, ethics, and legal matters.