1,721,055 research outputs found
Modern Management and Working Conditions in Academia
No full textIn Denmark as well as other countries, a wide range of new ways of governing universities and managing academics has been introduced based on New Public Management and different performance management principles. This chapter discusses how performance management practices can be expected to relate to the psychosocial work environment and stress. There are a range of different important dimensions influencing the psychosocial work environment, for example the content and organization of the work, demands in work, interpersonal relationships in work, conflicts in work and employees’ reactions to their work situation. It is also important to be aware that the employees’ perceptions of their work conditions and their related satisfaction and stress levels are likely to be reciprocal over time. In all cases, the intention is to improve the performance of public organizations by “moving focus from process-oriented and rule-driven management to performance-orientated and result-driven management”.</p
Introduction
No full textUniversities have undergone a process to become more managerial than governed by professionals or being part of a traditional hierarchy. Attempts to reform public institutions have been going on for several decades, starting with the wave of New Public Management (NPM) reforms in the 1980s and 1990s. Reforms of universities especially target the internal organization of universities and try changing them into an instrument in pursuit of efficiency, economic development, and, more broadly, public value creation. The formalization of universities into more “normal” public sector organizations alongside hospitals, schools, police force, etc. has occurred over a long period. To protect academic freedom and secure the legitimacy of Academia, the universities were highly self-governed under the Humboldt model. Performance measurement and management is perhaps the strongest trend that came out of the NPM reform agenda, and one which is likely to survive. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.</p
Data and Methods
No full textThe similarity between the reform of Danish Universities and reforms in other countries, the unique set of data, and the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods makes the findings relevant for university governance in other settings. The data were, except from the University Acts and ministerial orders, collected as part of a comprehensive research program-“Governing, Funding and Performance of Universities”-funded by The Velux Foundation. Reforms and policy initiatives can be implemented in various ways at the different universities and faculties. Between February and March 2014, all the 81 board members at the eight universities in Denmark were asked to fill out a web-based questionnaire. One dean from each of the seven sampled universities was interviewed. The Ministry of Higher Education and each university have entered into a so-called development contract on a regular basis since 2000. In the investigation of the governmental rules and development contracts, both the objective and subjective data make the foundation for the analysis.</p
Autonomy and Performance Contracts at Universities
No full textThis chapter provides a better understanding of the relationship between a PM-inspired governance model and both formal and real autonomy at Danish universities. The societal role of universities is also argued to be especially important in knowledge-based economy, and this tendency causes a greater focus on performance at the universities. And “The basic features of past governance modes in higher education have been re-designed by governments, and in doing so they have also changed their role in the steering system”. The managerial model of the Danish universities can best be described as steering-at-a-distance. The governance model consisted of a new managerial model with professional boards combined with performance contracts between the ministry and the board. The contract contains a number of performance targets that the university must fulfil and must account for by the end of the contract period. The performance contract between the ministry and the university is an important element in the performance management system.</p
Conclusion
No full textUniversities can perhaps more accurately be characterized as being “normal public service organizations”; they are “normalized” in the sense that they now look more or less like any organization delivering a public service in a Western European country like Denmark. Performance contracts were introduced, and they were first billed as being about “liberation management” and supporting performance management known within New Public Management (NPM). The big lure of NPM was always that public organizations would be set free, manage their own affairs, and compete in a marketplace for customers and resources. Universities seem to have lost that special ingredient that sets them apart from all other types of organizations delivering public services. Many of the researchers in the empirical material were ignorant of the possibilities of getting rewarded by the universities for their performance. Performance contracts tied the universities to the state, and the governance of universities by the state is intact.</p
Academics and Performance Systems
No full textUsing different types of incentives schemes to guide and to improve performance are an integral part of the mindset of New Public Management. This chapter suggests that a relatively large part of the target population is in fact unaware of the existence of incentive systems at their department. In a survey of all Danish department heads, 30 percent “totally” or “partly” agree that it is a good idea to reward researchers financially for publications in certain journals; 54 percent, however, “totally” or “partly” disagree. In January 2011 all 4, 984 academic employees at the selected departments were asked to fill out an online questionnaire focusing on publication strategies, coping behaviour, motivation, incentives, organization and leadership, job situation etc. A performance-based regime rewarding good research or punishing underperformers is based on a set of criteria defining rewards and penalties for certain forms of behaviour.</p
