Examining the Perception of the Order versus Freedom Dilemma in University Management (original) (raw)
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Perceptions of the Dilemma – Order versus Freedom at Managing Faculty: A Literature Review
This study aims to examine the perceptions of the middle management (deans and heads of departments) and academicians on the dilemma order versus freedom at faculty management. It discusses how this dilemma is seen at an operational level and how it can be managed at university where both parties-with a managerial role or not-are academicians/academics and have professional expertise. The literature on organizational dilemmas was analyzed to answer the questions " which side of the dilemma is seen dominantly in different organization types? " , " how does examining organizational structures from different perspectives help understand educational organizations? " and " in that way how can dilemmas be managed in educational contexts especially in the academic context? " The major findings include the tendency to one side of the dilemma in different perspectives to organizational structure creates problems in the organizational management. However, balancing the order or freedom dilemma at an operational level improves effectiveness. Balancing dilemmas at faculty management is specifically difficult due to differing perceptions of academicians and the management. It needs the effective usage of other instruments in organizational life. The dynamics of organizational structures and processes in Higher Education (HE) institutions are growing attention due to the growing importance of HE institutions worldwide. Research on how effectively the operating core itself at HE institutions is managed is becoming more important in the field. This study explores the problems in the management of faculty at an operational level based on dilemmas between academicians and the middle management. 1. Introduction Higher Education (HE) management and the dynamics of organizational processes in HE institutions are growing attention due to the growing importance of HE institutions worldwide. Dilemmas seen in university management processes can create problems among academicians and managers between upper-lower levels, in organizational culture and climate. They can prevent the organization to achieve its goals effectively. Similarly, those problems can occur between organizations and/or between the organization and its sub-organizations. Since research on how effectively academicians at HE institutions are managed is becoming more important in the field, this study explores the problems in the management of academicians at an operational level based on dilemmas between academicians and the middle management. The middle management includes department heads and deans who strive towards handling many challenges due to the impact of their strategic position.
To continue to compete in an increasingly competitive world, increasing demands are imposed on higher educational organizations. This has consequences for, among others, the way in which (faculty) academic middle managers and educational administrators cooperate. This paper analyses the characteristics and relationships between the (faculty) academic middle managers and the educational administrators. On the basis of a literature review and thirty-one interviews, four types of managerial-administrative relationships within the faculty will be distinguished. Then, the different forms of cooperation between academic middle managers and educational administrators that arise from these four types of relationships will be discussed. Based on this, five different factors will be identified that are of great importance for a successful cooperation between academic middle managers and educational administrators. The most important conclusion is that universities often lack a fundamentally substantive conversation between academic middle managers and educational administrators about ideas on governance and guidance within the faculty community. The lack of discourse regularly leads to dissatisfaction and causes conflicts and malfunctioning.
Academic middle managers and management in university colleges and universities
- Verhoeven, J. C. (2010) 'Academic middle managers and management in university colleges and universities in Belgium (Flanders)' DOURO-Seminar location:Pinhao (Portugal) date:25 May 2007, 2007
This chapter explores facets of managerialism in Flemish policy and institutions of higher education through addressing four questions: (i) What is managerialism and what are its characteristics? (ii) How did the national policymakers make way for managerialism in institutions of higher education? (iii) Are there indicators of managerialism in higher education research of the 1990s? (iv) Do deans, heads of departments and heads of research units perceive the current management of institutions of higher education as having characteristics of managerialism? The empirical research reported in this chapter demonstrates that managerialism is not present in Belgium universities in its extreme forms. A relatively large group of middle managers still prefer a collegial attitude, and they criticise some of the less pleasant consequences of managerialism
IJMRAP, 2021
This study was conducted to determine the 'Management Problems of Middle Managers in State Universities and Colleges Teacher Education Institutions (SUC-TEls) in Region IX', to serve as Basis for a Middle Management Development Program. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from Eighty-Five (85) middle managers in State Universities and Colleges Teacher Education Institutions (SUC-TEls) in Region IX, during school year 2008-2009 using stratified random sampling. Results of the study showed that: middle managers perform the Planning, Organizing, Directing/Leading, Controlling, Coordinating-related managerial tasks to a 'Great Extent'. However, they experienced problems in performing Planning, Organizing, Directing/Leading, Controlling, Coordinating-related managerial tasks to a 'Moderate Extent'. The most critical management tasks of the middle managers were identified, these include: Setting minimum competencies/standards for the education curricular Program, programming the requisition and use of physical and material resources for the operational needs of the academic unit(s), Formulating evaluation standards and procedures for the faculty, Identifying instructional planning weaknesses and implement corrective Measures, and Coordinating the requests and deliveries of the physical facility needs of the faculty with higher school authorities. With the findings of this study serving as basis, a Middle Management Development Program can be generated and implemented, to address management related problems. Consequently, this will help improve the managerial effectiveness and efficiency of educational administrators, in providing the quality of education envisioned by the SUC-TEls in Region IX.
