Myroslava Hladchenko

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.

Balanced Scorecard--A Strategic Management System of the Higher Education Institution.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the comparative analysis of the Balanced Scorecards of four higher education institutions and aims to define the general framework of the Balanced Scorecard for the higher education institution which concerns: the structure and elements of the Balanced Scorecard; development of the Balanced Scorecards on the different levels of the management system of the higher education institution; definition of the main functions of the Balanced Scorecard which it performs in the process of the strategic management of the German higher education institutions. Balanced Scorecard is analyzed as a strategic management system that translates a higher education institution’s strategy into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides a framework for a strategic measurement and management system. Design/methodology/approach – The comparative content analysis of the Balanced Scorecards of one Austrian and three German higher education institutions – Johanes Gute...

The organizational identity of Ukrainian universities as claimed through their mission statements

After the Revolution of Dignity (2014), Ukraine signed an Association Agreement with the European Union. In the context of European integration, new legislation on higher education has been adopted. Changes in the institutional environment expect responses from higher education institutions, in particular changes in the organizational identities of Ukrainian universities that are claimed through the mission statements. As Ukrainian universities are in the stage of transition from the Soviet past to the European future, it is of primary importance how they interpret and respond to the changes in the institutional environment, claiming their organizational identity through mission statements. To answer this question, sociological institutionalism is applied as a theoretical framework for the exploration of how institutions shape the organizational identities of universities. A content analysis of the mission statements of 46 Ukrainian universities was conducted: 26 defined before the adoption of the new legislation on higher education in 2014 and 20 formulated after this date.

Means-ends decoupling and academic identities in Ukrainian university after the Revolution of Dignity

ABSTRACT This article aims to explore the academic identities under the conditions of means-ends decoupling at the nation-state level. For empirical evidence we choose Ukraine. In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity despite the adoption of the policies aimed to construct academic identities like in the Western universities the intended outcomes were not achieved. It occurred due to means-ends decoupling both at the nation-state and organizational levels. Policy initiatives involved a decrease in teaching workload of academics, they to allocate more time for research. The education ministry also changed the requirements to the scientific titles aiming to enhance the quality of higher education though the focus of the academics on the research at the international level and improvement of their knowledge of English. Our findings reveal that means-ends decoupling not only passes down from the nation-state and organizational levels to the level of individuals but also results also in significant diversion of human intellectual capital and identity conflict experienced by academics. Data is taken from the interviews with nineteen academics from humanities, social, natural and technical sciences affiliated to one Ukrainian university.

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 the Higher Education Governance in Poland and Ukraine

Since the 1980s, the modes of governance of public sectors have undergone substantial changes in most of the Western European countries (e.g. Van Kersbergen & Van Waarden, 2004; de Boer et al., 2010). These public sector wide changes were in many cases inspired and driven by the principles of ‘New Public Management’ (NPM) that can be viewed as one of the global models of world society (Pollitt, 1990).

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.

The roads of ‘excellence’ in Central and Eastern Europe

The aim of the article is to explore the impact of excellence as a powerful policy idea in the context of recent and contemporary developments in three selected Central and Eastern European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine. More specifically, we explore how excellence as a ‘global script’ was translated by policy makers into local contexts with institutionalized practices. It shows that the translation of the idea of excellence involved the rise of a series of novel policy measures such as long-term strategic funding and the establishment of various pertinent schemes (e.g. flagship universities, centres of excellence). By doing so, the analysis – which is comparative by nature – focuses on exploring major differences and similarities in the conceptualization and implementation of the idea of excellence in the three local contexts of science.

Knowledge valorisation: A route of knowledge that ends in surplus value (an example of the Netherlands)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons of the success of the Netherlands in knowledge valorisation: what are the actors that participate in knowledge valorisation process and what are their functions; what is the route of knowledge in valorisation; what “surplus value” does knowledge gain in the valorisation process. Design/methodology/approach – Documentary and content analysis of the documents that regulate the knowledge valorisation on the level of the national policy and on the level of universities. Findings – The success of the Netherlands in the knowledge valorisation can be explained by the creation of the process in which its main actors – state and universities collaborate and clearly understand and perform their functions and involve into the collaboration, the representatives of the industry. The state managed to create on the level of the country beneficial environment for knowledge valorisation that includes legal basis and establishment of organizations which provide funding for knowledge valorisation. Universities in their turn also have created beneficial and stimulating conditions for knowledge valorisation – science parks and valorisation centres provide support to the academics in the knowledge valorisation process. The process of valorisation at the university is built on cooperative relationship between researchers and management of the universities. Cooperation between researchers and management structures of the university which consult and support them in the process of valorisation is beneficial for both sides. Surplus value in the knowledge valorisation process can be financial and societal, but in some way they coincide because valorisation accelerates scientific progress, supports the economic development of the region and the Netherlands. Research limitations/implications – In research were explored documents that regulate knowledge valorisation on the level of state and on the level of university (strategic plans of the Dutch universities). This paper provides a basis for the substantial development of the general framework for the development of the policy at the area of knowledge valorisation and initiatives by higher education institutions. Practical implications – The experience of the Netherlands in policymaking in area of knowledge valorisation and initiatives of the Dutch universities can be used as the basis for the development and implementation of the national policies of knowledge valorisation. Social implications – The experience of the development of the valorisation initiatives of the Dutch universities can be used as the basis for the development and implementation of the valorisation initiatives of the higher education institutions. Originality/value – The study takes a documentary analysis to understand and explain the essence of the term “valorisation”, its types – societal and financial, the input of the main actors into knowledge valorisation process and to determine what surplus value and benefits are created during this process.