A California community college district planning committee's perceptions of the effects of the shared governance approach on the strategic planning process

This is a qualitative case study that investigates the attitudes and perceptions of members of a community college district's strategic planning committee and the how the shared governance approach may have impacted its planning process. The findings reveal that the lack of mutual agreement on definitions and processes impacted the amount of time it took the committee to complete its strategic plan. The Central Valley Community College District began the process of developing a strategic plan in February 2004. The district's Strategic Planning Working Group encountered a series of problems that effected a timely completion of that plan. The group had problems developing a form of consensus that would assist in making decisions. It took the working group 2.5 years to complete the process. Since the Working Group was made up of representatives from three different campuses and several education centers there were differing opinions and approaches relative to the California Legislature's 1988 Assembly Bill 1725 which mandated a shared approach to governance by all of the state's higher education institutions. Adding to the problems the committee faced were the differing campus cultures, the size of each organization, the student populations they served, and the varied groups each committee member represented. This study's research suggests that an umbrella approach or district-wide guidelines and parameters to the process of collaborative decision-making, for committees and task forces comprised of representatives from throughout the district, would have assisted in overcoming these factors.