Abstract
This case presents a scenario that challenges a new dean’s understanding of the power and limits of vertical hierarchies and the crucial role of informal organizations. It also demonstrates the difference between authority and power. What is critical to keep in mind is that the formal rights are only a necessary but not sufficient basis for making decisions that can be implemented and that such rights are meaningless if you do not get the support of the informal organization. The case is complicated by the fact that the new dean has to act quickly, before he has had an opportunity to earn his authority.
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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
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Houpt, J.L., Gilkey, R.W., Ehringhaus, S.H. (2015). Strategic Planning/Outside Consultants: Power and Authority, Vertical Hierarchies, and the Informal Organization. In: Learning to Lead in the Academic Medical Center. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21260-9_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21260-9_25
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21259-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21260-9
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