Research Forum 2002

Matthew Hartley
Penn Graduate School of Education

Shadow Governance Structures:
The Promise and Peril of Task Forces During Times of Change

Shared governance has come under intense scrutiny over the past two decades. One strategy for expediting decision-making is the widespread use of task forces dedicated to advancing a change agenda. Indeed, a recent survey of 146 colleges and universities found that 55% had formed a change task force in the past five years. Based on qualitative research on organizational change at three liberal arts colleges, this paper describes the benefits of using such committees. They are not burdened with day-to-day operational issues and can focus exclusively on the change agenda. They provide a “change friendly” environment where new ideas can be incubated. By the time recommendations are brought forward, the committee functions as a powerful coalition. The committees are also flexible: They can be assembled, reassembled, and disbanded to suit the needs of the institution. Despite these prodigious benefits, do such arrangements enhance or abrogate shared governance? Are they “shadow” governments—the academic equivalent of the smoke-filled room where the real deals are made long before most faculty members have the opportunity to influence the debate? This paper describes the promise and peril of these governance structures and explicates the principals that determine when they constitute “good government” and when they do not.