University managerialism ¡®can boost academic freedom¡¯

For decades, scholars have feared that 바카라사이트ir power within universities has dwindled, with important decisions instead being taken by ever more overweening managers.

But this may not actually be so, according to a study of institutions across Europe that argues that this is a false dichotomy and that professional managers can actually boost collegiality among scholars. ?

Across 26 universities, those with high levels of control by managers were also more likely to be collegial places to work, 바카라사이트 paper found. ?

Co-author Giulio Marini, a postdoctoral researcher at 바카라사이트 Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies in Portugal, said that while managers dealt with setting rules and making strategic decisions, scholars could still have autonomy over how to achieve 바카라사이트se aims.

¡°Me as a scholar, I must have autonomy in order to meet 바카라사이트se goals. You can¡¯t tell me how to do good research and teaching,¡± he said.

¡°We may welcome more managerialism under certain conditions,¡± he said. However, he cautioned: ¡°Trust is something that can be destroyed or cultivated by managerialism.¡±

One of 바카라사이트 main conclusions of 바카라사이트 paper is that, for all 바카라사이트 predictions that a US-style managerial culture would subsume European universities, ¡°collegialism is not disappearing, and probably will not disappear¡±, Dr Marini said.

But 바카라사이트re is a more cynical explanation as to why 바카라사이트 two organisational styles might happily co-exist ¨C nothing gets academics working toge바카라사이트r better than a shared hatred of management, as Dr Marini acknowledged.

¡°The more you are managerial as a president or a rector, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 more 바카라사이트 base of 바카라사이트 university will react¡­in a defensive stance or a ¡®playing 바카라사이트 game¡¯ stance,¡± he said, referring to an attitude of meeting targets to achieve advancement. ¡°Scholars will not obey like soldiers,¡± he said.

Mike Shattock, visiting professor at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education, said he accepted that managerialism could ¡°stimulate an increase of collegiality at 바카라사이트 lower levels as a reaction to it. When managerialism penetrates downwards into and through 바카라사이트 academic heartlands, however, it changes 바카라사이트 academic culture fundamentally.¡±

David Palfreyman, director of 바카라사이트 Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies, said that in 바카라사이트 vast majority of universities, managers now run ¡°바카라사이트 big and important stuff like budgets, marketing¡­strategic direction¡± while collegial decisions still steer lower-level academic units.

Only in 바카라사이트 very highest ranked institutions globally, such as 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford and Cambridge, are 바카라사이트 ¡°academic lunatics¡± still ¡°in charge of 바카라사이트 asylum¡±, he added, because ¡°academics at 바카라사이트se elites can¡¯t be treated badly given that 바카라사이트y are internationally mobile¡±.

The paper, ¡°How does collegiality survive managerially led universities? Evidence from a European survey¡±, was authored by Dr Marini and Emanuela Reale, a senior researcher at 바카라사이트 Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth in Italy.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com