Kulno Türk

Performance appraisal and the compensation of academic staff in the University of Tartu

Purpose – The present study aims to show the role of performance appraisal in the motivating and compensating of academic staff. The goal of the paper is achieved through comparing performance appraisal and compensation policies and systems in the University of Tartu. One of the aims is also to find out the level of satisfaction of the academic staff with the appraisal and compensation systems in two faculties of the University of Tartu.Design/methodology/approach – Research was carried out on the academic staff at the faculty of Economics and Business Administration (hereafter FEBA) and the Faculty of Education (hereafter FE) at Tartu University. It is based on the analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The author carried out document analysis and two original and anonymous questionnaires. In order to achieve this aim, 125 lecturers were questioned, from whom 52 percent returned their filled in questionnaires. In addition to that, qualitative data from five semi‐structured interviews ...

Behaviour patterns in Estonian enterprises from the perspective of the value chain

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to evaluate how Estonian enterprises understand their position in the value chain, and to explore what kind of behaviour patterns correspond to the different positions. It also aims to focus on the question of whether and how Estonian enterprises see the need to improve their position in the value chain.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is based on an empirical study in the course of which original interviews were conducted on the basis of a common plan (primary sources), and expert opinions were gathered on the basis of earlier studies. Two kinds of sources were analyzed to obtain an overview of the situation in Estonian companies in respect to strategy, and more specifically how companies evaluate their position in the value chain and what their aspirations for future are. First, the figureheads from the enterprises were interviewed in 14 enterprises. Second, expert assessments were drawn up about 25 enterprises. Those compiling the expert opinions possessed p...

A Comparison of the Appraisal Systems and Appraisal-Compensation Interlinks Used by Estonian Public and Private Universities

The performance appraisal and compensation aspects in the public and private universities have growing importance. Even publicly funded universities have to seek for additional resources from private market and thus monitor and develop their performance accordingly. The purpose of this study is to compare performance appraisal as well as compensation policies and systems in Estonian public and private universities in order to determine the possible differences. The results indicate no major differences between two investigated sub-samples. Yet, private universities seem to value student feedback and other market-driven appraisal aspects slightly more than public universities, who value more development interviews.

Virtual work usage and challenges in different service sector branches

Purpose – Virtual work presents new challenges for managers compared to using ordinary, face‐to‐face work practices. The purpose of this paper is to show how different virtual work types are related to different challenges that require different managerial and co‐operation approaches.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were gathered during a period of two years using a questionnaire (3,156 respondents from 323 companies representing different Estonian service sector branches) and interviewing.Findings – The paper concludes that a higher level of work virtuality leads to a lower level of work satisfaction, mainly due to inappropriate management techniques and problems related to information and communication technology‐mediated communication.Research limitations/implications – The sample consists of only service sector organizations, limiting generalization of the results to the practice of manufacturing companies.Practical implications – The results will help managers of service organizations to ...

Thomas‐Kilmann's Conflict Management Modes and their relationship to Fiedler's Leadership Styles (basing on Estonian organizations)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between Thomas‐Kilmanns Conflict Management Modes (CMM) and Fiedlers Leadership Style (LS) measures, both in the data, and from the theoretical perspective. Based on the conceptual similarities, the authors first propose the existence of a relationship between Thomas‐Kilmanns CMM and Fiedlers LS measures, then establish the presence of the relationship, based on a dataset of Estonian managers.Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a unique dataset of 343 leaders and specialists from different Estonian organizations, on both Thomas‐Kilmanns CMM and Fiedlers Least Preferred Co‐worker test. The data were analyzed by multivariate methods.Findings – The results indicate that leaders who are task‐oriented, according to Fiedlers model, tend to use more competing as the dominant CMM, while relationship‐oriented leaders are more accommodating. The authors also analyze the effect of individual characteristics, finding that younger mana...

Wage Policy and Performance Management in Estonian Higher Educational Institutions

The policy of higher education in the public sector is being developed and that has brought about the need to systematize the education given by private and public higher educational institutions. This way, an attempt is made to improve the organisation and division of work in the public sector and also in the provision of higher education. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the wage policy in Estonian higher educational establishments and the analysis is based on current theories of performance management and work compensation. The paper provides a survey of salaries of the academic staff in Estonian higher educational institutions and the system of performance appraisal and compensation in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of University of Tartu. The paper also offers ideas for those seeking to improve teaching, research and publications performance in universities.

Performance management of academic staff in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Tartu University (pluses and minuses)

The present study aims to establish the pluses and minuses of the performance appraisal and management system of the academic staff. This is done through the case study of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) at Tartu University, Estonia. Research is based on the analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The author carried out document analysis and two original questionnaires in the FEBA. In order to achieve this aim, the author questioned the academic staff during the years of 2004–2007. The author carried out 5 semi-structured focus interviews with senior management and lecturers and 10 individual interviews between the years of 2004–2009. The author of this article took part in all these processes, including the expert groups and board, and applied the participation observation method where appropriate.

Performance Management of Academic Staff on the Example of the Faculties of Economics in University of Tartu and in Tallinn University of Technology

In order to continue its mission in preparing educated work force needed for supporting implementation of Estonian economic policy, universities need to improve the usage of its scarce resources. We study the expectation and attitudes of academic staff towards performance appraisal and related reward systems. Our survey and focus-group interviews revealed that although the systems deployed in those two Universities were different by its nature – Tartu had adopted performance based approach, where performance appraisal results were closely connected to salary, and Tallinn University of Technology had taken position-based approach, where general salary condition on the time of appointment play pivotal role – the expectations of staff were similar. In both universities, leaders preferred more measurable performance-based systems, but the rest of staff favoured more loose and stable approaches. Implications of results towards appraisal and rewards systems for academic staff are discussed.

Creating Innovation in the Education Sector: Policy Implications

The aim of this chapter is to propose some policy implications for improving the education sector’s innovation in schools through introducing ideas for leadership advancement, and shaping organizational culture and performance management. This chapter consists of two studies. In the first study, school principals and head teachers (n = 57) and teachers and support personnel (n = 501) from Estonian secondary schools were questioned. In the second study, 2,125 teachers and 296 principals from Estonian general education schools participated. For statistical analysis factor analysis, correlation analysis, analysis of variances and t-test were used. As a result of the two studies, several policy implications can be brought out to raise the effectiveness of general educational system and its ability to support innovation. For ensuring schools’ performance, performance management needs to be taken into consideration in school management. This includes dealing with organizational culture which supports both task- and relationship-oriented approach. Schools should not be only concentrated on achieving academic performance, but on managing and developing school environment. This includes valuing teachers’ work and their part in achieving schools’ objectives. Therefore, more attention should be turned to creating teachers’ motivational system (including pay-for-performance) as well.