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Abstract
Institutionalization is the effort of incorporating a new concept, structure, or value into an existing organization or system. This dissertation looks at the institutionalization concept within a higher education institution during an active implementation at the University of West Georgia (UWG). UWGs transformational effort that seeks to change and improve the culture, leadership, and performance structure of an institution. The perceptions of senior leaders, campus stakeholders, and external consultants are analyzed in concert with the written, audio, and visual materials that have been collected over the course of the transformation process. The structural theory of Curry (1982) and behavioral lens of Goodman and Dean (1982) provide the theoretical framework to determine the level of institutionalization achieved far and next steps to attain and sustain change. The findings of the study recognize that the attainment and sustainability of institution are dependent upon maintaining mission focus, remaining adaptive as the needs of the institution changes, disciplined leadership, and consistently applying intentional enculturation efforts towards establishing values and behaviors. This study provides a unique view into a transformational change effort in which other leaders seeking to embark on large-scale culture can utilize learning to plan their approach and set attainable goals.