Who Wants to be an Accidental Arts Administrator? The Trough of Change!
This session will explore the situation of an “accidental administrator” and the sometimes opposing expectations of the faculty and the Dean that result from being an external rather than internal hire. The presentation will focus on Virginia Satir’s Change Model as a means to determine how well faculty are coping with the “trough of change” – expressed as a diagram on paper and re-drawn as change progresses. It’s a model based on resistance, chaos and integration flow to establish a new status quo. The presentation will further examine resilience, faltering and futility in the role of administrator and reveal how different groups can build operating strategies to gain fresh perspectives on department and school governance. Strategies for inclusion and persuasion will also be explored. The feeling of being “accidental” can cause wobbly moments in an administrator’s life. The session will offer the trough of change as a drawing-based strategy to plot a steady course.