se weekly meetings demonstrate the importance of "lateral coordination" (Bolman & Deal, 2003) in ensuring that policies handed down from above are actually carried out (Clements & Meirose, 2001; JU, n. d., "Jacksonville University Organizational Chart"). This description of the organizational structure of JU also highlights the importance of both the vertical and lateral coordination approaches in enabling leaders in a higher education institution to manage the operations that extend to different departments of the institution.
In spite of this highly structured organizational structure, it is also important to point out that how JU organizes its roles and functions is also affected by the distribution of power and authority within the institution—the political frame (Bolman & Deal, 2003). As explained by Bolman and Deal (2003), the distribution of power is dependent on various factors including "position power; information and expertise; control of rewards; coercive power; alliances and networks; access and control of agendas; and control of meaning and symbols" (p. 194). At JU, this clear-cut vertical structure (Bolman & Deal, 2003) that appears to organize functions and responsibilities rigidly belies the fact that the positions of power can shift from time to time.
The best example of this situation can be found in the way that JU dealt with its recent financial crisis. Amidst the revelations that the administrative leadership had mismanaged funds and sought to address the situation by proposing an across-the-board four percent budget reduction, the faculty expressed its influence by casting a vote of no confidence in CFO Wiley and President Harlow (Snell, 2004). Even though both of these administrative leaders occupied higher positions vis-Ă -vis the faculty members, the faculty members were ultimately successful in removing both of these men from their positions. Furthermore, in the aftermath, various faculty membe...