An Examination of Organization Learning and Data Driven Decision Making within Two University Enrollment Management Programs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.84.10003Keywords:
higher education, enrollment management, organizational learning, and data driven decision makingAbstract
This paper investigated the declining number of students in higher education institutions, and the effective strategies universities can use to recruit students who will graduate. From this research, it appeared that data-driven decision-making can be an effective means to create a successful enrollment management office. Through a practice of data-driven decision-making, organizational learning can happen, which will allow an organization to maintain success and build a culture that sustains that success. Three key themes emerged from the research that will help to inform best practices for other colleges and universities to implement ideas from this research. The three themes are: an organization must have good, usable data; an organization should strive to create a culture of teamwork to sustain success, and an organization needs a successful enrollment leader.
References
Agarwal, R., & Helfat, C. E. (2009). Strategic renewal of organizations. Organization Science, 20(2), 281-293.
Argote, L., & Miron-Spektor, E. (2011). Organizational learning: From experience to knowledge. Organization science, 22(5), 1123-1137.
Attaran, M., Stark, J., & Stotler, D. (2018). Opportunities and challenges for big data analytics in US higher education: A conceptual model for implementation. Industry and Higher Education, 32(3), 169-182.
Baden-Fuller, C., & Volberda, H. W. (1997). Strategic renewal: How large complex organizations prepare for the future. International Studies of Management & Organization, 27(2), 95-120. 164
Berry, L. L. (1995). Relationship marketing of services—growing interest, emerging perspectives. Journal of the Academy of marketing science, 23(4), 236-245.
Bontrager, B. (2004). Strategic enrollment management: Core strategies and best practices. College and University, 79(4), 9.
Bowen, W. G., Bok, D., & Burkhart, G. (1998). A report card on diversity: lessons for business from higher education. Harvard Business Review, 77(1), 138-149.
Cangelosi, V. E., & Dill, W. R. (1965). Organizational learning: Observations toward a theory. Administrative Sciences Quarterly, 175-203.
Chapman, R. L., Kennedy, J. L., Newell, A., & Biel, W. C. (1959). The systems research laboratory's air defense experiments. Management Science, 5(3), 250-269.
Chiva, R. (2017). The learning organization and the level of consciousness. The Learning Organization, 24(3).
Cook, S. D., & Yanow, D. (1993). Culture and organizational learning. Journal of Management Inquiry, 2(4), 373-390.
Cox, B. E., Reason, R. D., Tobolowsky, B. F., Brower, R. L., Patterson, S., Luczyk, S., & Roberts, K. (2017). Lip service or actionable insights? Linking student experiences to institutional assesment and data-driven decision making in higher education. The Journal of Higher Education, 88(6), 835-862.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Crossan, M. M., & Berdrow, I. (2003). Organizational learning and strategic renewal. Strategic Management Journal, 24(11), 1087-1105.
Cyert, R. M., & March, J. G. (1963). A behavioral theory of the firm. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
DesJardins, S. L. (2002). An analytic strategy to assist institutional recruitment and marketing efforts. Research in Higher Education, 43(5), 531-553.
DesJardins, S. L., Ahlburg, D. A., & McCall, B. P. (2006). An integrated model of application, admission, enrollment, and financial aid. The Journal of Higher Education, 77(3), 381-429.
DesJardins, S. L., Dundar, H., & Hendel, D. D. (1999). Modeling the college application decision process in a landgrant university. Economics of Education Review, 18(1), 117-132.
Dodgson, M. (1991). Technology learning, technology strategy and competitive pressures. British Journal of Management, 2(3), 133-149.
Drazin, R., Glynn, M. A., & Kazanijan, R. K. (1999). Multilevel theorizing about creativity in organizations: A sensemaking perspective. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 286-307.
Dutta, D. K., & Crossan, M. M. (2005). The nature of entrepreneurial opportunities: Understanding the process using the 4I organizational learning framework. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(4), 425-449.
