DEPLOYING PERSONNEL IN THE DEAN’S OFFICE 53 If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading. —Lao Tzu Assessing the Potential for Change 4 A s dean, you may possess an intuitive sense that your college needs a change in structure, or that your college needs a change in procedures. This chap- ter suggests methods for assessing the need for re-organization within your college. This “environmental scan” covers work assignments within the dean’s office, policies and practices in place, policies and procedures not in place, and how quickly a change might take place. Deans are free to make decisions about how to organize at least some aspects of their college’s administration. Of course, you have to live with the consequences of your choices. And faculty are usually quick to point out they can outlast any decision made by any administrator. After working through this chapter, you should have a qualitative data framework for making a more informed decision about the need for organizational change. You need to consider if the college is poised for an organiza- tional change, or if an alternative to reorganize might better address the challenges facing the college. Testing Your Assumptions About the Need for Change As you begin to explore changing aspects of the dean’s office, you should examine certain assumptions you may hold to ensure you are considering change for the right reasons. For example, problems with administration in a college may be an artifact of the people working in the office, in which case staffing changes–although potentially pain- ful–would be in order. Your office has support staff and often support faculty serving in the roles of associate or assistant deans, but do you have the right people working in the office? Or, as Collins (2001) phrases it: Do you have the right people on the bus? A survey to department heads, faculty and staff can be revealing about how the dean’s office staff members interact with units. Such surveys should be regularly