The Application of Family Systems Theory to an Organization: The Case Study of a Precollege Program

Abstract

This case study explores the influence of rational thought and emotional reactivity on the personnel problems of a precollege program. Located within a small, private college in the midwest, this program is funded by the federal Department of Education and is charged with providing academic and personal support to low income, first generation college bound students. This support is provided in the form of academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, cultural events, classroom instruction, and personal counseling. The precollege program under study had experienced personnel problems in the form of group and individual grievances against the Director. The staff of the program consisted of three administrators, the Director, Academic Coordinator, and Counseling Coordinator, as well as two assistants, the Program Assistant and Administrative Assistant. The study assessed the influence of rational thought and emotional reactivity on the staff members in their response to the personnel issues. Data collection about the precollege program was accomplished through structured interviews with the staff members, who were employed from May, 1992 through May, 1993. The interview schedule was a combination of open ended and Likert scale rating questions. The interview questions were based on a review of the literature related to the concepts of self differentiation and the role of anxiety in educational organizations. Data analysis of the interview responses was accomplished through thematic analysis. The sensitizing concepts for the analysis were covert subsystems, self differentiation within the system, and the influence of anxiety. Analysis of the data supports the influence of rational thought on the precollege staff. The influence of rational thought is indicated by the participants' knowledge of the mission of the program and integration of the mission into their daily work. The participants reported the use of objective criteria in decision making, such as program policy, college institutional policy, and theories from within their academic disciplines. Analysis of the data also confirms the influence of emotional reactivity on the personnel problems. The presence of emotional reactivity was supported by the development and maintenance of a covert subsystem within the staff that separated the staff from the Director. The use of subjective data, in decision making also establishes the presence of emotional reactivity in the staff. In conclusion, rational thought influenced the precollege staff in their accomplishment of the program's goals, and emotional reactivity influenced the precollege staff to create and maintain a covert subsystem.