ORGANIZATIONAL-EFFECTIVENESS AND MISSION ORIENTATIONS OF 2-YEAR COLLEGES

This study investigated the applicability of Cameron's (1978, 1983) ni ne dimensions of organizational effectiveness in a nationally represen tative sample of two-year colleges and examined differences in those d imensions for colleges that had decidedly different mission orientatio ns. The results strongly support the applicability of these nine dimen sions of organizational effectiveness in two-year colleges and indicat e that the effectiveness of these institutions varies significantly de pending on their mission orientation. From a global perspective, it ap pears that two-year colleges with tripartite and dual missions are the most and least effective. respectively, while those with a singular m ission occupy a middle position. The implications of these findings fo r research on the effectiveness of two-year colleges and for initiativ es to enhance the effectiveness of their management practices and inst itutional performance are discussed.