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Understanding the Inescapable Politics of Everyday Work

Dr. Steve Tyrell, vice president for Student Affairs at ��Ӱֱ�� State College, presented “The Use of Managerial Control in Interactions with Others” at the New York State College Student Personnel Association annual conference Oct. 4 in Rochester. Tyrell presented to entry-level professionals and mid-level managers who work in student affairs at various public and private colleges across the State.

“The politics of everyday interactions between managers and others is inescapable, but there is little written about how these interactions form in the work setting,” states Tyrell. “Often, managers do their best to not be dictatorial yet still try to influence employees and peers to do work and tasks they would not normally agree to do otherwise,” he adds. “The problem that is created with these common unobtrusive approaches in influencing others’ behaviors is that managers can reshape themselves into positions they do not desire. Equally important, some of these unobtrusive control strategies managers enact can be detrimental to how others feel motivated to perform. If we learn how these control scenarios form, we can minimize some of the conditions that diminish productivity and motivation in the workplace, and promote more open and positive work environments.”

Tyrell is a regular speaker on the politics of everyday work for staff in middle management in higher education. In May, he also spoke with the mid-level managers in the Division of Student Affairs at Monroe Community College on how managerial control impacts the ability for managers to effectively function on teams. Tyrell has conducted research in mid-level managerial issues for the past decade. He was the recipient of the Leadership Chair Award from ACPA’s Commission on Administrative Leadership 2007 for the research his team completed on mid-level managerial competencies in student affairs. He is co-author, along with Dr. Charlie Fey, of a monograph on the future of student affairs as a profession which addresses the politics of everyday work in managerial life as well as the role senior student affairs officers can play in politics at the state level.

Tyrell, vice president for student affairs at ��Ӱֱ�� State College since 2004, holds a PhD in rhetoric and technical communication from Michigan Technological University, a master of arts degree in educational administration and supervision, and a bachelor of arts degree in speech communication, both from SUNY New Paltz.

Prior to joining the ASC community, Tyrell served in a variety of student affairs positions, including associate dean for student discipline at MIT, Cambridge; associate dean of student affairs/director of student life at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI; director of college activities, Greek life, and Student Union building operation, SUNY (State University of New York) College at New Paltz; assistant director of college activities and student union operation, New Paltz; complex director for program development and residence hall director, New Paltz; and assistant to the dean for Student Development, McKendree College, Lebanon, IL.

Tyrell is a member of the American College Personnel Association, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and the Association of Student Judicial Affairs.

Tyrell is the co-author of “How Interaction Patterns Among Resident Assistants and Residents Promotes Diversity and Connectedness at a Midwestern University,” in NASPA’s Diversity on Campus: Reports from the Field, with J. Crowl, 1999; and “Wondering About Critical Management Studies,” Management Communication Quarterly, with P. Sotirin, 1998.

A sought-after speaker, Tyrell has given presentations on “Exploring a Typology of Educational Outcomes When Meaningful Educational Assignments Are Required in Cases of Academic Dishonesty;” “The Black Widow Meets the Talented Mr. Ripley: Devolving Residence Hall Community;” “Challenge Ropes Course: Trust and Team Building Inside and Outside the 21^st Century Classroom;” “Reducing Incidents of Academic Dishonesty in Graduate Work: When Best Intentions Cross the Line into Cheating, Plagiarism, and Unauthorized Collaboration;” “Interdepartmental Interventions: Working Cooperatively to Reduce Campus Alcohol and Substance Abuse;” and “RA Communication, Community Development, and Retention of Under-Represented Groups,” to name a few.