Governing the Reformed University
No full textUniversities are important public institutions and are seen as key drivers for a country’s economic and intellectual development. Their ability to deliver relevant research and education at the highest level have an impact on growth and progress in society, and governments attempt to control and govern the development of the universities. It is no longer left to the individual researcher or the institution to determine the role of the university.Universities have traditionally had a special role in society with a high degree of autonomy and independence. They have been described as a self-governing Republic of Science and their internal organization is characterized as "academic tribes". However, universities can also be viewed as institutions with somewhat similar characteristics as other public institutions with highly professionalized staff.Governing the Reformed University is a coherent volume based on a unique data set. The aim of the book is to quantitatively and qualitatively understand and explain how reforms and management instruments are implemented and how it influences different levels of the organization from the top management level to the employees within universities. It contributes to the knowledge of reform and reform impact in higher education. It also adds to our understanding of management and governance at universities and through which mechanisms management works at universities.This book builds on and adds to the knowledge of studies of reform and governance at universities. The data used in the book consists of a number of data sets and is collected as part of a comprehensive research project. Academics and policy makers alike in the fields of public administration, public management, public policy, educational studies and accountancy will find this of high interest
Governing the Reformed University
No full textUniversities are important public institutions and are seen as key drivers for a country’s economic and intellectual development. Their ability to deliver relevant research and education at the highest level have an impact on growth and progress in society, and governments attempt to control and govern the development of the universities. It is no longer left to the individual researcher or the institution to determine the role of the university.Universities have traditionally had a special role in society with a high degree of autonomy and independence. They have been described as a self-governing Republic of Science and their internal organization is characterized as "academic tribes". However, universities can also be viewed as institutions with somewhat similar characteristics as other public institutions with highly professionalized staff.Governing the Reformed University is a coherent volume based on a unique data set. The aim of the book is to quantitatively and qualitatively understand and explain how reforms and management instruments are implemented and how it influences different levels of the organization from the top management level to the employees within universities. It contributes to the knowledge of reform and reform impact in higher education. It also adds to our understanding of management and governance at universities and through which mechanisms management works at universities.This book builds on and adds to the knowledge of studies of reform and governance at universities. The data used in the book consists of a number of data sets and is collected as part of a comprehensive research project. Academics and policy makers alike in the fields of public administration, public management, public policy, educational studies and accountancy will find this of high interest
Governing the Reformed University
No full textUniversities are important public institutions and are seen as key drivers for a country’s economic and intellectual development. Their ability to deliver relevant research and education at the highest level have an impact on growth and progress in society, and governments attempt to control and govern the development of the universities. It is no longer left to the individual researcher or the institution to determine the role of the university.Universities have traditionally had a special role in society with a high degree of autonomy and independence. They have been described as a self-governing Republic of Science and their internal organization is characterized as "academic tribes". However, universities can also be viewed as institutions with somewhat similar characteristics as other public institutions with highly professionalized staff.Governing the Reformed University is a coherent volume based on a unique data set. The aim of the book is to quantitatively and qualitatively understand and explain how reforms and management instruments are implemented and how it influences different levels of the organization from the top management level to the employees within universities. It contributes to the knowledge of reform and reform impact in higher education. It also adds to our understanding of management and governance at universities and through which mechanisms management works at universities.This book builds on and adds to the knowledge of studies of reform and governance at universities. The data used in the book consists of a number of data sets and is collected as part of a comprehensive research project. Academics and policy makers alike in the fields of public administration, public management, public policy, educational studies and accountancy will find this of high interest
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