The purposes of this study was to determine the most prevalent forms of organizational structure currently in use at two-year, public, single-campus community colleges; to identify changes in organizational structure made during the past five years; and to ascertain changes in organizational structure that CEOs anticipate for the future. The study is significant in that it adds to the body of knowledge used to educate and inform scholars and practitioners studying organizational structures used by two-year, public, single-campus community colleges.

To gather the data used in this study, a questionnaire was developed and mailed to presidents of a stratified random selection of two-year, public, single-campus community colleges throughout the nation. Ninety-seven (63%) of the presidents returned the questionnaire. Frequencies and percentages of responses for the institutions were obtained for each possible response option for each question. A contingency table (chi-square test of independence) was calculated for comparison among and within the study's subgroups (small-size, mid-size, and large-size institutions).

The study found that the traditional organizational model was the most common structure used 5 years ago; is the most common structure used at the present; and it is the structure that is preferred by CEOs for the future. The study also found that small-size institutions preferred fewer levels in the instructional chain of command than did mid-size and large-size institutions. Only 38% of the institutions reported reviewing their organizational structure on a predetermined basis. The CEOs that participated in the study rated their organizational structures very favorably with an overall mean score of 3.24 on a 4.00 scale.

This study provides a better understanding of how institutions go about reviewing and changing their organizational structure and it has provides data to assist organizations to make informed decisions when implementing organizational change by providing information about the most prevalent organizational structure.