Facts, T. Q. (2018). Quick Facts. Retrieved from Anonymous
Ford, W. G. (2011). Evaluating the effectiveness of college web sites for prospective students. Journal of College Admission, 212, 26-31.
Francis, D. E. (2014). Lean and the learning organization in higher education. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 157, 1-23.
Greene, J. P., & Forster, G. (2003). Public high school graduation and college readiness rates in the United States. Education Working Paper No. 3. Center for Civic Innovation.
Guinot, J., Chiva, R., & Mallén, F. (2016). Linking altruism and organizational learning capability: A study from excellent human resources management organizations in Spain. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(2), 349-364.
HACU. (2017). Hispanic Serving Institutions Defintions. Retrieved from https://www.hacu.net/hacu/HSI_Definition1.asp
Han, P. (2014). A literature review on college choice and marketing strategies for recruitment. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 43(2), 120-130.
Hancock, D. R., & Algozzine, B. (2015). Doing case study research: A practical guide for beginning researchers. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Hoppes, C. R., & Holley, K. A. (2014). Organizational trust in times of challenge: The impact on faculty and administrators. Innovative Higher Education, 39(3), 201-216.
Hora, M. T., Bouwma-Gearhart, J., & Park, H. J. (2017). Data driven decision-making in the era of accountability: Fostering faculty data cultures for learning. The Review of Higher Education, 40(3), 391-426.
Hossler, D., & Kalsbeek, D. (2013). Enrollment management and managing enrollments: Revisiting the context for institutional strategy. Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly, 1(1), 5-25.
Hotho, J. J., Lyles, M. A., & Easterby-Smith, M. (2015). The mutual impact of global strategy and organizational themes and future directions. Global Strategy Journal, 5, 85-112.
Hubbard, L., Datnow, A., & Pruyn, L. (2014). Multiple initiatives, multiple challenges: The promise and pitfalls of implementing data. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 42, 54-62.
Hult, G. T. M., Mena, J. A., Ferrell, O. C., & Ferrell, L. (2011). Stakeholder marketing: A definition and conceptual framework. AMS Review, 1(1), 44-65.
Hurst, D. K. (1995). Crisis & renewal: Harvard Business School Press Boston, MA.
Hussar, W. J., & Bailey, T. M. (2016). Projections of education statistics to 2023. NCES 2015-073. National Center for Education Statistics, 42, 1-157.
Hwang, Y.-S., & Choi, Y. K. (2019). Higher education service quality and student satisfaction, institutional image, and behavioral intention. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 47(2), 1-12.
Anonymous. (2018). Quick Facts. Retrieved from Anonymous
Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (2015). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research: Sage publications.
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2011). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Franciso, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Langley, A., Smallman, C., Tsoukas, H., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2013). Process studies of change in organization and management: Unveiling temporality, activity, and flow. Academy of Management Journal, 56(1), 1-13.
Lawrence, T. B., Mauws, M. K., Dyck, B., & Kleysen, R. F. (2005). The politics of organizational learning: Integrating power into the 4I framework. Academy of Management Review, 30(1), 180-191.
Levin, R. (2015). Strategic Alignment: Recruiting students in a highly decentralized environment. College and University, 91(1), 47-54.
Louis, K. S., Louis, K. S., Murphy, J., & Murphy, J. (2017). Trust, caring and organizational learning: the leader’s role. Journal of Educational Administration, 55(1), 103-126.
Lozano, R. (2014). Creativity and organizational learning as means to foster sustainability. Sustainability Development, 22(3), 205-216.
Mahr, D., Lievens, A., & Blazevic, V. (2014). The value of customer cocreated knowledge during the innovation process. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(3), 599-615.
Mandinach, E. B. (2012). A perfect time for data use: Using data-driven decision making to inform practice. Educational Psychologist, 47(2), 71-85.
