ASSESSMENT OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
The organizational structure of the Office of Residence Life could be defined as Bureaucratic (Strange & Banning, 2015). Based on the organizational archetypes provided by the authors, Residence Life closely fits the bureaucratic archetype as the department focuses on aligning the goals of various units (such as the Office of Student Life or Residence Life-adjacent units, such as the Office of Student Conduct and Dining), equips a chain-of-command decision making process with top-down leadership, and the department operates by directives and mandates change to occur (Strange & Banning, 2015, p. 84). Furthermore, using Bolman and Deal's (2008) Four-Frame Model, the Office of Residence Life would most closely be associated with the structural frame, as its central concepts are governed by rules, policies, and roles and the department operates more as a factory or machine, rather than a family or a team.
Strange & Banning (2017) introduce eight distinct anatomy features of organized environments, including complexity, centralization, formalization, stratification, production, routinization, efficiency, and morale. In the following section, I will discuss how complexity, centralization, routinization, and morale relate to the Office of Residence Life.
COMPLEXITY
The Office of Residence Life demonstrates the complexity characteristic defined by Strange & Banning (2015) because within the department, there exists subunits and specialties that perform tasks based on knowledge, expertise, and degree of professionalization. For example, the division of supervision structures, center leadership teams, and the Residence Life Leadership Team all work to complete various tasks that are related to the overall mission and goals of the department, but which vary in complexity and knowledge application. Furthermore, RAs are expected to handle low-level CARE cases, but Assistant Coordinators and above are tasks with handling moderate and severe-level cases. Additionally, although the division of Residential Programs and Services has been dissolved, organization of tasks related to residence life still mirror the complex characteristic that Strange & Banning (2015) describe as multiple units, including housing assignments, facility operations, and dining were all under the same organizational structure. In my experience, this model and the complex characteristic of the Office of Residence Life has allowed me to have more autonomy over my work and has given me practical experience that I will use in the profession.
CENTRALIZATION
Although I see the Office of Residence Life demonstrating the centralized characteristic described by Strange & Banning (2015), the department centralizes authority, tasks, and projects in a way that does not always make sense. Prior to the dissolution of the division of Residential Programs and Services, there was much more centralized power in the department as the division was overseen by high-level executives and the Bloomington Provost, whom rarely are "on the ground" in residence centers. However, after the establishment of the Office of Residence Life, centralized power still exists within the Residence Life Leadership Team and through political pressures on the department from other units and administrators. For example, there are many centralized processes within Residence Life, such as the staff performance evaluation process and curriculum expectations. On the other hand, there are many decentralized processes and tasks that are the responsibility of in-center leadership teams, such as duty expectations and advising the in-center Residence Hall Association.
One centralized process that can sometimes cause conflict is the process for RA staff to request to miss trainings or meetings. For department-wide training sessions in Fall and Winter, RAs must submit requests to miss days to their Residence Manager and decisions are made by the Residence Life Leadership Team. This process can cause conflict when supervisors, who are more privy to the experiences, needs, and abilities of their staff, have minimal control over allowing exemptions. Alternatively, a decentralized process that makes my job easier is that the management of in-center desks are the responsibility of in-center leadership teams. This means that desks for buildings with 1,000 residents can operate differently desks for buildings with small communities, making all of the desks on campus efficient and able to address the dynamic needs of various residence centers.
ROUTINIZATION
The Office of Residence Life inherently demonstrates macro-level routinization as its schedule and processes are dictated by the academic calendar. This means that many of our operations are determined by or rescheduled in accordance to class schedules and the university calendar. For example, staff know that there will always be breaks at the same time each year for each semester. Additionally, processes such as the hiring process and performance evaluation dates are determined by things such as exam schedules and university breaks. Although staff experience disruptions to their work related to duty and crisis response, there are many micro-level routine processes that the Office of Residence Life demonstrates. For example, there is a certain sense of routinization for on-call staff who have a repeating schedule and perform scheduled duty rounds. Furthermore, many of the day-to-day tasks for professional staff demonstrate routinization through the centralization of powers. By that, I mean professional staff across various residence centers perform similar tasks and duties related to the operation of their building as some standards and practices are determined by the Residence Life Leadership Team.
MORALE
Unfortunately, as with any residence life department post-COVID (and many other fields and professions), turnover of professional staff is a prevalent characteristic of the Office of Residence Life. Fortunately, I find that my work has not been directly impacted by turnover, as my supervisors have remained in their positions. However, for some of my colleagues who have had two or even three supervisors during an academic year, turnover can negatively impact morale. In particular, Strange & Banning (2015, p. 99) argue that, "higher turnover often reflects lower morale." Although turnover of Residence Life Coordinators and leadership team staff do impact my work experience, I find that morale impacts my experience more. I chose to study at Indiana University and be a part of student affairs; while this work is not for everyone, and the work is not always the most fulfilling, I strive to maintain a high morale and find ways to enjoy the work I do. This can be challenging when my colleagues, whom are also peers in my academic program and friends, have low morale due to unfavorable conditions or situations they have been in. However, I try my best to consistently reframe my perspective and encourages others to find meaning in their work in hopes of increasing the morale of myself and my team.