Harry F. de Boer

European universities as complete organizations? Understanding identity, hierarchy and rationality in public organizations

Abstract This article investigates the form of European universities to determine the extent to which they resemble the characteristics of complete organizations and whether the forms are associated with modernization policy pressure, national institutional frames and organizational characteristics. An original data set of twenty-six universities from eight countries was used. Specialist universities have a stronger identity, whereas the level of hierarchy and rationality is clearly associated with the intensity of modernization policies. At the same time, evidence suggests limitations for universities to become complete, as mechanisms allowing the development of some dimensions seemingly constrain the capability to develop others.

Contract arrangements in the Nordic countries—solving the efficiency/effectiveness dilemma?

Steering higher education through the establishment of a “contract” between the state and the individual higher education institution is becoming an increasingly popular way of regulating the relationship between the two actors in the Nordic countries. This article addresses some theoretical foundations for this approach derived from principal/agent theory and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of established contract arrangements in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. The article discusses the potential of using such arrangements in relation to the efficiency/effectiveness dilemma. It is emphasized that trust is vital in solving this dilemma and that the balance between the need for public accountability, the efficient regulation of higher education, and institutional change must be given high priority in refining existing contractual arrangements.

Establishing research universities in Ukrainian higher education: the incomplete journey of a structural reform

ABSTRACT The idea of the research university as a key institution for social and economic development in knowledge-intensive societies has been adopted by the Ukrainian government after the fall of the communist regime. Establishing research universities is a long journey during which many things might happen. To understand this journey better in the case of Ukrainian research universities, we applied an analytical framework derived from the concept of travel and translation of ideas. This concept analyses reform through three types of editing rules: the rules of context, logic and formulation. These editing rules have guided our analysis of data gathered from policy documents complemented by face-to-face interviews. We conclude that the idea as introduced came to little, as the turbulent political context precluded long-term planning and universities were faced with conflicting policies.

Between good intentions and urgent stakeholder pressures: institutionalizing the universities' third mission in the Swedish context

There is a widespread recognition across Europe, amongst policy-makers, university managers and scholars, that universities’ societal roles (the ‘third mission’) are increasingly important. As universities become increasingly strategically managed, it is perhaps unsurprising that attention has turned towards the strategic management of this third mission. Universities risk becoming ‘overloaded’ with these missions and are forced to choose to dilute their strategic focus or only focus on a limited number of these missions. The third mission risks being regarded as a desirable but not an essential duty and therefore is unlikely to be an institutional focus.In this paper we therefore ask how can the third mission be meaningfully institutionalized given the pressures on university managers to focus on other areas. We explore this with reference to a detailed case study of a provincial Swedish university, Sjöstad University, with a long-standing commitment to creating a societal impact. We explore how Sjöstad University has created an impact, and then the tensions this raises for key university stakeholders, internally and with external partners. We then reflect on the institutionalization of the third mission and call for further consideration of how external stakeholders can provide universities with a strategic space to institutionalize the third mission.

Comparing national policies on institutional profiling in Germany and the Netherlands

The concepts of differentiation and profiling are cornerstones in discussions about the organisation of contemporary higher education systems, following the trends of massification and global competition. This contribution provides a system-level description and comparison of the German and Dutch higher education systems regarding these topics, and points to possible interactions and development concepts connecting differentiation, strategic profiling of universities and excellence. Though both higher education systems started from very different positions and with differing policies towards differentiation, the global trends and national aspirations for the systems, as well as individual universities in Germany and the Netherlands, are comparable. A look into the resulting ranking positions of German and Dutch universities generally shows a more successful development for the Dutch higher education institutions in the last few years – which could possibly indicate a crucial time lag in the effects of differentiation policies in higher education as the German excellence and differentiation efforts fundamentally took hold more than 10 years after the Dutch initiatives in this field.