March, J. G. (1991). Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organization Science, 2(1), 71-87.
Marsh, J. A., Pane, J. F., & Hamilton, L. S. (2006). Making sense of data-driven decision making in education. Rand Education, OP-170-EDU, 1-16.
Mattern, K. D., Shaw, E. J., & Kobrin, J. L. (2010). Academic fit: is the right school the best school or is the best school the right school? Journal of Advanced Academics, 21(3), 368-391. 166
Mena, J. A., & Chabowski, B. R. (2015). The role of organizational learning in stakeholder marketing. Journal of the Academy of marketing science, 43, 429-452.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Miller, N. B., & Bell, B. (2016). Analytics to action: Predictive model outcomes and a communication strategy for student persistence. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 64(1), 16-29.
Noruzy, A., Dalfard, V. M., Azhdari, B., Nazari-Shirkouhi, S., & Rezazadeh, A. (2013). Relations between transformational leadership, organizational learning, knowledge management, organizational innovation, and organizational performance: an empirical investigation of manufacturing firms. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 1-13.
Payne, A., & Frow, P. (2005). A strategic framework for customer relationship management. Journal of Marketing, 69(4), 167-176.
Picciano, A. G. (2012). The evolution of big data and learning analytics in american higher education. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(3), 9-20.
Poole, S. M., Levin, M. A., & Elam, K. (2017). Getting out of the rankings game: a better way to evaluate higher education institutions for best fit. Journal for Marketing in Higher Education, 1-20. doi:10.1080/08841241.2017.1311981
Popham, W. J. (1987). The merits of measurement-driven instruction. The Phi Delta Kappan, 68(9), 679-682.
Popham, W. J., Cruse, K. L., Rankin, S. C., Sandifer, P. D., & Williams, P. L. (1985). Measurement-driven instruction: It's on the road. The Phi Delta Kappan, 66(9), 628-634.
Price, L., & Kirkwood, A. (2014). Using technology for teaching and learning in higher education: A critical review of the role of evidence in informing practice. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(3), 549-564.
Reese, C., & Hunter, D. (2016). What about the middle man? The impact of middle level managers on organizational learning. Journal of Management, 4(1), 17-25.
Research, C. f. P. (2017). Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/definitions.php
Rutherford, A., & Rabovsky, T. (2014). Evaluating impacts of performance funding policies on student outcomes in higher education. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 655(1), 185-208.
Sailesh, S. B., Lu, K. J., & Al Aali, M. (2016). Context driven data mining to classify students of higher educational institutions. Adaptation Interaction, 21, 217-248.
Sav, T. G. (2016). Declining state funding and efficiency effects on public higher education: Government really does matter. International Atlantic Economic Society, 22, 397-408.
Schilling, M. A., & Fang, C. (2014). When hubs forget, lie, and play favorites: Interpersonal network structure, information distortion, and organizational learning. Strategic Management Journal, 35(7), 974-994.
Sutin, S. E. (2018). Reforming higher education from within: Lessons learned from other mature sectors of the economy. Global Trends in Higher Education Financing, International Journal of Educational Development, 58, 18-25.
Facts2. (2018). Undergraduate Admissions Office. Retrieved from Anonymous
Tucker, L., & McKnight, O. (2017). Assessing the validity of college success indicators for the at-risk student: toward developing a best-practice model. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. doi:1521025117696822
VanderSchee, B. A. (2009). Embracing enrollment management: A comprehensive approach to college student marketing. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 13(1).
Webber, D. A. (2016). Are college costs worth it? How ability, major, and debt affect the returns to schooling. Economics of Education Review, 53, 296-310.
Williams, J. (2016). A critical exploration of changing definitions of public good in relation to higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 41(4), 619-630.
Witteveen, D., & Attewell, P. (2017). The college completion puzzle: A hidden markov model approach. Research in Higher Education, 58(4), 449-467.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Barbara N Martin, J. D. Gragg
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
