The Dynamic Development Of Academic Organizations: A History Of A University Departments Structure Change

Schools and Departments are basic elements of the university, which undertake teaching and university management and other tasks. School and Departments are playing an important and constructive role in the university's development. To research the Schools and Departments structure changing and to analysis the core rules leads vital significant and effects for university.In this study, the theoretical basis is new institutionalism, combined with organizational change theory contents, relying on the Tongji University as a case to study. The schools of Tongji University were carried out a detailed development process of carding from 1907 to 2009. Structural transformation of the main ideas is to be "Event History" as the node, the structural changes of Tongji University faculties are divided into three stages. These three phases are:The first stage:The inception of 1907 to the 20th century 50 years of reform in higher education; the second stage:the first departments adjust to the 20th century after 90 years of combined departments; the third stage:After the merger of the Departments phase structure changes. Departments of the three stages through the process of structural changes to sort out, the structure of different departments during the changing characteristics of the analysis, combined with new institutionalism and organizational change theory for the contents of each stage of transforming the general characteristics. The study found that the changes of the clues are:Changes in structure of departments on the university's control with government have a direct relationship. At the beginning of organization founded, it was less subjected to government control, so the development of the autonomy of the university was strong. The new departments needs of the community-oriented. After government intervention in the management of universities in order to reform in higher education, for example, university departments development but will be restricted. University of reducing government control again after the development abilities of university departments but will further strengthenThrough the process of departments, we found out departments structure constructed theoretical model of the three changes:a mandatory change models and inductive, middle-diffusion model and the interactive cooperative change model. These three models can fully explain the departments change process, which changes with the mandatory main Induced Changes before the reform,and when into the open up times, structural change became to department diffusion and interaction among changes in the main cooperative.Through model analysis, structural changes can be drawn from affected departments are two main factors:external factors and internal factors, these two factors interact, and jointly promote the development of the structure of university departments. On this basis, the university departments in the future development are trend of two aspects:First, the trend is more and more integrated; the other of trend is increasing differentiation. These two trends are caused by the development of university autonomy, it does not mean that the government wishes.