Administrators are detail and goal oriented. They are good leaders and organizers. As David Evans states in "The Chronicle of Higher Education," administrators place high value on efficiency. Faculty members are creative and innovative, traits that they must posses to be effective teachers, researchers and writers. Conversely, faculty place high value on "collaboration and shared governance."
Administrators focus on attracting and retaining students, managing staff and monitoring the budget. Faculty members are concerned with educating students and conducting their own research. As Milton Greenburg notes in "The Chronicle of Higher Education," faculty believe that "a university is not a business," while the administration is likely to use "profit-and-loss analysis."
Administrative professionals can resent faculty, who are experts in their own subject areas but not in administration, insisting that they have input in all areas of decision making. Faculty, in turn, resist codes of conduct. They may believe, as Michael Fischer describes in "Change Magazine," that "geniuses must be jerks." This mutual resentment contributes to a lack of respect between the two groups.
Differences in personality and work habits among faculty and administration can lead to a breakdown in communication. Administrators can feel that communication with faculty about matters that do not concern their teaching or research is unnecessary. Faculty, believing that their academic pursuits give them greater precedence, may not choose to share their decision-making processes with the administration.