When Jeffrey Yergler became chair of the undergraduate management department at Golden Gate University, one of his priorities was to establish a values-driven department that emphasized improving faculty members’ well-being, performance, and sense of community within the management discipline. In this model, policies, procedures, and protocols play an important but lesser role as the driver of the department because, as Yergler has found through his consulting work with a variety of organizations, focusing solely on process, structure, and deliverables without addressing relationships, value, and support, “can create a certain level of acrimony, distrust, and disharmony.”
How Leaders Shape, Signal, and Build Cultures: A Discussion Guide for Academic Leaders and Their Teams
Among the many desired traits most prized in academic leadership, the ability to shape (or reshape) institutional culture is sometimes overlooked in favor of fiscal acumen, the ability to drive
Lisa Jasinski
May 4, 2026