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Insight
Higher Education and The Great Reorg: Is Your Organizational Structure Keeping Pace?
By Amy Heinze, Higher Education Leader, Alliant Human Capital, & Kayla Shawver, Alliant Human Capital
Colleges and universities continue to face growing financial pressures, enrollment uncertainty, workforce challenges and rapid technological change. While it is important to focus on budgets and staffing levels, Alliant Human Capital's Q2 2026 “Voices in Higher Education” survey suggests that organizational effectiveness is shaped not only by available resources, but also by how decisions are made.
Alliant Human Capital's Q2 2026 “Voices in Higher Education” Survey Results
Our survey found that decision-making is highly centralized across higher education institutions, producing the following results:
78% of respondents reported that most decisions are made at the senior leadership level.
14% of respondents said decisions are primarily made within departments.
8% of respondents described decision-making as being shared between leadership and operational teams.
The survey results also indicate that this level of centralization may contribute to organizational friction. More than half of respondents (51%) identified too many layers of approval as the single greatest factor slowing work, far exceeding poor communication (16%), leadership alignment (16%), limited resources (11%) or unclear roles and responsibilities (5%). This suggests that many institutional challenges may stem less from resource constraints and more from how decisions move through the organization.
That relationship became even clearer when examining institutions with highly centralized decision-making. Among respondents who said decisions are primarily made by senior leadership:
62% reported difficulty getting decisions made.
55% cited excessive approval layers.
48% said work often feels slow or unnecessarily complicated.
Not surprisingly, perceptions varied depending on where respondents sat within the organization. Managers and individual contributors were nearly twice as likely as executives to identify approval layers as the primary obstacle to getting work done. Managers were also the group most likely to report that work feels slow or complicated, reflecting the unique position they occupy between institutional strategy and the day-to-day execution of work.
Perhaps most concerning is how respondents viewed their institution's ability to adapt. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents reported that their institution adapts only “Somewhat Well” or “Not Very Well” to change, while 59% said their institution is only “Somewhat Prepared” or “Unprepared” for future change. At a time when colleges and universities must respond quickly to changing student expectations, evolving technology and financial pressures, these findings suggest that institutions should consider whether their current organizational structures are positioned to support the pace of change ahead.
Key Takeaways for Colleges and Universities
The takeaway isn't that institutions should eliminate centralized governance. Instead, colleges and universities have an opportunity to evaluate whether decision-making authority, reporting relationships and approval processes are helping or unintentionally slowing progress. Organizational structure is more than an organizational chart; it's a strategic tool that shapes how work gets done. By periodically assessing how decisions flow through the institution and where unnecessary complexity exists, colleges and universities can improve agility, empower employees and better position themselves for the challenges ahead.
Alliant Higher Education partners with institutions to develop strategies that support organizational effectiveness and resilience in the face of evolving risks. For more information about the survey results or how Alliant can strengthen your operations, reach out to our specialists today.