Faced With Obstacles and Uncertainty: a Thematic Review of Middle Managers in Higher Education
International Journal of Professional Business Review
Purpose: This study aims to identify the most prevalent issues, challenges, and uncertainty raised by middle managers and universities in published works from 2012 to 2021. Despite its popularity, there is no review article discussing the issues and difficulties faced by middle managers in higher education. Theoretical Framework: This research draws on two theories, the managerial work theory, which focuses on daily managerial activities and the space, organisation, and management theory, which seeks to understand the space in which middle managers execute their activities and the effects of space on the management team and the organisation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases were used to identify English-language articles. Using ATLAS.ti 22, this thematic review will synthesise literature regarding middle managers and universities. Finding: This review identified 36 articles containing 19 codes that characterise the approaching issues, ...
Academic Middle Managers and Management in University Colleges and Universities in Belgium
Verhoeven, J. C. (2010) 'Academic middle managers and management in university colleges and universities in Belgium (Flanders)' in: Meek, L. V., L. Goedegebuure, T. Carvalho & R. Santiago (eds) The Changing Dynamics of Higher Education Middle Management., 55-81, 2010
This chapter explores facets of managerialism in Flemish policy and institutions of higher education through addressing four questions: (i) What is managerialism and what are its characteristics? (ii) How did the national policymakers make way for managerialism in institutions of higher education? (iii) Are there indicators of managerialism in higher education research of the 1990s? (iv) Do deans, heads of departments and heads of research units perceive the current management of institutions of higher education as having characteristics of managerialism? The empirical research reported in this chapter demonstrates that managerialism is not present in Belgium universities in its extreme forms. A relatively large group of middle managers still prefer a collegial attitude, and they criticise some of the less pleasant consequences of managerialism.
Evaluation of Leadership Behaviors of Middle Administrators in Higher Education through Reflection
We live in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world, where universities try to keep up with all kinds of developments and developing and implementing new and diversified curricula. Moreover, the way department heads exhibit their leadership practices is becoming more and more complicated because universities keep struggling for their own survival as a result of these changes. At universities, department heads often perform a middle-management role depending on the organizational structure of each university and this role is usually taken for granted and is unquestioned. The goal of this study was to evaluate the leadership practices and behaviors exhibited by the middle level administrators including department heads, supervisors and coordinators at universities in North Cyprus.The research approach was both quantitive and qualitative including a variety of data sources including open-ended surveys, interviews used together with the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI).
Middle-level academic managers play a central role in university management; however, their roles are not always clear and straightforward. Although this research subject has been comprehensively investigated in the last 40 year, most studies are western biased. This study examines the roles of Heads of Department in a newly established university in Vietnam to fill this literature gap. Through 24 interviews and document analysis, the study finds that the main task areas of the Heads of Department centre on program management, academic staff management, and facilities management. Other areas such as strategic management and budget management appear to be neglected. The paper supports existing literature that Heads of Department’s responsibilities vary in detail and the roles demanded are governed in large measure by departmental contexts. The study concludes that the Heads of Department enjoy a low level of autonomy and also act more as a manager than as leaders. It’s recommended that an enhanced leadership role should be given to the Heads of Department so that they can perform to the best of their ability, hence improving university performance.
