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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 4
Publication Date: April 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.84.10003. Gragg, J. D., & Martin, B. N. (2021). An Examination of Organization Learning and Data Driven Decision Making Within Two University
Enrollment Management Programs. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(4). 150-168.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
An Examination of Organization Learning and Data Driven
Decision Making Within Two University Enrollment Management
Programs
J. D. Gragg
Consultant, St George, Kansas, USA
Barbara N. Martin
Professor, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri, USA
ABSTRACT
This paper investigated the declining number of students in higher education
institutions, and the effective strategies universities can use to recruit students who
will graduate. From this research, it appeared that data-driven decision-making can
be an effective means to create a successful enrollment management office.
Through a practice of data-driven decision-making, organizational learning can
happen, which will allow an organization to maintain success and build a culture
that sustains that success. Three key themes emerged from the research that will
help to inform best practices for other colleges and universities to implement ideas
from this research. The three themes are: an organization must have good, usable
data; an organization should strive to create a culture of teamwork to sustain success,
and an organization needs a successful enrollment leader.
Keywords: higher education, enrollment management, organizational learning, and data
driven decision making
INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
Within the review of the literature, the identified problem was that there is little to no research
on how higher education organizations learn and adapt to use data-driven decision-making.
The current research on the use of data-driven decision-making is in the K-12
environment(Greene & Forster, 2003). However, the research is lacking when it comes to
higher education, as most of the literature discusses the need for using data (Mandinach, 2012),
how to collect and disseminate data (Price & Kirkwood, 2014), and how to use it to inform
practice from an institutional level (Sailesh, Lu, & Al Aali, 2016), not within enrollment
management (Hora, Bouwma-Gearhart, & Park, 2017). While research exists on successful EM
strategies and initiatives ( DesJardins, Ahlburg, & McCall, 2006), there remains a gap in
researching ways for those programs to occur organically and without special funding ( Miller
& Bell, 2016).
This study attempted to examine how peer institutions handle these challenges and effectively
reach students (Ford, 2011). Research is needed that focuses on the best practices that are
replicable across various types of institutions and is cost-effective (Francis, 2014). Data
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Gragg, J. D., & Martin, B. N. (2021). An Examination of Organization Learning and Data Driven Decision Making Within Two University Enrollment
Management Programs. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(4). 150-168.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.84.10003
utilization is the most effective and efficient way to display that something works, at least in the
current environment of higher education (Hossler & Kalsbeek, 2013). Therefore, examining
how a higher education EM office, specifically an undergraduate admissions office, can learn to
use data to create and integrate a predictive model successfully was the focus of this inquiry.
Significance of the Problem
The number of students who are attending college is declining, and to remain solvent,
institutions of higher education must adapt and learn (Hossler & Kalsbeek, 2013). This research
focused on helping institutions, with the end goal of creating a predictive model that will allow
them to recruit more effectively and efficiently students who will successfully retain and
graduate. This is important because if schools can reach students more effectively, the
likelihood of successful completion increases ( Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, & Whitt, 2011). If students
do not select the right college, the school where they have the best chance of being successful,
these students are less likely to graduate (Mattern, Shaw, & Kobrin, 2010). This leads to fewer
people with college degrees, more loan debt for students, and wasted time for all involved
(DesJardins et al., 2006). For those wanting to attend an institution, all parties are best served
by a model that gets students to the right place in the most efficient manner (Tucker &
McKnight, 2017). The institutions benefit because they can grow enrollment, increase retention
and graduation, and utilize resources elsewhere to help the institution (Poole, Levin, & Elam,
2017). Students benefit by not wasting time with an extended search process or spending time
and money with transferring between institutions. It is important for students to find the right
fit for themselves, which will help them graduate in a more efficient and cost-effective time
frame (Witteveen & Attewell, 2017). Additionally, this research can lead to further inquiries
into what makes for successful EM practices, but further, more direct research into
organizational learning. Organizational learning is going to become vital to the sustainability of
all businesses, not just higher education (Lozano, 2014). If organizations cannot learn to adjust
internally, these institutions will not be able to survive, particularly as it applies to higher
education.
