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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
During the pandemic, the Committee wanted to do more frequent surveys and ask questions specifically related to the pandemic to the MICA community. This precluded using the Great Colleges Survey and made the committee realize that we needed to expand focus into making our own pulse survey. In the process of creating and ratifying the charter, the group decided to name itself the Workplace Experience Research Committee to clearly state our function (as well as the fun nickname--WERC).
In March 2019, the Great Colleges to Work For Survey was administered to MICA’s faculty and staff. MICA realized that in order to create and maintain an environment that attracts and retains world-class faculty and staff, that they should gather perspectives on individual's work experiences to help understand what currently works and what needs to be improved.
The anonymous survey gave people an opportunity to register their true opinion about the current workplace climate at MICA with questions related to communication, job satisfaction, accountability, and more. The survey closely aligned with MICA's shared aspirations for building a workplace based in principles of equity, inclusion, and the voice and agency of all individuals within our community to participate in the direction we take as a College. The results would then be used to establish a starting point and baseline for our efforts in the coming years to improve along these key dimensions.
The goal is that, through sustained effort, MICA will address issues found by the survey and finally be able to be listed as a Great College to Work For.
MICA formed the Great Colleges Steering Committee (GCSC) in January 2020 to review and analyze the results from the Great Colleges Survey and provide recommendations for targeted areas of improvement.
GCSC’s charge:
1. Analyze survey results and gather additional information to identify challenges and opportunities for employee engagement
2. Establish 3-4 focused priority areas for action
3. Develop and present recommendations to the President's Council
As of 2021, all these objectives have been completed and the Great Colleges Steering Committee is working on two projects 1. Mapping Committees 2. Mapping Power Structures with members of President's Council to work through some gaps related to issues of transparency, accountability, and decision making.
The composition and work of the GCSC embodies a cross-divisional, One-MICA approach. The departments and offices represented by Steering Committee members include: Admissions, Advancement, Decker Library, Events, Graduate Studies/Enrollment Services, Graphic Design, Human Resources, Open Studies, Strategic Communications, Strategic Initiatives, Student Affairs, and Technology.
Based on the survey results, institutional pride was very strong, as reflected in ways such as the strong connection employees perceived between their respective jobs and the college’s mission. Employees were appreciative of the organization’s culture and the ways that MICA community members come together to ensure the success of various programs. The relational nature of the college's culture and environment (i.e. the organizational culture places emphasis on people) came through as part of its strengths and weaknesses.
Specific areas for improvement include: resources for classrooms, facilities, fair pay, professional development, and performance management. With a strong emphasis on people, it is perhaps predictable that the college would have low emphasis on process. The challenge to the committee is to help the college strike a balance between these two important areas of organizational culture.
The original, pre-pandemic goals for future survey results include: improving the overall average positive responses from the current 53% to 68% by spring 2022; and achieving honor roll by the centenary year of spring 2026. In addition, the college aims at reducing the current average negative responses from 20% to below 15% by spring 2022.
The path forward involves multi-pronged approaches, of which the establishment of the WERC is one example. Another would be the creation of an action plan team to help implement findings from the steering committee. Other strategies already underway include:
Implementing a performance management system
Leadership development training
Staff compensation study
Shared governance with faculty and staff
Expanding the human resources department and moving the area directly under the President
While the original Great Colleges data was not available, even to the Committee itself, pulse surveys since then have been made as accessible to the MICA community as possible. The Committee did not display information that would identify individuals.
The committee identified three themes after a review of survey data, focus group feedback, anecdotal feedback, and GCSC discussions. These themes are all underscored by:
1) the opportunity for institutional culture to be improved through consistent, transparent, and reliable organization and communication systems
2) fostering stronger connections between the colleges' staff, faculty, students and its senior leadership
3) a clear and ongoing commitment from senior leadership to implement change
Communication
Great Colleges average score under Communication was 49% positive
Communication was identified as a challenge in the themes from the focus group feedback
Accountability
HUB on Communication - Many tasks were not followed through with as noted by lack of updates in documents online.
I can make a complaint to management without having to worry about harming my career- 41% average
Limited confidence in the outcomes of the Great Colleges survey - theme from focus group feedback
Decision Making Processes
Great Colleges average score under Senior Leadership was 51%, while the Office of the President/Strategic Initiatives had an average of 97%.
All other departments had an average of less than 60%. Great Colleges average score under fairness was 43%.
Marked difference in decision-making processes at the senior leadership (i.e. President’s Council) level and operational (i.e. director and below) level.
As transparency and accountability are major issues impacting MICA staff and faculty, developing tools, processes, and procedures will help increase positive and useful communication at MICA.
To this end the committee is working on the following:
1. As the steering committee, be a model for Committee/HUB/Working Group communications, accountability, and transparency.
2. Develop tools like templates, scorecards, and more to help other groups provide the same level of accountability and transparency.