Higher Education Policy, 2019
There is a dissonance between the formal role of head of academic department represented in institutional discourses and the reality of heads' working practices. This paper provides insight, from the perspective of heads, about how the role is experienced and enacted in one institution. Data is derived from twenty semi-structured interviews with heads of department in a teaching focussed university in the UK. The findings show that there is autonomy in how individual heads structure, manage and lead their departments, and so the role is performed in significantly different ways. Nevertheless, for all heads, the development of a clearer institutional mission, vision and strategy had meant that the scope for strategic initiatives at departmental level was more circumscribed and there was a significant issue for many heads about how to make the time and space available for this aspect of the role, given the competing operational demands. Derived from these findings, the paper informs practice by making recommendations about how heads of department may operate more effectively. We suggest that a mesopolitical lens, exploring how social practices are shaped by specific disciplinary and departmental contexts and cultures, may provide a productive perspective on the role of middle leaders and managers.
Discourses on Administration / OR Management of Academic Institution
Administration and management both are outwardly corroborative and complementary to each other. The only connotative differences between these two operational system is that , while administration emphasis on " administering the affairs " from the top, management, on the other hand, tries to manage and steer the objective situation towards a definite goal and mission from within. In view of " Goal, Mission and Vision " of an Institution, Administrator, from his own positional point, determined it, fixed up the responsibility of his 'line' and 'staff' sub-units, and then continue to monitor the working of the Sub-Staff within his own administrative authority. Thus the administrator allocates the duties and corresponding authority for doing the work, to his stratified Sub-Staff, where both the 'line' and 'staff' units exists. Management, on the other hand, stepping down from his formal positional point, takes an active part in resolving the mission and vision of the Institution with others, and also makes himself an integral part of the daily affairs for pursuing the determined goal. Both these nature of Leadership, has their own nature of operation, which are by nature symmetrically opposite in maintaining the affairs of any Academic Institution. The use and implementation of any one of these, as an alternative process of ordering the Institution largely depends upon the character, nature and mentality of the person who is holding office. It also depends upon the perception and image of the incumbent, holding and maintaining the state of affairs. Before going detail into the problems and basic working logic of Institutional Head either as 'Administrator' or as ' Manager of the affairs', we should look into the issue of determining vision and mission of an Institution much emphatically. Because our basic attempts is to achieve our vision and mission, and in that context, to view the role of the Institutional Head, the Governing Body of the Institution and above all the 'Line Unit' of the Institution. A basic model can be prepared for understanding the process of working on vision of he CAMPUS. CAMPUS, in fact is an acronyms for a " Comprehensive Analytical Methods of Planning in University System ". It has it origin in the academic work on simulation in higher education. [For detail of this, Please see, " Institutional Resource Allocation Models in Higher Education " ; K.M.Hussain, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2004]. The primary function of the Head of the Institution during the process of resolving the mission and vision of the Institution, is to have a clear understanding of 'Resource Requirement' before predicting the goal. Because goal and mission are subjected to be adjusted or extended in view of the availability of required resources. In this particular sphere, an administrator univocally decided and predicts requirement and then administer the resource generating points to acquire his required resources. While the basic tenants of management is to include all potential sources of resource generation for working on a particular mission. In the latter case, obviously the maximization of involvement in generation of resources widen the compatibility and cooperativeness among different units of the Academic Institution. Basic problems of an Academic Institution are:-i) Budgetary constraints, ii)increasing enrollment,iii) constraint in imparting quality education and social values among the students, iv) background of the hinterland from where the student come to admit, v)