Relevant Research
Estimates reveal the number of high school graduating students are declining in the United
States in all but two states, Florida and Texas (Hussar & Bailey, 2016). This highlights that
offices of Enrollment Management (EM) within institutions of higher education should learn
how to be more effective and efficient when recruiting students. In reviewing the current
research on this topic, trends begin to emerge quickly. There is a great deal of literature on
national best practices within enrollment management, and how enrollment management is
similar to marketing (Berry, 1995; Bontrager, 2004; Hossler & Kalsbeek, 2013; Payne & Frow,
2005). Similarly, how to integrate enrollment management to serve the university effectively
has been investigated (Bowen, Bok, & Burkhart, 1998; DesJardins et al., 2006; DesJardins et al.,
1999; Hossler & Kalsbeek, 2013). This research all focuses on either the role of a successful EM
office or the strategies that successful EM offices use for decision-making. Conversely, there is
a lack of research on how an EM office becomes such an entity that can effectively use these
strategies. It is from this gap in the literature review, whereby these researchers are seeking to
examine how an EM office can become effective in utilizing all the strategies the existing
research discusses.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 4, April-2021
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Conceptual Framework
Ultimately, this review of the relevant literature led the researchers to organizational learning
theory (OLT) and data-driven decision-making (DDDM) as the two conceptual frameworks in
which to review this investigation. The critical element of OLT that leads to its use as the
conceptual framework is that the data will be focused on organic, internal change. For these
new methods of EM to be successful and sustainable, they must come from within the
university. It is vital that organizations learn how they can make this change happen
themselves, and for that to happen, individuals must understand how organizations learn
(Hoppes & Holley, 2014). Additionally, regarding DDDM, institutions are being required to
collect and present statistical evidence to justify funding more now than ever before (Hussar &
Bailey, 2016), particularly with the increase in performance-based funding models (Rutherford
& Rabovsky, 2014).
Organizational learning has been studied in the business world for many years, beginning when
Cyert and March (1963) outlined its critical role in the 1960s. The relationship between
learning and change has often been examined at a strategic management level (Dodgson, 1991),
with insight given into how managers or leaders can use organizational learning to affect
organizational change (Noruzy, Dalfard, Azhdari, Nazari-Shirkouhi, & Rezazadeh, 2013).
Additionally, organizational learning is a valuable framework because it is widely recognized
that learning organizations are more competitive than those that do not embrace the idea
(Chiva, 2017). Since change happens rapidly in the world, organizations should be willing and
able to learn through experience. Otherwise, they will cease to exist.
Upon reviewing the literature, three key themes arose that will inform the basis of how
organizational learning will be used in this research. First, learning generally has positive
consequences, even if the outcomes of learning may be negative (Guinot, Chiva, & Mallén, 2016;
Louis, Louis, Murphy, & Murphy, 2017). For example, an EM office might employ a specific
communication piece to prospective students, and they receive overwhelmingly negative
feedback about the marketing of a program. The outcome was adverse, but the consequence
was a positive learning experience for the organization (Mahr, Lievens, & Blazevic, 2014).
Second, although learning is based on individuals, organizations can learn (Reese & Hunter,
2016). This means that while most of the specific learning that happens in an organization
occurs at the individual level, if enough individual learning happens, the culture of the
organization can change, causing organization-wide learning to occur (Cook & Yanow, 1993).
Third, learning occurs throughout all activities of an organization, and it happens at different
speeds and levels (Schilling & Fang, 2014). For example, in an EM office, the “on the ground”
recruiters may recognize a change in how prospective students prefer their marketing very
early on; however, the marketing department that is on campus may take longer to learn this
lesson. The takeaway is for organizational learning to be successful; individual learning must
happen and then be shared with others in the organization (Langley, Smallman, Tsoukas, & Van
de Ven, 2013).
Furthermore, Argote and Miron-Spektor (2011) provided a framework to assess an
organization, as well as details how leaders can ensure OL is happening. That theoretical
framework revealed organizational learning is a process that occurs over time, and thus, aims
to show an ongoing life cycle wherein experience is transformed into knowledge that can
change an organization. This knowledge is then incorporated into the environment of the