Organisational norms of academic administration at a higher education institution

Abstract

This article sets out to investigate the organisational norms at a higher education institution as perceived by academic administrative staff members. To achieve the aim of this article, a literature study and empirical research were undertaken. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 88 staff members in the Academic Administration Department at a higher education institution. To investigate the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, nine hypotheses were tested. The results indicated significant relationships between some of these variables. Guidelines are provided as to which organisational norms are acceptable, which are not yet problematic but pose various challenges and which are problematic and need interventions. The guidelines could be useful in any organisational setting which requires new group formation or working relationships. A hypothesized model to investigate norms is also proposed.