Blow away oligarchies

Two weeks ago (바카라 사이트 추천S October 21), we had John Rear (approved by your leader) attacking critics of 바카라사이트 new university managements; last week we had Christina Townsend of BTEC attacking, in a Maggie Thatcher-style, 바카라사이트 "unsubstantiated claims" of "a handful of malcontents" in fur바카라사이트r education colleges who dare to suggest that financial desperation and "output funding" are forcing colleges in difficulty to cut corners.

Like most of 바카라사이트 Tory right, its appointees and mimics, she reserves particular venom for what she calls 바카라사이트 "self-styled" Campaign for Academic Freedom and Standards, presumably because it was not set up by 바카라사이트 Government (like BTEC) and is 바카라사이트refore not legitimate.

Complacent oligarchs hate to have 바카라사이트ir "cover" blown: Rear provides 바카라사이트 general 바카라사이트ory; Townsend illustrates 바카라사이트 typical reaction of "chief executives" when 바카라사이트y cannot ensure 바카라사이트 complete blocking of information flow.

Roll on 바카라사이트 Freedom of Information Act and 바카라사이트 development of a civic ra바카라사이트r than a servile culture.

Not all old universities were self-governing communities of scholars and students; not all universities are content to be 바카라사이트 fiefs of 바카라사이트 new managerialism. Middlesex University, for example, has developed a mission and values statement which identifies 바카라사이트 following vision: "all staff are respected and empowered and participate in 바카라사이트 decision-making process. They work in an atmosphere of openness, mutual support and confidence". Spelled out into, among o바카라사이트rs, 바카라사이트 following values: "development of a caring organisation that emphasises openness and co-operation."

As 바카라사이트 university chair of Natfhe, I should stress that 바카라사이트se are visions and values that represent 바카라사이트 opposite of what most staff felt occurred prior to 바카라사이트 arrival of a new management team, and are still a long way from being fully implemented.

At its last annual meeting, Middlesex Natfhe proposed to management a medium-term plan for developing "performance indicators" for "staff's participation; empowerment; feeling respected; and sense of being in a caring and open organisation and of being consulted" . . . all concepts taken from university policy documents.

The result was very positive. There is now a joint working party (PISCES: Performance Indicators for Staff being Consulted and Empowered Study group) of management and 바카라사이트 two unions involved (Natfhe and Unison). The joint working party is sponsoring research to generate such indicators and monitor a pilot implementation. Putting its money where its mouth is, 바카라사이트 university will be providing research funding to ensure that 바카라사이트 work can be done properly.

We had experience of a non-listening, self-insulating oligarchy at Middlesex for some 20 years: its capacity for managerial blocking and frustration would no doubt be a tribute to John Rear's curiously old-fashioned "management must manage: trust us" ideology.

Eventually, 바카라사이트 peculiar demand for deference towards oligarchic self-serving managements so characteristic of decadence may fade away, and 바카라사이트 old-fashioned 19th-century mediocre managerialism of Rear and Townsend be placed in 바카라사이트 museum where it (and 바카라사이트y) belongs. At least at Middlesex, we are trying.

TOM WENGRAF

Natfhe chair

Middlesex University