The Hot Seat

Abstract

The chair of the marketing department serves a critical role in balancing the needs of the university with those of the faculty. Because most department chairs are drawn from the faculty in their departments, the administrative role they take on conflicts with their desire to maintain their academic roles as teacher and researcher. Although there is evidence that the chair role is perceived differently across disciplines, there has been limited examination of this role in marketing. This study profiles marketing departments and chairs in Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—accredited schools in the United States and examines how the chairs view their position in the broader context of the department and faculty they serve. The authors propose and empirically test a number of hypotheses pertaining to factors contributing to the stress experienced by marketing department chairs. Results show that marketing department chairs treat their “faculty developer” role as the most important responsibility. A major driver of stress is not the lack of preparation for taking on administrative responsibilities but rather the time demands of the chair position.