React: A Change Management Model for Rural Community Colleges in the Philippines

Management skills and organizational issues are considered predictors in developing a change management plan. Compared to other countries, community colleges in the Philippines are run by local municipalities; in which schools from 3rd and 4th class municipalities face problems. In connection, this study explores the management skills and organizational issues of rural community colleges in the Philippines as a basis for developing a change management plan. The study used sequential explanatory mixed methods research that has undergone two phases of data collection and analysis. It first collects and analyzes quantitative data using survey questionnaires, followed by qualitative data collection through focus group discussion (FDG). The study's results explain that the different management skills of administrators, faculty, and non-teaching aligned with the four organizational cultures -clan, market, adhocracy, and hierarchy. It also discusses the core issues of rural community colleges on organizational performance and adaptability, organizational weakness, and internal conflict. Based on the findings, the study also develops the REACT model of a change management plan. The study highlights the need for rural community colleges to adopt change management based on their management skills and targets their organizational issues. Additional funding, support programs, and faculty and employee manual development are recommended.