Rules versus relationships and campus sexual misconduct
International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior
ISSN: 1093-4537
Article publication date: 9 September 2019
Abstract
Purpose
How do university compliance administrators implement the rules prohibiting campus sexual misconduct? Title IX Coordinators’ authority is legal–rational and derives from the power to enforce Title IX and university rules. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Analyzing narratives collected from administrators at 22 large institutions of higher education, this paper distinguishes rules from relationship-oriented Coordinators and develops an understanding of how and why Title IX Coordinators utilize relational authority as they implement Title IX.
Findings
The key finding is that relational administrators exhibit less institutional authority than their rules-based counterparts and focus on their relationships with complainants and respondents over university leaders and administrators.
Originality/value
While other researchers have focused on rules, this research demonstrates how Title IX Coordinators draw heavily on relational strategies.
Keywords
Citation
Pappas, B. (2019), "Rules versus relationships and campus sexual misconduct", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 226-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-09-2018-0100
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited