Interaction Facilitation and Task Facilitation need optimization in higher education institutions

Abstract

Purpose

Facilitation and Task Facilitation are important components of healthy supervisory/managerial relationships among higher education professionals. Juniors are guided by superiors who play a supervisory/managerial role in professional development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Interaction Facilitation and Task Facilitation on supervisory/managerial relationships among higher education professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

The Human Synergistics International Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® was used to survey faculty and administrators at public and private higher education institutions. The authors analyze Interaction Facilitation and Task Facilitation, which focuses on people-oriented and task-oriented skills, respectively.

Findings

The authors demonstrated the negativity of current organizational cultures on organizational effectiveness measures in higher education institutions. The authors analyze Interaction Facilitation and Task Facilitation, which focuses on people-oriented and task-oriented skills, respectively. Results revealed average scores for both measures fell undesirably below the Historical Averages and Constructive Benchmarks in private and public not-for-profits, private for-profits, faculty, administrators, males and females.

Practical implications

To increase follower satisfaction and improve task and contextual performance in higher education institutions, the authors recommend defining the leader’s influence within supervisory/managerial relationships, increasing flexibility in contextual/situational factors, clarifying the role of supervisors, aligning individual and organizational goals in millennials, and maintaining collegiality.

Social implications

The findings suggest that organizational effectiveness in higher education institutions may benefit from thoughtful revision of leadership strategies, better alignment of individual with organizational goals, and continuous cultivation of constructive organizational cultures.

Originality/value

This study has identified the need to ameliorate the practice of Interactive Facilitation and Task Facilitation styles in higher education institutions. Ineffective supervisory/management styles in higher education have a negative impact on the organization cultures reducing the practice of constructive work behaviors.

Citation

Daly, E., Mohammed, D., Boglarsky, C., Blessinger, P. and Zeine, R. (2020), "Interaction Facilitation and Task Facilitation need optimization in higher education institutions", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 403-412. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-04-2018-0062