Interim Presidents As Disruptors

Dr. Carol Moore
Member
The Registry

In 1995, Clay Christensen wrote a seminal business book titled, “Disruptive Innovation,” which identified innovation as a disruptive force in the current system. I reflected upon his premise while filling two interim small college presidencies. I see parallels between Christensen’s disruption in business and the potential for interims to provide similar innovative disruptions in higher education.

In Dr. Richard Green’s article about the interim presidency, he advised other would-be interims to take on the assignment as if appointed to the permanent presidency. Good advice, and so when I began my next interim appointment, I faced the task before me as the “president.“ The Board chair agreed even though this would mean disruptive innovation for the institution.

About a month into this interim assignment, I began to develop an evolved perspective. What I realized was that, by taking charge, I was invading the culture, the systems, and the very nature of the institution. While that was the approach the Board chair and I had agreed to, I saw my work in counterbalance with the culture. As an innovative disruptor, I had been hired  to make difficult long-term decisions because no one else could nor wanted to do so—even the Board whose direction I was following.

I conducted program prioritization, as charged by the trustees, shaking the foundation of the curriculum and faculty identity. I developed a plan for a minor administrative reorganization; even a small change rattled the accepted structure and the tranquility of “normal” business protocols. Likewise, the social norms of the trustees were shaken. Even though the trustees had charged me with addressing the structural deficit, they had no foresight into how the implementation would change their functions and culture. They had not counted on faculty and student push-back or on the negative feedback they would receive from alums.

So, a word of advice to new interim presidents and provosts: When you accept a charge to undertake significant change—change that may be needed to sustain the institution— be mindful that you are entering the picture as a disruptor. You have taken on the role of change agent, shaking the college to its foundation, challenging its history and traditions, and expecting faculty, staff, and administrators to step up to best practices. You must be prepared to counteract the push-back and at the same time accept it as part of your role. Remember you are laying the foundation for the permanent president/provost and, in doing so you must prepare the trustees as well. Life as trustees know it has changed; the social aspects of trusteeship are now limited and a thorough understanding into the complexity of running a college must be learned. Trustees will have to summon their collective courage to meet the new tough-minded decision-making required to guide today’s institutions. Trustees must proactively support the agenda and stand firm with the interim president.

Being an innovative disruptor will take the full set of skills you bring to the college as a seasoned leader. And yes, it is a role that will require a very thick skin along with an altruistic commitment to making higher education better. You can change a college’s world for the better in a year if you are willing to be a disruptor, if you successfully lay the foundation for an improved institutional future, and if trustees are prepared to implement changes beyond your initial appointment.