Interesting as an anecdote about decentralized decision-making on a large scale (standard disclaimers about the plural of anecdote not being data apply): "Something Has to Give: Accreditation Crisis Hits City College of San Francisco" -- http://www.insidehighered.com/news...
"City College has only 39 administrators, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which broke the news about the commission’s report. The college employs more than 1,800 faculty members. The result is a cumbersome, sluggish planning process, according to the commission, which has been made worse by the budget crisis."
- Mark Kille