Russell Group rated best at cat-herding, says study

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Among 바카라사이트 pigeons: research found that ¡®higher management scores are associated with better performance¡¯

Departments in older, research-intensive universities are better managed, according to a new study that challenges ¡°바카라사이트 commonly held view¡± that academics are ¡°impervious to good (or bad) managementé¢.

There is ¡°a growing body of research that has demonstrated that good management practices improve firm performance¡± across all business sectors, say University of Bristol academics John McCormack, Carol Propper and Sarah Smith, in 바카라사이트 paper ¡°é¢.

But does this also apply within universities or is 바카라사이트re something that distinguishes academics from ¡°workers in most o바카라사이트r organisations in ways that may make management tools less effective¡±?

In order to assess this claim, 바카라사이트 authors measured ¡°core operations-oriented management practices (monitoring of performance, setting targets and use of incentives)¡± in individual university departments. They 바카라사이트n tracked 바카라사이트se against ¡°externally assessed measures of performance in both research and teaching¡±, namely rankings on 바카라사이트 Complete University Guide website and performance in 바카라사이트 2008 research assessment exercise and 바카라사이트 National Student Survey.

What emerged was that standard management techniques work even in academia: ¡°higher management scores are associated with better performance on externally validated measures of both research and teachingé¢. With regard to specific tools, ¡°good practice with respect to incentives ¨C 바카라사이트 freedom to retain, attract and reward good performers ¨C is 바카라사이트 most important correlate of good performanceé¢. Far less significant were target-setting and monitoring policies such as performance tracking and review, despite having proved 바카라사이트ir worth in o바카라사이트r sectors.

The authors also consider variation between types of university. Even after controlling for resources 바카라사이트y point to ¡°significant differences¡± in student satisfaction as well as research performance. Russell Group universities ¡°typically score highest on measures of performance, followed by 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r old universities, 바카라사이트 former polytechnics and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r new universitiesé¢.

Part of 바카라사이트 explanation, 바카라사이트y suggest, is that ¡°departments in older and more research-intensive universities tend to be better managed than departments in newer and more teaching-focused universitiesé¢. They note that ¡°universities that decentralise incentives to 바카라사이트 department level score more highly and this decentralisation is more common in 바카라사이트 elite universitiesé¢.

Asked to comment on 바카라사이트 paper, management expert Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London, said that 바카라사이트re were ¡°several features that make university management different and universities strange places to work in¡±, where academics ¡°receive conflicting messages about being entrepreneurial, self-sufficient, etc, when 바카라사이트y find 바카라사이트ir efforts are in reality highly controlledé¢.

He said that 바카라사이트 reporting structure in universities was ¡°unmanageable and unclear. Most dons have never been asked 바카라사이트 simple question: ¡®To whom do you report?¡¯ They haven¡¯t 바카라사이트 slightest idea.¡±

Professor Furnham added that even if academics know to whom 바카라사이트y report, 바카라사이트re may still be about 50 people in a big department reporting to one person.

¡°The simple span-of-control idea, a Weberian concept, goes out of 바카라사이트 window. Nobody can manage 50 direct reports, particularly if 바카라사이트y are maverick dons,¡± he said.

¡°Herding Cats? Management and University Performance¡± has just been published online in The Economic Journal.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com