Dilemmas and Innovative Paths of University Counselor Team Building: A Perspective of Organizational Support Theory

Yao Chengye; Liu Xiaorou; Gan Zhirou; Chen Jingqi; Zheng Shaoxin

doi:10.71411/jassp.2026.1737

Authors

Yao Chengye Guangzhou College of Commerce Author
Liu Xiaorou Guangzhou College of Commerce Author
Gan Zhirou Guangzhou College of Commerce Author
Chen Jingqi Guangzhou College of Commerce Author
Zheng Shaoxin Guangzhou College of Commerce Author https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1898-4191

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71411/jassp.2026.1737

Keywords:

Organizational Support Theory, Counselor Team, Fostering Virtue Through Education, University Administration, Career Development Ecosystem

Abstract

As the key workforce for fulfilling the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, university counselors play an indispensable role. Based on Organizational Support Theory, this study systematically explores the structural dilemmas and systematic approaches to the development of university counselor teams. A four-dimensional analytical framework encompassing instrumental, emotional, institutional and developmental support is constructed, and qualitative analysis is conducted through in-depth interviews with 61 counselors and relevant administrators. The results reveal that counselors suffer excessive administrative workloads and resource shortages in terms of instrumental support; they struggle with ambiguous role identity and insufficient organizational recognition in emotional support; formalized assessment mechanisms and blocked dual-track promotion channels constitute major obstacles to institutional support; mismatched supply and demand in training systems and vague career advancement trajectories plague developmental support. The deficiencies across the four dimensions interact and interlock with one another, giving rise to a structural predicament. This study proposes a shift from fragmented support to the construction of systematic support. Through the coordination of the four dimensions and ecological integration, the professional development and sustainable empowerment of counselor teams can be realized, offering theoretical references and practical models for the development of ideological and political education staff in universities in the new era.

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