Governance models and policy instruments

Appropriate governance is seen as a precondition for achieving the goals of maintaining or creating effective, competitive and attractive higher education systems (De Boer et al., 2012; van Vught, 1989a). In response to the challenges stemming from developments such as the emergence of mass higher education, globalization, privatization and fiscal crises, and inspired by neoliberal ideologies (such as New Public Management), contemporary governments continuously are in pursuit of approaches to governance that ‘fit’ (see also Clark, 1983b). The topic of governance finds itself in the centre of higher education politics and policies.

Means-Ends Decoupling at the State Level and Managerial Responses to Multiple Organisational Identities in Ukrainian Research Universities.

ABSTRACT Drawing on the model of managerial responses to multiple organisational identities (integration, aggregation, compartmentalisation, deletion and multivocality), this article explores managerial responses in Ukrainian research universities whilst means-ends decoupling takes place at the state level. The latter term implies that practices of state policies are disconnected from the state’s core goal of enhancing public welfare. Data is taken from recent interviews with 11 top managers from three Ukrainian research universities. Our findings reveal that the greater the institutional complexity experienced by the university and the more the top managers maintain confidence in practices and organisational identities that deviate from the global model of the research university, the greater the means-ends decoupling at the organisational level. The university that sustains the least degree of means-ends decoupling at the organisational level shows aggregation as the managerial response, while the university with the highest degree of means-ends decoupling is characterised by multivocality with underdeveloped identities of research at the international level and knowledge transfer. As a higher degree of means-ends decoupling at the organisational level implies a larger efficiency gap and significant diversion of both human and financial resources, a managerial response that lacks synergy, in our case multivocality, also leads to the above-mentioned negative consequences.

Understanding the changes of higher education governance in Poland and Ukraine : Institutional analysis

Whether universities can survive as critical organisations in the current time is an open question which this volume seeks to address. The book examines particular aspects of three main themes: governance, critical regulation and regulated criticism; growth, equality, movement and instability in higher education systems; and teaching and learning. Topics range from ‘University Futures’ to an examination of governance by procedure and the loss of the social process of the university; a discussion of the meaning of academic freedom; and approaches to managerialism. Quality management is discussed, along with the question of whether European Liberal Education actually exists. Various aspects of the theme of teaching and learning are examined, from student participation in out-of-class activities, to the role of Centres of Excellence, and a consideration of widening participation. The book is international in its reach, and addresses the continuing dilemmas faced in higher education systems, within Europe and beyond.

Strengthening Research at the Dutch ‘Hogescholen’: From Ideas to Institutionalization

In using an ideational approach of policy analysis, this chapter describes and analyses the establishment and institutionalisation of a research function as the second core task of the Dutch universities of applied sciences Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in the period 2001–2015. The overarching goal of this structural reform is to contribute to the strengthening of the innovative capacity of the Netherlands by the optimal use of the UAS sector in delivering highly skilled modern graduates and services needed by regional industry and the public sector. At the turn of the millennium, several instruments have been introduced to strengthen the UAS research function such as by means of the introduction of new staff positions at the UAS, grants for practice-oriented research and grants for the establishment of Centres of Expertise. The government provided the funding for these initiatives through additional budgets, alongside the operational basic grant, initially as temporary funding, and independent national agencies were established to manage the reform initiatives. In the 15 years since the first steps were taken, the research function of UAS has obtained a structural and indispensable position in Dutch higher education. In this respect, the structural reform has been successful. Nonetheless, in the chapter, a number of critical observations are being made.

The way deans run their faculties in Indonesian universities

Using the theory of reasoned action in combination with the Competing Values Framework of organizational leadership, our study examines how deans at Indonesian universities lead and manage their faculties. Based on a large-scale survey with responses from more than 200 Indonesian deans, the study empirically identifies a number of deanship styles: the Master, the Competitive Consultant, the Focused Team Captain, the Consensual Goal-Setter and the Informed Trust-Builder style. Further, the study investigates determinants of deans’ leadership styles, pointing at the important role of their attitudes towards leadership, while their perceived behavioural control only explains some of the styles. The study also suggests that faculty culture is important to take into consideration if we want to gain further understanding of the deanship, since culture turned out to effect the deans’ attitudes and hence their leadership style.