Barbara Sporn

Managing university culture: an analysis of the relationship between institutional culture and management approaches

Universities are complex social organizations with distinctive cultures. On the one hand, academic freedom and autonomy are inviolable values and, on the other hand, changing environmental conditions exert strong influence on the primary functions of universities. This paper analyzes the ability of university cultures to adapt to these changes and describes management approaches that mirror the specific culture of a university. Various methods for assessing culture are described, a typology for interpreting university culture is introduced, and management approaches are analyzed. For administrators as well as researchers this work helps to explain the implications of university culture for management processes. This integration steers university leadership in a new direction combining strategic and symbolic management actions.

New Models of Management and Shifting Modes and Costs of Production: Europe and the United States

Discussions of strategic managementand productivity generally overlook fundamentalfactors of production that are on the rise withnew models of management and new modes ofproduction by which instruction and research iscreated. This paper draws on national,institutional and professional association datafrom universities and emergent professions inAustria, Germany and the US to track theshifting allocation of human resources and todetermine whether academic managers areconsidering these patterns in establishingstrategic management practices. Findings showthat, in some countries, professors represent adeclining proportion of the personnel in highereducation, although the models of managementand the allocations of personnel vary among theUS, Austria and Germany. Noting that currentstrategic management practices are notincorporating consideration of thesedevelopments, this paper offers questions andconcepts for universities to address in orderto enhance strategic management.

Institutional Adaptation: Demands for Management Reform and University Administration

Higher education organizations around the world have always faced environmental changes. However, in the past decade altered societal expectations, new public policies, and technological innovations have created an unprecedented set of challenges for universities. Although the borders of universities have opened in new ways for their services and products, universities have been the subject of increased public scrutiny from diverse constituencies. While under such scrutiny, higher education institutions have been simultaneously identified for their potential as a key catalyst in the development of new knowledge organizations and the “digital” economy, especially in the Western world. Tending to these domains, their management has become increasingly significant at the turn of the century; as Peter Drucker admonished in a recent analysis: “The most important area for developing new concepts, methods, and practices will be in the management of society’s knowledge resources—specifically, education and health care, both of which are today overadministered and undermanaged. ” (Drucker, 1997)

Building adaptive universities: Emerging organisational forms based on experiences of European and us universities

Abstract Universities are facing dynamic environments to which they have to respond by developing new organisational forms often to enhance adaptation. Thereby, governance, management and leadership structures are changing ‐ aiming at increased flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness. This involves new procedures to manage the relationship with the environment, new authority structures within universities, and new ways of resource allocation. Hence, this paper will present empirical results from a cross‐national study of adaptive university structures vis‐a‐vis a changing socioeconomic environment. Based upon that, new organisational forms are introduced which better support and enhance the current trend towards more entrepreneurial universities.

Towards More Adaptive Universities: Trends of Institutional Reform in Europe

European universities are increasingly facing competitive environments, declining resources, and changing societal needs. Factors influencing this development are globalization, the changing role of the state, economic restructuring, information technology, and student and staff mobility. Adaptation to these new environmental conditions involves changes in major structures and processes of academic organization. This article describes these environmental demands and presents institutional responses illustrated through empirical results. The importance of governance, management, and leadership regarding adaptation are of special concern in this analysis. Implications for higher education research and practice include consequences for university management as well as for new areas for empirical work.

Management in Higher Education: Current Trends and Future Perspectives in European Colleges and Universities

The management of higher education has been challenged during recent decades. Especially in Europe, increased institutional autonomy and accountability initiated changes in methods and tools of management. These range from management by objectives and contracts, entrepreneurial approaches, steering from a distance, to service and customer orientation. This chapter will discuss trends in European higher education systems which have led to new approaches in university management. Firstly, globalisation and internationalisation created a more competitive environment. Secondly, harmonisation of degrees and study programmes increased comparability among European systems. Thirdly, marketisation has triggered calls for the entrepreneurial university. Fourthly, the role of the state has profoundly changed based on a more public management approach. All these trends can be translated into management implications. They involve new governance and leadership structures as well as new management techniques. The chapter will conclude by introducing models of university management which have appeared in many of the EAIR discourses: the entrepreneurial, the adaptive, and the learning university.

Potential For Online Grocery Shopping In The Urban Area of Vienna

The market for Internet shopping in the food industry has gained increased interest of retailers especially in Central European countries like Austria. Recent experiences in the US and optimistic estimates (Green et al. 1998; Kutz 1998) show that the potential for selling groceries online might be substantial even in Europe. Accordingly, companies of the grocery industry in Austria are monitoring technological developments to better understand when to move into this new emerging market. Generally, the diffusion of the Internet and the availability of cheap computer equipment created a new type of customer who wants an easy and convenient alternative to regular shopping in supermarkets. Especially in urban areas online shopping offers new potentials to increase market shares and attract new target groups. These new virtual stores can also serve as tools for management and marketing research (Burke 1996), and for improved communication with customers (Bauer et al. 1996).

Management of and in Higher Education Institutions

The management of and in higher education institutions is a complex task. The environment for colleges and universities has become more turbulent and dynamic causing major reforms regarding core processes and structures of management. This encompasses elements of governance (focusing on decision making), leadership (focusing on top-level managers), and administration (focusing on implementation). This article provides an introduction to these three elements of management. Following that, management approaches are presented ranging from new public management, to strategic management, and professionalization. Concluding, an overview of more recent management concepts for institutions of higher education is provided. Based on the notion of environmental vulnerability, this includes the learning, the adaptive, and the entrepreneurial university.

University Adaptation and Gender Equality: A Case Study of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration

In 2002, the Austrian Board of Ministers integrated gender mainstreaming into its national policies (as noted by Pellert and Grindl in chapter 5 of this book). The adaptation of Austrian universities to gender mainstreaming cannot, however, be adequately understood by tracing the implementation of a single policy or institutional adaptation to a single external force because the integration of gender mainstreaming converged with the University Act 2002 (Universitatsgesetz, 2002), which granted full autonomy to higher education institutions and generated considerable change in internal decision-making structures.

Universities and Science and Technology: Europe

Science and technology at European universities have changed substantially. With the emergence of a global knowledge economy, science (as basic research) and technology (as a product of applied research) are more tightly coupled to form the basis for national wealth creation. Universities are expected to provide well-trained scientists and engineers, new knowledge, and applied science. European systems of higher education have been challenged by these new economic conditions. State budgets are increasingly constrained. Ministries have been deregulating authority to the institutions. Information technology has influenced knowledge production and delivery. A more diverse student body has been seeking a university education as part of their life-long learning need. Globalization and international competition have pushed European universities to revise and reorganize their institutions. Consequently, academic science and technology are in a process of restructuring. New knowledge transfer strategies are emerging that aim at increased alliances between companies and universities. Research has become more interdisciplinary and problem oriented. Market-based funding develops as a system supporting industry-related as opposed to curiosity-driven research. More management capacity within universities is needed to deal with these changes. Overall, universities must refocus their mission in order to integrate knowledge production (research), knowledge dissemination (teaching), and knowledge application (outreach/service).