In-Class Scenario Activity: Cultural Norms & Decision-Making in Action
Scenario (5 minutes)
Your university announces that every department must embed at least one High-Impact Practice (HIP) into each major. A new digital system will track participation.
Some faculty feel this threatens autonomy and increases workload.
Some students report they were never invited into previous HIP opportunities.
You are the department chair.
Small Group Discussion (10 minutes)
Chapter 9 - Cultural Norms:
1. What existing cultural norms might this challenge?
2. What could be an “undiscussable” in this situation?
3. Where could toxic norms develop if this is handled poorly?
Chapter 10 - Decision-Making:
1. Is this a routine (programmed) or complex (non-programmed) decision?
2. How might trust influence whether this succeeds?
3. What emotions could distort the decision-making process?
4. What ethical principle should guide the final decision?
Whole-Class Debrief (5 minutes)
What would make this reform fail?
What would make it sustainable?
What must a leader communicate clearly?
Ch. 9 reminds us culture shapes reform. Ch. 10 reminds us trust, emotion, and ethics shape decisions.
Wang, V., Kaiser, S., & Mitchell, D. (2024). Educational Leadership and Organizational Management: Bridging Theory and Practice. Innovative Ink Publishing.
Available through Kendall Hunt: https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/educational-leadership-and-organizational-management-bridging-theory-and-practice
Chapter-based instructional simulations and discussion prompts on this page are original applied instructional design grounded in the cited text.