Transforming Higher Education: How Texas A&M University advances organizational effectiveness to drive better performance and student success
As part of its continuous improvement process, Texas A&M University’s goal is to strategically identify changes that can restructure and transform TAMU innovatively to further increase its organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency of operations to drive student satisfaction and success.
The leadership team of Texas A&M University (TAMU) engaged MGT Education and Martin+Crumpton Group (M+CG) to conduct a high-level, comprehensive review of major functional areas at TAMU. This comprehensive assessment focused on the organizational structure of central offices at the executive level and administrative units at the college level.
It was imperative to understand the critical issues facing the university and recommend changes to position the university for continued success in the future. Over three months, the MGT and M+CG team conducted more than 60 in-depth interviews with key university leaders, 21,987 strategic surveys of university deans and vice presidents (58), faculty and staff (3,654), current and former students (18,275), and in-depth research to identify best practices and trends in higher education through a peer review of more than 20 leading universities.
Higher Education Solutions
Based on MGT’s analysis and processes for accelerating organizational effectiveness, the team provided a recommendations report, including the data and rationale supporting the changes and anticipated outcomes. The main recommendations included:
1. Centralize services to maximize the talent and resources of information technology, finance, human resources, facilities, and marketing communications. The overarching goal is to improve consistency, efficiency, transparency, and accountability in process and technology to provide greater clarity and easier operations for students, faculty, and staff.
2. Strengthen operational data analytics and performance metrics to improve processes, procedures, and resources to effectively manage units, especially facilities and IT.
3. Coordinate branding, marketing, and communications initiatives to advance the university’s mission and support two-way communications with its key audiences and reduce inconsistencies and duplication of efforts.
4. Create consistent and proactive faculty and staff talent management, including succession planning, employee training, career development and recognition programs.
5. Align academic units strategically to strengthen university initiatives and elevate student success.
6. Create an Office of Academic and Strategic Collaboration to increase undergraduate recruitment, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and community engagement locally and statewide through performing arts, cultural, and hospitality centers.
A Roadmap Leads to Results
MGT provided multiple pathways to achieve TAMU’s goal of being a globally recognized, top-tier educational institution. As part of its continuous assessment and improvement process, TAMU’s leadership team is executing on MGT’s organizational effectiveness plan to further increase collaboration, consistency, transparency, efficiencies, growth, and educational opportunities to improve the experiences of current and former students, faculty, staff, and statewide constituents and stakeholders for years to come.
MGT continues to work with TAMU in support of these innovative initiatives to transform higher education and impact the local and regional community — for good.
