Community colleges are challenged to find their next set of leaders who can respond to the diverse challenges of leading the institution. This study examined the impact of institutional and personal factors on faculty aspirations to leadership roles within the community college through the utilization of the Social Cognitive Career Theory framework. A case study research design utilizing mixed-methods investigated the perceived and preferred organizational culture(s) and the manner in which institutional and personal factors influence faculty aspirations to assume leadership roles at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College. The findings of the research indicate that affecting change and being asked to lead are personal factors of influence that motivate faculty to aspire to formal leadership positions within the community college. On the other hand, the challenge of formal leadership roles, family and work-life balance might dissuade faculty aspirations of faculty to formal leadership roles. The study reveals that organizational culture was a positive factor of institutional influence. This study advances the field of educational leadership in that a number of personal and institutional factors influence the aspirations of faculty as they consider movement into formal leadership position within the community college. The findings identify the need for research across multiple institutions and the need to expand Social Cognitive Career Theory to include personal-cognitive barriers of race and gender.

Bakgrund: Organisationer förändras och övergår mer till teambaserad struktur samt utvecklar med självstyrande team. Självstyrande team har visat öka effektivitet och produktivitet i organisationerna. Den organisationsstruktur och -kultur som teamen besitter anses unik med strävan efter auktoritet i det vardagliga arbetet samt beslutsfattandet. Det är utmanande med självstyrande team som ska bestå av individer som ska förlita sig på varandra med ett gemensamt ansvarstagande och arbeta mot ett gemensamt mål. Vid första tanke är självstyrande team uppbyggda med grund att vara ledarlösa. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka och öka förståelsen för vardagligt beslutsfattande inom självstyrande team. Det som avses undersökas är förståelsen kring beslutsfattandets tillvägagångssätt samt teammedlemmars befogenhet för det vardagliga beslutsfattandet inom teamen. Metod: Metoden som har använts i denna studie är en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska material som samlats in till studien bygger på sju semistrukturerade intervjuer samt en mängd sekundärdata från det valda tillverkningsföretaget. Det insamlade empiriska materialet har för avsikt med hjälp av den teoretiska referensramen, att analysera likheter och skillnader mellan teamen samt tidigare forskning. Slutsats: Studien bekräftar tidigare forskning om att självstyrande team ska styra över sitt eget ansvarstagande samt vardagliga beslutsfattande. Studien illustrerar dock att definitionen av självstyrande team är begränsad och behovet av stöd från ledarroller behövs. / Background: Organizations change and transition more to team-based structure and develop with autonomous teams. Autonomous teams have shown increased efficiency and productivity in organizations. The organizational structure and culture that the teams possess is considered unique with the pursuit of authority in everyday work and decision-making. It is challenging with autonomous teams that will consist of individuals who rely on each other with a shared responsibility and work towards a common goal. At first thought, autonomous teams are built on the basis of being leaderless. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate and increase the understanding of everyday decision-making within autonomous teams. What is meant to be investigated is the understanding of the approach of decision-making as well as the power of team members for the day-to-day work of the teams. Method: The method used in this study is a qualitative research method with an abductive approach. The empirical material collected for the study is based on seven semi-structured interviews as well as a variety of secondary data from the selected manufacturing company. The collected empirical material intends to use the theoretical frame of reference to analyze similarities and differences between the teams and previous research. Conclusion: The study confirms previous research that autonomous teams should control their own responsibility and everyday decision-making. The study illustrates that the definition of autonomous teams is limited and the need for support from leadership roles is needed.