There is a growing belief that higher education institutions should nurture a 'quality culture' in which structural/managerial and cultural/psychological elements act in synergy to continuously improve education. Notwithstanding the positive connotation of the 'quality culture' concept, its exact configuration remains subject to debate. A realist review was conducted to identify inhibiting and promoting organisational context elements impacting quality culture, its working mechanisms and associated outcomes. Leadership and communication were identified as being of key importance in binding structural/managerial and cultural/psychological elements. Leaders are central 'drivers' of quality culture development through their ability to influence resource allocation, clarify roles and responsibilities, create partnerships and optimise people and process management. Adequate communication is considered a prerequisite to diffuse quality strategies and policies, evaluate results and identify staff values and beliefs. It is proposed that the working mechanisms of quality culture comprise increased staff commitment, shared ownership, empowerment and knowledge. Associated outcomes related to these mechanisms are positive effects on staff and student satisfaction, continuous improvement of the teaching-learning process and student and teacher learning and development. Institutions
To this date, research on the interplay between organisational structure/ managerial and organisational value/psychological elements which impact on educational quality is scarce and fragmented. As a consequence of a lack of knowledge in this area, institutions often address these elements in isolation, moving past integral approaches, which reinforce the organisations' quality culture. In order to examine interrelationships between context characteristics, work-related psychological attitudes of staff and enhancement practices, a path analysis was performed on data collected from academics with teaching coordination roles. The findings highlight the paramount importance of a 'human relation' value orientation; this orientation influences empowerment, commitment and communication satisfaction. Rational goal values and ownership are positively related to quality enhancement practices. It is advocated that institutional policies and strategies directed at educational quality enhancement should leave discretionary space for the availing of academics' expertise. Nurturing collaborative teaching/learning communities with explicit concern for morale, involvement and development, deserves further cultivation.
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